Alexander Course Soviet journalist, playwright and screenwriter Date of Birth: 02.03.1892

1. Early Life and Revolutionary Activities
2. Return to Russia and Civil War
3. Post-Civil War Journalism and Writing
4. Moscow and Cinematic Ventures
5. Siberian Exile and Return
6. Political Persecution and Death
7. Legacy

Early Life and Revolutionary Activities

Alexander Kurswas born in Grodno, now part of Belarus, in 1892. His father was a military paramedic at the Brest Fortress. As a young man, Kurs joined an illegal Marxist organization. In 1906, he was arrested and exiled to the remote Narym region, where he met and associated with Bolshevik revolutionaries led by Yakov Sverdlov.

Return to Russia and Civil War

Upon his release from exile in 1911, Kurs emigrated to London. There, he mastered English and worked as a reporter for private publications. In 1918, he returned to Russia and settled in Odessa. After a brief arrest by the Ukrainian authorities, he joined the Red Army and participated in battles against the forces of Yudenich and the Polish.

Post-Civil War Journalism and Writing

In 1920, Kurs became editor of the Kyiv newspaper "Krasnaya Armiya." In 1921, he was appointed editor of the Odessa party newspaper "Stanok." He published his first book, "Krasnoarmeyskaya Lirika," about the poetry of Red Army soldiers.

Moscow and Cinematic Ventures

In 1924, Kurs moved to Moscow and became an instructor for the Agitprop Department of the Communist Party. He edited the journals "Zhurnalist," "Kino," and "Ekran." In 1927, he published his first book on cinema, "Samaya Mogushchestvennaya" (The Most Powerful).

Siberian Exile and Return

In 1926, Kurs followed his mentor, Sergei Syrcov, to Novosibirsk. He worked as an instructor and later deputy head of the press department of the Siberian Regional Committee of the Communist Party. From 1927 to 1929, he edited the newspaper "Sovetskaya Sibir" and the literary journal "Nastoyashchee."

Political Persecution and Death

In 1930, Kurs was expelled from the Communist Party for his alleged support of the "rightist-leftist bloc" of Syrcov and Lominaдзе. He was later reinstated. On July 1, 1937, he was arrested and executed on December 30. He was rehabilitated in 1956.

Legacy

Alexander Kurs was a prominent Soviet journalist and a leading film screenwriter of the 1920s and 1930s. He is best known for his work on the film "The Great Consoler" (1933) and the animated films "The Tale of Tsar Durandai" (1934) and "Kotofey Kotifeevich" (1937).