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Boris GorbatovRussian Soviet writer, screenwriter
Date of Birth: 15.07.1908
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Content:
- Boris Leonidovich Gorbatoy
- Literary Beginnings
- Moscow and the Union of Proletarian Writers
- Wartime Journalism and Public Acclaim
- Postwar Career and Honors
- Personal Life and Legacy
Boris Leonidovich Gorbatoy
Early Life and CareerBoris Leonidovich Gorbatoy, renowned Russian Soviet author, screenwriter, journalist, and war correspondent, was born on July 2 (15), 1908, in the town of Petrovsky Rudnyk, now known as Pervomaysk in the Luhansk region of Ukraine. Raised in a Jewish family, Gorbatoy's childhood was marked by experiences as an apprentice planer at the Kramatorsk factory in the Donbas region and later as a worker-correspondent (rabkor).
Literary Beginnings
Gorbatoy's literary debut came in 1922 with the short story "The Well-Fed and the Hungry," published in the provincial newspaper "Vsesoyuznaya Kochegarka." This publication led to his recruitment as a journalist for the newspaper, and Gorbatoy became a founding member of the Donbas proletarian writers' association "Zaboy."
Moscow and the Union of Proletarian Writers
In 1926, as a representative of "Zaboy," Gorbatoy relocated to Moscow and joined the leadership of the Union of Proletarian Writers (VAPP). Throughout the 1930s, he served as a correspondent for the newspaper "Pravda" in the Arctic.
Wartime Journalism and Public Acclaim
During the Great Patriotic War (World War II), Gorbatoy worked as a war correspondent. His "Letters to a Comrade" (1941-1944) gained widespread acclaim and were hailed by Konstantin Simonov as "the pinnacle of wartime journalism."
Postwar Career and Honors
Following the war, Gorbatoy served as Secretary of the Union of Soviet Writers (SP USSR) and as a deputy of the Supreme Soviet of the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic (RSFSR) from 1946 onward. He was a member of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union (VKP(b)) from 1930 and served on the artistic council of the Ministry of Cinematography.
Personal Life and Legacy
Boris Gorbatoy was married twice, first to actress T. K. Okunevskaya and later to N. N. Arkhipova. His second marriage produced two children: Elena Borisovna Ermakova (Gorbatova), an English language teacher, and Mikhail Borisovich Gorbatoy, a cardiologist. Gorbatoy passed away on January 20, 1954, and was laid to rest in the Novodevichy Cemetery in Moscow. In 1964, a collection of memoirs dedicated to him was published, containing tributes from prominent figures such as Konstantin Simonov, Leonid Lukov, and Dmitri Kabalevsky.
