Isaac Babel

Isaak Babel (July 1, 1894 - January 27, 1940) was a Russian journalist, playwright, and short story writer.

Born to a Jewish family in Odessa, Ukraine, during a mass exodus of Jews from the Russian empire, Isaak Babel experienced a relatively peaceful youth. At school, he studied Talmud, music, and the German and French languages. In 1915, Babel completed his formal education when he graduated from Kiev University and moved to St. Petersburg.

In St. Petersburg, Babel met the Russian author Maxim Gorky, who published some stories in 1916. On Gorky's advice, Babel joined the Russian army and was injured in battle. During this same period, Babel met and maintained an early friendship with Ilya Ehrenburg, while continuing to publish stories, to wide acclaim, throughout the 20's.

However, as Stalin tightened his grip on Russian culture in the 1930's, and especially with the rise of socialist realism, Babel increasingly withdrew from public life. Unlike some Russian authors, Isaak Babel was allowed to travel during this time, and in 1935 delivered a speech to the International Congress of Writers in Paris.

Babel returned to the Soviet Union, and in May 1939 at his cottage in Peredelkino, he was arrested and eventually interrogated, at Lubyanka, on charges of espionage. After a forced confession, Babel was tried, found guilty, and, on January 27, 1940, shot in Baturka prison.

Bibliography

• Red Cavalry (1926)