The Soviet journalist, physicist and science communicator Viktor Nikolayevich Bolkhovitinov wrote the best biographical work dedicated to the famous Russian physicist Alexander Stoletov. It was written in the genre of popular scientific literature. Viktor Bolkhovitinov was born in the village of Sasovo in the Ryazan Governorate and graduated from the Physics Department of Moscow State University. After graduation, he worked as an engineer and taught at schools and universities in Moscow. He also published his articles in various magazines in Moscow. In 1931, among other young talents, he participated in a meeting with Maxim Gorky. After the Second World War, he worked for “Technika Molodezhi” (“Technology for the Youth”), a popular magazine for young people. In 1956, Bolkhovitinov founded the magazine “Young Technician”. In 1961, he was appointed editor-in-chief of “Science and Life”, a magazine that covered scientific discoveries and innovations. He remained at the helm until his death in 1970. The magazine is published to this day and retains the structure developed by Bolkhovitinov. He wrote several biographical essays on famous scientists such as Newton, Mendeleev, Tsiolkovsky, Lobachevsky, Gorky and Leonov.
Viktor Bolkhovitinov was a gifted researcher and
editor, and a highly enthusiastic individual who could captivate others with
his passion. This enthusiasm is evident in the admission he shares with readers
on the first page of his book about Stoletov, where he describes his meeting
with Alexander Stoletov’s nephew,
