Ivan Kataev
- Early Life and Education
- Military Service and Early Writing
- Literary Career and "Pereval"
- The Downfall of "Pereval"
- Arrest, Trial, and Death
- Legacy and Family
Early Life and Education
Ivan Ivanovich Kataev was born to Ivan Matveevich Kataev, a renowned historian, and a woman believed to be the niece of geographer and anarchist theorist Pyotr Alexeyevich Kropotkin. His cousin was the prominent mathematician Andrey Nikolaevich Kolmogorov. After losing his mother at a young age, Kataev attended гимназии in Moscow and Suzdal.
Military Service and Early Writing
In 1919, Kataev joined the Communist Party and the Red Army. He fought in the Caucasus, contributing to a newspaper and founding the "Theater of Revolutionary Satire." After demobilization, he enrolled in the economics faculty of Moscow University.
Literary Career and "Pereval"
Kataev became a member of the Russian Association of Proletarian Writers (RAPP) in 1923 and later a leader of the "Pereval" group in 1926. He held a position on the board of the Union of Writers of the USSR and aided in the establishment of "Literaturnaya Gazeta." His notable works from this period include "Heart" (1927), "Poet," "Wife," and the collection "Fatherland."
The Downfall of "Pereval"
In 1930, a campaign against "Pereval" emerged due to the publication of two of Kataev's collections. His story "Milk" was condemned as promoting Christianity.
Arrest, Trial, and Death
In 1937, Kataev was arrested and sentenced to execution. His ashes were placed in an unmarked grave at the Donskoye Cemetery. He was posthumously rehabilitated in 1956.
Legacy and Family
Despite the setbacks in his life, Kataev's works have been reissued thanks to the tireless efforts of his widow, Maria Terentyeva-Kataeva. His son, Georgy Ivanovich, married psychologist and defectologist A. A. Venger.
