Konstantin Fedin with his daughter Nina, photographed in 1926 by the famous Leningrad photographer Semyon Magaziner (1886–1940). Magaziner was one of the fathers of Russian photojournalism and worked as a correspondent for the newspapers Smena and Leninskie iskry, the magazine Kostyor, the publishing houses OGIZ, Detizdat, and so on. His photo essays depicted the everyday life of the city of Petersburg/Petrograd/Leningrad. According to the memoirs of his colleagues, he was the first to carry out aerial photography of St. Petersburg, in 1912. He did a series of portraits of scientists, writers and other famous people of then time. The photographer’s distinctive style was marked by impeccably constructed composition, a low-key atmosphere and carefully selected light, which gave his images additional volume.
Nina Fedina was the writer’s only daughter, and he adored her. She was born in Petrograd on 21 September 1922. This photograph was taken in Fedin’s office. The shelves are lined with dense rows of books, and the two are sitting at a desk, enthusiastically examining one of them. The image gives the distinct impression that father and daughter are friends, which they truly were. His name for her was Pa, although when she was a little girl, she would call him Kostya. Meanwhile, he would call her Daughter. Fedin was very serious about Nina’s choice of profession. She would go on to become an actress and enjoy great success. But when Fedin’s wife died, he was left without a faithful assistant in his literary work. So Nina gave up acting in order to support her father. She became his personal secretary and would do all the work around the house. Nina spent more than 50 years in Peredelkino, where Fedin worked and lived, and where his immense archive was located. After her father died, Nina organized and systematized her father’s literary heritage.
She dedicated her life to the establishment of the State Fedin Museum in Saratov. The museum was founded on the basis of the writer’s archive. Nina donated thousands of documents to the museum. Her name, just like her father’s, is forever inscribed in the history of Saratov.
Nina Fedina was the writer’s only daughter, and he adored her. She was born in Petrograd on 21 September 1922. This photograph was taken in Fedin’s office. The shelves are lined with dense rows of books, and the two are sitting at a desk, enthusiastically examining one of them. The image gives the distinct impression that father and daughter are friends, which they truly were. His name for her was Pa, although when she was a little girl, she would call him Kostya. Meanwhile, he would call her Daughter. Fedin was very serious about Nina’s choice of profession. She would go on to become an actress and enjoy great success. But when Fedin’s wife died, he was left without a faithful assistant in his literary work. So Nina gave up acting in order to support her father. She became his personal secretary and would do all the work around the house. Nina spent more than 50 years in Peredelkino, where Fedin worked and lived, and where his immense archive was located. After her father died, Nina organized and systematized her father’s literary heritage.
She dedicated her life to the establishment of the State Fedin Museum in Saratov. The museum was founded on the basis of the writer’s archive. Nina donated thousands of documents to the museum. Her name, just like her father’s, is forever inscribed in the history of Saratov.
