Ivan Bunin sent a postcard to his friend Mark Aldanov on August 24, 1940. At that time, Mikhail Tsetlin and Mark Aldanov were still staying in France before relocating to the United States, and the friends actively visited each other.
In 1940, many Russian emigrants were preparing to leave for the United States. The war was raging in Europe, and in the summer, Germany occupied two-thirds of the territory of France. On July 14, Paris fell. In August 1940, land warfare temporarily subsided, but the battles continued in the sky and at sea. Germany launched an air offensive against Great Britain.
Ivan Bunin did not write about the disturbing events in the postcard. It was dedicated to simple everyday issues: the author of the message told his friend about some confusion with the invitation of the Tsetlin family to visit the villa Jeannette in Grasse, and also wrote that he planned to have breakfast with Georgy Adamovich and Mikhail Kantor. ‘I beg you with T. M. [Ed. Note: Mark Aldanov’s wife, Tatyana Markovna] to attend our breakfast on Tuesday’.
The friendship between Ivan Bunin and Mark Aldanov was based on openness, mutual care, and spiritual kinship. When the writer received the news that his brother, Yuli, had passed away, he wrote at first to Mark Aldanov. In the summer of 1940, when Nazi troops entered Paris, Mark Aldanov fled to the United States. The communication was not interrupted even then. Until his death, he and Ivan Bunin corresponded and supported each other.
According to one of the critics, writer Mark Aldanov was “very smart, incisive and educated”. He was distinguished by a fine mind, “prone to paradoxes and rational skepticism”. The writer was also a talented chemist. During the First World War, he participated in the development of protective equipment against chemical weapons. Mark Aldanov believed that if a writer sometimes switches to scientific research, it enriches one’s intuition and observation, develops analytical abilities. His books have been published in 24 languages. He was nominated for the Nobel Prize several times.
Other guests invited to the Bunins' breakfast also were members of literary circles. Georgy Adamovich was a poet and worked for many emigrant publications. Mikhail Kantor was a lawyer and writer. He helped the Bunins to solve many legal issues.
In 1940, many Russian emigrants were preparing to leave for the United States. The war was raging in Europe, and in the summer, Germany occupied two-thirds of the territory of France. On July 14, Paris fell. In August 1940, land warfare temporarily subsided, but the battles continued in the sky and at sea. Germany launched an air offensive against Great Britain.
Ivan Bunin did not write about the disturbing events in the postcard. It was dedicated to simple everyday issues: the author of the message told his friend about some confusion with the invitation of the Tsetlin family to visit the villa Jeannette in Grasse, and also wrote that he planned to have breakfast with Georgy Adamovich and Mikhail Kantor. ‘I beg you with T. M. [Ed. Note: Mark Aldanov’s wife, Tatyana Markovna] to attend our breakfast on Tuesday’.
The friendship between Ivan Bunin and Mark Aldanov was based on openness, mutual care, and spiritual kinship. When the writer received the news that his brother, Yuli, had passed away, he wrote at first to Mark Aldanov. In the summer of 1940, when Nazi troops entered Paris, Mark Aldanov fled to the United States. The communication was not interrupted even then. Until his death, he and Ivan Bunin corresponded and supported each other.
According to one of the critics, writer Mark Aldanov was “very smart, incisive and educated”. He was distinguished by a fine mind, “prone to paradoxes and rational skepticism”. The writer was also a talented chemist. During the First World War, he participated in the development of protective equipment against chemical weapons. Mark Aldanov believed that if a writer sometimes switches to scientific research, it enriches one’s intuition and observation, develops analytical abilities. His books have been published in 24 languages. He was nominated for the Nobel Prize several times.
Other guests invited to the Bunins' breakfast also were members of literary circles. Georgy Adamovich was a poet and worked for many emigrant publications. Mikhail Kantor was a lawyer and writer. He helped the Bunins to solve many legal issues.
