Anybody who decides to embark on the studies of the life and professional and social activities of individual members of the “Russia abroad” community, will often face obstacles and “loose ends”. This is particularly true for the population that fled Russia after the Revolution. Very often, for political reasons, those who already had records in the pre-Revolutionary biographical sources became non-existent for compilers of the Soviet biographies. The achievements of those who became famous in exile were not noted in their homeland for many years.
After the fall of the Soviet Union, the study of “Russia abroad” in Russia started to develop with accelerating speed. This naturally affected the field of biographic studies. Yet, some compilations suffer from the individual, not very objective approach, of their compilers, which is reflected in their choice of material. As for the Western sources, Russian emigres were never considered “persona non grata.” Every emigrant who became a part of the mainstream activities of the new country and “deserved” to be entered in Western biographical sources, could be found there. Unfortunately, with these sources a researcher might face a “catch 22” situation. That is, in order to use the appropriate source, some initial information on the life (chronological and geographical details) and professional activities of the individual should be available; but these details are hidden in a source. The exceptions are Western encyclopedias, guide books, dictionaries, and others on Russian literature. These compilations might be of a great help in providing basic biographic information on émigré writers: giving lists of critical works and secondary sources and, sometimes, information on translated works. The articles on emigré literature provide an overview of the “Russia abroad” literary activities and their bibliographical supplements help the researcher to explore the subject further.
The sources listed below represent only a segment of materials existing on the subject. Therefore, it might be especially helpful for users to be able to continue on their own, using the subject heading -descriptors that they will find in the following records. We will link the user to a full description of the sources in the Biography Section or other relevant sections of this guide.
It might seem unusual to place at the head of the list the obituaries guides. However, very often, a summary of information on an individual and references to obituaries in publications of the period are recorded there. Such information will serve as a great help for starting a biographic project.
OBITUARIES
Nezabytye mogily: rossiiskoe zarubezh’e: nekropoli 1917-1997: v shesti tomakh.
Chuvakov, V.N. Moskva : Ros. gos. b-ka, 1999- .
U of I Call Number: International & Area Studies Russian Reference (Slavic) Q. 920.047 N499 v.1-6:3; Main Stacks v.4-6:2
A wonderful new source for information about Russian emigres, this set provides brief biographical data, locations of graves, and citations for obituaries and death announcements published in the Russian emigre press from 1917-1997. Although only the first three volumes have been published to date and thus the data is only for people whose surnames begin with A through K (Russian alphabetical order), it eventually will provide data for over 50,000 people. See the entry for Dmitrii Adeknov.
Russkii zarubezhnyi nekropol’ 1917-1967
Chuvakov, V.I. Moskva: [s.n.], 1967. 748 p.
U of I Call Number: International & Area Studies Microform (Slavic) FILM 920.00929171 C477r
Records in this compilation became later a part of “Nezabytye mogily… ” Nevertheless, we list this source since there are records for names from “A” to “IA”. It will loose its significance after all six volumes of “Nezabytye mogily” are published.
Rossiiskie mogily na rimskom kladbishche Verano.
Gasperovich, Vanda; Shumkov, A.A. Sankt-Peterburg : Russkoe Genealogicheskoe ob-vo, 1996. 32 p. (Rossiiskii nekropol’ ; vyp. 2).
U of I Call Number: International & Area Studies Russian Reference (Slavic) 363.750945 G214r
See description on the Cemetery Guides and Necrologies for Russians page.
Russkii nekropol’ v chuzhikh kraiakh vyp. 1-i; Parizh i ego okrestnosti.
Nikolai Mikhailovich, Grand Duke of Russia. Petrograd : Tip. M.M. Stasiulevicha, 1915. 101 p.
U of I Call Number: International & Area Studies Russian Reference (Slavic) 920.047 N58RUS
See description on the Cemetery Guides and Necrologies for Russians page.
Russkii nekropol’ pod Parizhem.
Shulepova, E.A. Moskva : Rossiiskii in-t kul?turologii, 1993. 95 p.
U of I Call Number: International & Area Studies Russian Reference (Slavic) 920.047 SH92R
See description on the Cemetery Guides and Necrologies for Russians page.
Na pogoste XX veka.
Nosik, B.M. Sankt-Peterburg : “Zolotoi vek” : “Diamant”, 2000. 558 p.
U of I Call Number: International & Area Studies Russian Reference (Slavic) 920.047 N841n
See description on the Cemetery Guides and Necrologies for Russians page.
Martirolog russkoi voenno-morskoi emigratsii po izdaniiam 1920-2000 gg.
Lobytsyn, V.V. Moskva : Izd-vo Rossiiskoi gos. biblioteki “Pashkov dom” ; Feodosiia : Izdatel’skii dom “Koktebel'”, 2001. 191 p.
U of I Call Number: International & Area Studies Russian Reference (Slavic) 304.80947 M366
See the description on the Resources on Obituaries page.
General Biographies
While searching WorldCat on your own using subject words below please be aware of the following caveat. The majority of Russian emigre figures started to appear only in late 1980s in biographical guides published in Russia.
Russkoe zarubezh’e: Zolotaia kniga emigratsii: pervaia tret’ XX veka: entsiklopedicheskii biograficheskii slovar’.
Shelokhaev, V.V. Moskva : ROSSPEN, 1997. 748 p.
U of I Call Number: International & Area Studies Russian Reference (Slavic) 305.89171 R923
This resource provides biographies for members of the First Wave of Russian emigration who received their higher education in Russia and who also established themselves and achieved recognition in their fields of speciality before they emigrated. There are entries for such luminaries as Sergei Diaghilev, Sergei Prokof’ev, Roman Iakobson, Pavel Miliukov, and Petr Struve among others. (But don’t look for Kerensky. He apparently did not achieve enough recognition in his field to be included). Over 400 biographies are included plus many portraits. The articles are often several pages in length with some bibliographical references for works by and about the individual. Entries are arranged alphabetically by surname. See the entry for Genrikh Ottonovich Chechott.
Who is who in Central and East Europe, 1933/34-1935/36. A biographical dictionary containing about 10,000 biographies of prominent people from Albania, Austria, Bulgaria, Czechoslovakia, Danzig, Estonia, Finland, Greece, Hungary, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Poland, Rumania, Switzerland, Turkey and Yugoslavia.
Zurich : Central European Times Pub. Co., 1934-1937.
U of I Call Number: Oak Street Facility 920.04W62 1933-1936
Countries listed in the title can explain the choice for this source. Practically all of these places became a new home for Russians who escaped the Revolution of 1917 in Russia. Although this western source has many of the limitations mentioned above, it still might include some facts on the occupations of the individuals who settled and worked in academic and governmental institutions. The geographical index presents about 8600 names listed alphabetically for each location.
Writers
Good sources for a bio and biobibliographic information on the émigré writers are literary encyclopedias, dictionaries, guides and others, issued in Russia, particularly after the fall of the Soviet Union, and on the West. Listed below are some of them. Most of them represent general literary sources and has been annotated in the section on Bibliography of Russian Literature.
Handbook of Russian literature
Terras, Victor. New Haven: Yale University Press, 1985. 557 p.
U of I Call Number: International & Area Studies Russian Reference (Slavic) Q. 891.709 H191; Oak Street Facility Q. 891.709 H191 and PG2940 .H29 1985; Undergrad PG2940 .H29 1985.
See the description on the Bibliography of Russian Literary Resources page.
Dictionary of Russian literature since 1917
Kasack, Wolfgang. New York: Columbia University Press, 1988. 502 p.
U of I Call Number: International & Area Studies Russian Reference (Slavic) and Oak Street Facility 891.709 K15L:E1988
See description on the Bibliography of Russian Literary Resources page.
The Modern encyclopedia of Russian and Soviet literature.
Weber, Harry. Gulf Breeze, FL : Academic International Press, 1977-
U of I Call Number: Main Stacks Reference 891.703 M72 v.1-10 index
According to the editor notes in the first volume of the encyclopedia, the purpose of this publication was to deliver “a specialized reference work in English containing accurate and comprehensive information on Russian and Soviet literature…”. Emigre literature is treated in this compilation “as a significant part of the totality of Russian literature”. There are three articles on the Russian emigre literature describing its three waves in volume 4, pp. 134-151. Entries on authors provide biographic information, some literary analyses of their writings, a bibliography of publications, and references to critical works. Although the editor acknowledged that “sources of information for Russian writers in emigration are somewhat limited” and the MERSL is represented only by 10 volumes where “Ivanov-Paimen” is the last entry, the source is definitely a valuable addition to the reference materials on “Russia Abroad.”
Russkie pisateli, 1800-1917: biograficheskii slovar’
Nikolaev, P.A. , Baskakov, V.N., Vatsuro, V.E. Moskva : Izd-vo “Sov. entsiklopediia”, 1989-
U of I Call Number: International & Area Studies Russian Reference (Slavic) 891.70922 R921 v.1-5; Main Stacks v.2-4.
See description on the Bibliography of Russian Literary Resources page.
SUBJECT WORDS:
*Authors, Russian – Biography – Dictionaries.
*While searching WorldCat using these subject words, please be aware of the fact that the names of most Russian émigré writers started to be included in dictionaries published in Russia only in late 1980s.
Literaturnaia entsiklopediia russkogo zarubezh’ia, 1918 – 1940.
Nikoliukin, A.N.; Etova, O.V. Moskva: Sektor literaturovedeniia INION RAN, 1993-1999.
U of I Call Number : International & Area Studies Russian Reference (Slavic) 016.8917 P673 v.1:1-4:3.
The first volume of this publication is issued in 3 parts with a distinctive title: Pisateli russkogo zarubezh’ia, 1918-1940: spravochnik . Every one of the 175 articles is compiled from well dated biographical essay followed by a list of a secondary sources on each author. The name index is at the end of third part. The three parts of the third volume supply information on history and literary criticism for the most significant works by the writers listed in volume 1. The name index is in the end of third part.
The second volume is also issued in 3 parts and devoted to periodical publications, literary centers, and publishers of “Russia Abroad.”
Dictionary of Russian women writers
Ledkovskaia-Astman, Marina; Rosenthal, Charlotte; Zirin, Mary Fleming. Westport, Conn.: Greenwood Press, 1994. 869 p.
U of I Call Number: International & Area Studies Russian Reference (Slavic) 891.700922 D561
See description on the Bibliography of Russian Literary Resources page.
Slovar’ russkikh zarubezhnykh pisatelei.
Bulgakov, V.; Vaneckova, G.; Kneeley, R. New York: Norman Ross Publishers, 1993. 240 p.
U of I Call Number: International & Area Studies Russian Reference (Slavic) 891.709 B871S
See description on the Bibliography of Russian Literary Resources page.
Russkie pisateli emigratsii: biograficheskie svedeniia i bibliografiia ikh knig po bogosloviiu, religioznoi filosofii, tserkovnoi istorii i pravoslavnoi kul’ture, 1921-1972.
Zernov, N. Boston: G.K. Hall, 1973. 182 p.
U of I Call Number: International & Area Studies Russian Reference (Slavic) 016.21 Z54R
See the description on the Biographical Resources for Religion and Philosophy in Russia page.
Slovar’ poetov Russkogo Zarubezh’ia.
Kreid, Vadim. Sankt-Peterburg : RKhGI, 1999. 470 p.
U of I Call Number: International & Area Studies Russian Reference (Slavic) 891.700922 Sl58
This dictionary includes biographical and some bibliographic information on 392 poets of the three waves of Russian emigration through the period 1917-1980s. The three sections of the book represent each of these waves. Every section was compiled by a different person. V. Kreid is responsible for the first wave-the revolutionary period; V. Sinkevich put together the information on the second wave-World War II; D. Bobyshev compiled the list of poets of third wave-1960-1980s. Every entry, besides a well dated biographic sketch, includes information on professional activities. It also provides a short bibliography of secondary sources, mostly of “Russia Abroad.” A name index for each section is provided.
Free voices in Russian literature, 1950s-1980s; a bio-bibliographical guide.
Stevanovic, B.; Wertsman, V.; Sumerkin, A. New York : Russica, 1987. 510 p. (Russica bibliography series. no. 4).
U of I Call Number: International & Area Studies Russian Reference (Slavic) and Oak Street Facility 016.8917 ST46F
See description on the Biography of Russian Literary Resources page.
OTHER SPECIALIZED BIOGRAPHY
Filosofy Rossii XIX-XX stoletii: biografii, idei, trudy.
Alekseev, A.P.; Alekseev, P.V. Moskva : “Kniga i biznes”, 1993. 221 p.
U of I Call Number: International & Area Studies Russian Reference (Slavic) 197.0922 F487
See the description on the Biographical Resources for Religion and Philosophy in Russia page.
Istoricheskii slovar’ rossiiskikh masonov XVIII-XX vekov.
Platonov, O. Moskva : O. Platonov, 1996. 126 p.
U of I Call Number: International & Area Studies Russian Reference (Slavic) 016.36610947 P697I
See description on the Guides to Sources on Russian History and Historiography page.
Khudozhniki russkogo zarubezh’ia 1917-1939. Biograficheskii slovar’.
Leikind, O.L. et al. Sankt-Peterburg : Izd-vo “Notabene”, 1999. 713 p.
U of I Call Number: International & Area Studies Russian Reference (Slavic) 709.470922 L5337k
See description on the Resources for Russian Art page.
Biograficheskii spravochnik vysshikh chinov Dobrovol’cheskoi armii i Vooruzhennykh Sil Iuga Rossii: materialy k istorii Belogo dvizheniia iuga.
Rutych, N. Moskva : “Regnum”, 1997. 295 p.
U of I Call Number: International & Area Studies Russian Reference (Slavic) 947.08410092 R939B
See description on the Guides to Sources on Russian History and Historiography page.
Rossiiskaia emigratsiia v Aziatsko-Tikhookeanskom regione i Iuzhnoi Amerike: biobibliograficheskii slovar’.
Khisamutdinov, A. Vladivostok : Izd-vo Dal’nevostochnogo universiteta, 2000. 358 p.
U of I Call Number: International & Area Studies Russian Reference (Slavic) 304.80947 K528r
This biographical dictionary has entries for over 2000 Russian emigres who lived in Australia, Japan, Korea, China, South America, or the western part of the United States. Entries are arranged alphabetically by surname and include full names, dates, education and career information, as well as bibliographical references for both published and unpublished works and archival sources. Entries range in length from several lines to almost a page. There are some photographs of individuals and of graves. The introduction discusses the various sources of information available for research in this branch of emigre studies. See the entry for the botanist, Innokentii Kozlov.
Kazachii slovar’ -spravochnik
Skrylov, A.I. ed. Cleveland, OH: 1966-1969. 3 vols in 4.
U of I Call Number: Main Stacks 947.77 K18 v.1-3
This multi-volume dictionary contains entries for notable people of Cossack origin as well as for terms, groups, etc. related to Cossack history. Many of the individuals presented in this set died in emigration. The entries may be very brief or quite long depending on the historical significance of the figure. There are no bibliographic references for any entry. The verso of the title page of the first volume has a list of the contributors to the dictionary. Some additional entries appear at the end of the last volume.