Pasternak was the author of Doctor Zhivago (1957), a novel that takes place between the Russian Revolution of 1905 and the Second World War. Boris Leonidovich Pasternak was a Russian poet whose novel Doctor Zhivago helped win him the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1958 but aroused so much opposition in the Soviet Union that he declined the honour. Boris Leonidovich Pasternak (1890-1960), born in Moscow, was the son of talented artists: his father a painter and illustrator of Tolstoy’s works, his mother a well-known concert pianist.

Understanding the Context

Pasternak’s education began in a German Gymnasium in Moscow and was continued at the University of Moscow. Celebrate the life of Stephen Pasternak and join others in sharing memories, stories, and condolences. Boris Leonidovich Pasternak [1] (10 February [O.S. 29 January] 1890 – 30 May 1960) was a Russian poet, novelist, and literary translator.

Key Insights

His parents were Jewish Ukrainians. Frank John Pasternak, our beloved husband, father, grandfather, and friend, passed away on Friday, , with the love of his life, Betty, at his side. Born in 1940, he was the cherished son of the late Frank and Josephine Pasternak and brother to the late Virginia Stefanik. Frank leaves behind a legacy of love, embodied in his beloved wife, Betty, and their three children: Frank ... Nobel laureate Boris Pasternak was highly regarded in his native Russia as one of the country’s greatest post-revolutionary poets.

Final Thoughts

He did not gain worldwide acclaim, however, until his only novel, Doctor Zhivago, was first published in Europe in 1958, just two years before the author’s death. In the 1930s he adopted simpler, more direct language and a greater social focus. Pasternak's works also address the existential: nature, life, humanity, and love. This is true of his acclaimed work, Doctor Zhivago, which is set in the period from the socialist revolution of 1905 to World War II.