Author. A prominent member of the "Formalist" movement of Soviet Literature in the 1920's, he is best-known for his humorous tale "Lieutenant Kizhe" (1927). It is set during the reign of Czar Paul in the late 1700's. A clerical error on an official document results in the creation of a nonexistant officer, a Lieutenant Kizhe. The unusual name catches Czar Paul's eye, and he promotes Kizhe to general. Terrified of revealing the mistake, the Czar's subordinates invent an elaborate career for the phantom soldier, even giving him a "wife" to present herself to fashionable society. When Paul finally decides he wants to meet Kizhe, he is informed that the general has suddenly passed away. Kizhe is given a state funeral, and as an empty coffin is lowered into the grave Paul laments, "All my best men are dying off". "Lieutenant Kizhe" is a delightful satire of bureaucratic stupidity that transcends time and place. It was made into a Russian film by director Alexander Faintsimmer in 1934, with the screenplay by Tynyanov. Sergei Prokofiev's score, arranged into a concert suite by the composer, is world famous. Yury Nikolaevich Tynyanov was born in Rezekne, Latvia, and studied at the University of St. Petersburg. He was considered a leading avant-garde critic of the 1920's, but with the rise of Stalinism he turned to writing historical fiction. His novel "Death and Diplomacy in Persia" (1929) depicted the demise of playwright Alexander Griboyedov. From 1921 to 1931 he was also professor of Russian Literature at the Institute of History and Arts. Having long battled multiple sclerosis, Tynyanov died in Moscow at 49, leaving a monumental book on Alexander Pushkin unfinished.
Author. A prominent member of the "Formalist" movement of Soviet Literature in the 1920's, he is best-known for his humorous tale "Lieutenant Kizhe" (1927). It is set during the reign of Czar Paul in the late 1700's. A clerical error on an official document results in the creation of a nonexistant officer, a Lieutenant Kizhe. The unusual name catches Czar Paul's eye, and he promotes Kizhe to general. Terrified of revealing the mistake, the Czar's subordinates invent an elaborate career for the phantom soldier, even giving him a "wife" to present herself to fashionable society. When Paul finally decides he wants to meet Kizhe, he is informed that the general has suddenly passed away. Kizhe is given a state funeral, and as an empty coffin is lowered into the grave Paul laments, "All my best men are dying off". "Lieutenant Kizhe" is a delightful satire of bureaucratic stupidity that transcends time and place. It was made into a Russian film by director Alexander Faintsimmer in 1934, with the screenplay by Tynyanov. Sergei Prokofiev's score, arranged into a concert suite by the composer, is world famous. Yury Nikolaevich Tynyanov was born in Rezekne, Latvia, and studied at the University of St. Petersburg. He was considered a leading avant-garde critic of the 1920's, but with the rise of Stalinism he turned to writing historical fiction. His novel "Death and Diplomacy in Persia" (1929) depicted the demise of playwright Alexander Griboyedov. From 1921 to 1931 he was also professor of Russian Literature at the Institute of History and Arts. Having long battled multiple sclerosis, Tynyanov died in Moscow at 49, leaving a monumental book on Alexander Pushkin unfinished.
Bio by: Bobb Edwards
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