Russian playwrights of the 20th century: Leonid Zorin
The St Petersburg University Representative Office in Spain invites you to an online lecture "Russian playwrights of the 20th century: Leonid Zorin", dedicated to the works of the outstanding Soviet and Russian playwright, screenwriter, and writer. The lecture will be delivered by Natalya Semyonova, Associate Professor at the Faculty of Philology at St Petersburg University and Candidate of Philological Sciences.
Leonid Zorin was born in Baku on 3 November 1924 into the family of a civil servant. He began writing poetry as a child, and in 1934 his collection of poems was published by the Baku publishing house Azerneşr. The work of the 10-year-old author was praised by Maxim Gorky, who wrote an essay entitled The Boy about his encounter with the young prodigy.
By the age of seventeen, Zorin’s literary talent had already attracted the attention of the theatre world. The Maly Theatre in Moscow staged his first play, marking the beginning of his illustrious career. Zorin’s works were characterised by depth, sincerity and a subtle sense of humour. Soon the country’s leading theatres, such as the Sovremennik Theatre, the Vakhtangov Theatre and the Moscow Art Theatre (MKhAT), began to collaborate with him.
But Leonid Zorin was not only a master of the stage. His screenplays, essays and prose reflected an entire era, addressing issues that are still relevant today. He explored themes of love and duty, choice and conscience, life and time. His nostalgic melodrama Pokrovsky Gates became his signature work, achieving cult status and permeating popular culture with its memorable quotes.
Zorin left a lasting mark on the history of Russian theatre and cinema, establishing himself as one of the classics of the 20th century. In this lecture, we will discuss contemporary productions of his plays and explore how the writer created his most famous works, which continue to resonate with audiences and readers alike.
Lecturer
Natalya Semyonova graduated from St Petersburg University with a degree in philology. In 2013, she defended her Candidate of Sciences dissertation on The Dramatic Leniniana of the 1930s—1960s: The Formation of a Historical Narrative about Soviet Man.
She is currently a Junior Research Fellow at the Manuscript Department of the Institute of Russian Literature (Pushkin House) and teaches Russian as a foreign language at the SPbU.
She has given guest lectures at the Jagiellonian University (Poland), the University of Wroclaw (Poland) and the University of Helsinki (Finland). She has also presented papers at international conferences at SPbU, the Institute of Russian Literature (IRLI RAS), the Institute of World Literature (IMLI RAS), the Russian State University for the Humanities (RGGU), the Department of East Slavic Philology at Jagiellonian University, the University of Cambridge, and others. She is a member of BASEES (British Association for Slavic and East European Studies).
Her research interests include 20th and 21st century theatre and drama, conceptual history, biography studies, archival studies and Soviet cinema.
This lecture is part of the celebrations of the 300th anniversary of Russia’s oldest university, St Petersburg University. The lecture will be held online in Russian with simultaneous translation into Spanish.