Rzhevskiĭ, Leonid Denisovich, 1905-

Leonid Denisovich Rzhevsky was born with the family name Surazhevskii on August 21, 1905 in Moscow. He graduated from Moscow Second University in 1930 and completed his graduate training at the Lenin Pedagogical Institute in 1941 with the rank of Kandidat. In 1953 he emigrated from the Soviet Union, teaching for several years at the University of Lund in Sweden before moving permanently to the United States in 1963. He taught on the faculty of the University of Oklahoma, Norman (1963-1964), New York University (1964-1974) and the Norwich University Russian School summer program (1968-1980s).

Rzhevsky published numerous novels, stories, and critical essays beginning in the 1950s. He was active in the anti-communist Russian emigre community and had long-standing associations with the journals Posev (and the affiliated publishing house) and Grani. Rzhevsky also edited radio broadcasts on literary and political topics for Radio Liberty (in Russian: Radio Osvobozhdenie) in the 1950s.

Leonid Denisovich Rzhevsky was born with the family name Surazhevskii on August 21, 1905 in Moscow. He graduated from Moscow Second University in 1930 and completed his graduate training at the Lenin Pedagogical Institute in 1941 with the rank of Kandidat . In 1953 he emigrated from the Soviet Union, teaching for several years at the University of Lund in Sweden before moving permanently to the United States in 1963. He taught on the faculty of the University of Oklahoma, Norman (1963-1964), New York University (1964-1974) and the Norwich University Russian School summer program (1968-1980s).

Rzhevsky published numerous novels, stories, and critical essays beginning in the 1950s. He was active in the anti-communist Russian emigre community and had long-standing associations with the journals Posev (and the affiliated publishing house) and Grani . Rzhevsky also edited radio broadcasts on literary and political topics for Radio Liberty (in Russian: Radio Osvobozhdenie ) in the 1950s.

Rzhevsky's major works of fiction include the novels Mezhdu dvukh zvezd (1953), Pokazavshemu nam svet (1960), Dve strochki vremeni (1976), Dina (1979), and Bunt podsolnechnika (1981) and the short story collections Dvoe na kamne (1963) and Cherez proliv (1966). His major works of criticism include Iazyk i totalitarizm (1951 and 1953), Prochten'e tvorcheskogo slova (1970), Tvorets i podvig (1972), Tri temy po Dostoevskomu (1972) and numerous shorter essays. Many of his essays were pseudonymous under the name L. Tann, which was derived from a family name in Rzhevsky's maternal lineage (Von der Tann).

Rzhevsky's wife was Agniia (Agnes) Sergeevna Shishkova. They married in 1943.