Elza Triolet Writer Date of Birth: 12.09.1896 Country: France

Biography of Elsa Triolet

Elsa Triolet was a French writer and translator. She was one of the two Kagan sisters, both of whom led remarkable lives. The elder sister, Lili, was the muse of the great poet Vladimir Mayakovsky. The younger sister, Elsa, was married to the famous French writer Louis Aragon and achieved her own success as a novelist.

Born in Moscow in an intellectual Jewish family, Elsa and Lili were named after the heroines of their parents' favorite writer, Goethe. Lili, born in 1891, and Elsa, born on September 12 (24), 1896, received excellent education, spoke French and German from childhood, and both played the piano. Lili, with her vibrant red hair and large brown eyes, and Elsa, with her fair hair and blue eyes, had distinctive appearances.

While Lili was searching for her professional identity and building a life with Osip Brik, Elsa successfully graduated from the Architectural Institute. In the summer of 1915, Elsa Triolet met Vladimir Mayakovsky and became captivated by his poems and his persona. She introduced him to her sister Lili, and a powerful love affair ensued, with Mayakovsky choosing Lili over Elsa. Despite her initial disappointment, Elsa found other equally interesting literary suitors, particularly Victor Shklovsky, who declared his love for her in passionate terms. However, in 1918, Elsa married the French officer Andre Triolet and left Russia with him for Paris, leaving behind the hungry and cold conditions of her homeland.

This marked the end of the first part of Elsa Kagan's life and the beginning of her life as Elsa Triolet. Although her marriage to Andre Triolet eventually ended, Elsa met her second significant partner, Louis Aragon, in 1928. Their meeting in a cafe on Montparnasse determined the course of their intertwined lives.

Elsa had a remarkable ability to captivate and influence men, just like her sister Lili had done with Mayakovsky. She steered the French poet and rebel away from his fascination with surrealism and homosexuality and made him worship a new religion: communism. Aragon joined the Communist Party, collaborated with the newspaper "L'Humanité," and visited the Soviet Union. Only later, towards the end of his life, did Aragon realize his missteps and make a regretful confession. However, Elsa and Aragon enjoyed a successful marriage, which is quite remarkable considering that both were creative individuals. They lived relatively quietly and peacefully together for 42 years.

Elsa Triolet's first book, written in Russian, titled "On Tahiti," was published in 1925. Her first book in French, "Good Evening, Teresa!," appeared in 1938. Her collection "A Fine of 200 Francs for Tarnishing Silk" received the prestigious Goncourt Prize in 1945, making her the first woman to win the highest literary award in France in 40 years. Her novel "Uninvited Guests" ("The Meeting of Strangers") earned her the "Fraternity Prize" in May 1957, awarded by an organization fighting against racism, anti-Semitism, and for peace. Elsa Triolet also wrote a book about Anton Chekhov, translated his stories into French, and was one of the authors of the famous film "Normandy-Niemen." She also translated the works of Vladimir Mayakovsky and promoted his poetry in France, often acting as his interpreter and guide during his visits to the country.

Elsa Triolet lived for 73 years and passed away on June 16, 1970. In the same year, her final novel "The Nightingale Falls Silent at Dawn" was published. Louis Aragon outlived his wife by several years. They rest together in the garden of their country house in Saint-Arnoult-en-Yvelines, in the department of Yvelines. The epitaph on their tombstone includes a quote from Elsa's novel: "The dead are defenseless. But we hope that our books will protect us."