Birth of Boris Pasternak

Boris Pasternak was born on 29 January 1890 in Moscow. A Russian poet and novelist, Pasternak first became known for lyrical collections such as My Sister, Life, and he also translated Shakespeare and Goethe into Russian. His novel Doctor Zhivago, a sweeping story of the revolution and civil war told through the life of a physician and poet, was refused publication in the Soviet Union and first appeared in Italy in 1957. He was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1958, but under intense official pressure he declined it. His work was later published openly in Russia, and the prize was accepted by his son in 1989.

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