How a Russian Jew influenced Britain's turn of-the-century cultural and literary elite
Galya Diment is chair and professor of Slavic Languages and Literatures at the University of Washington, Seattle.
"He [Koteliansky] did co-translate several Dostoevsky- and Tolstoy- related titles with Leonard and Virginia Woolf, having taught them some Russian in the process, but his co-translations with Mansfield and her husband John Middleton Murry were equally numerous, and he taught Russian to H. G. Wells's son Gip as well. At one point in his life, Kot wrote letters almost daily to Lady Ottoline Morrell, but at another he was doing the same to the American author May Sarton... Kot was instrumental in bringing Cresset's attention manuscripts by well-established authors, such as Richardson's Clear Horizon and Wells's Experiment in Autobiography, as well as writers less advanced in their careers, such as Dilys Powell, who subsequently wrote Kot's obituary for The Times." Andrei Rogatchevski, Times Literary Supplement, March 23rd 2012 "Galya Diment has done it again. The author of the acclaimed Pniniad, about Nabokov's major model for his legendary Russian lecturer, now turns to another Russian Jew with a still wider resonance in English literature. Part biography, part cultural history of the early twentieth-century impact of Russian literature on English literature (focusing on Koteliansky as a conduit and catalyst), and part exploration of being Jewish and foreign in England and in Bloomsbury, the book teems with vivid vignettes of the emotionally complicated Koteliansky, his close friend D.H. Lawrence (and his foe Frieda Lawrence), Katherine Mansfield, Virginia and Leonard Woolf, H.G. Wells, and many more. A fascinating read for lovers of literature, culture, history, and personality." Brian Boyd, author of Vladimir Nabokov and On the Origin of Stories: Evolution, Cognition, and Fiction "A Russian Jew of Bloomsbury brings to light the life of a significant yet regrettably little-known figure. It is a fascinating look into how Jewishness, as well as Russianness, figured in the circles of a number of eminent twentieth-century writers. In the later chapters, the material on the Holocaust poignantly reminds us that the literary and cultural trends of early twentieth-century Europe cannot be separated from the horrific events of 1939--45." Meri-Jane Rochelson, author of A Jew in the Public Arena: The Career of Israel Zangwill "While the name Samuel Solomonovich Koteliansky is familiar to readers of D.H. Lawrence, 'Kot's' life has remained undocumented until now. Traveling to the Ukraine, Galya Diment meticulously researches Koteliansky family lore and describes Kot's move to London where he collaborated with Bloomsbury writers in translating Russian works into English. Important letters, diaries, and narratives are published for the first time, and Diment provides an essential "Who's Who" to Kot's life in England. Vividly written, A Russian Jew of Bloomsbury fills the gap in understanding why England's writers and artists were drawn to the difficult and colorful occupant of 5 Acacia Road." George Zytaruk, author of The Quest for Rananim: D.H. Lawrence's Letters to S.S. Koteliansky and D.H. Lawrence's Response to Russian Literature "Galya Diment's A Russian Jew of Bloomsbury makes a genuine contribution to English literary culture in the first half of the 20th century. Through painstaking research Diment is able to document Kot's life in remarkable detail. Unpublished letters that relate to D.H. Lawrence, Katherine Mansfield, the Woolfs, and others provide a variety of perspectives that greatly enrich our understanding of the period." Keith Cushman, author of D.H. Lawrence at Work "We owe Galya Diment, chair and professor of Slavic Languages and Literatures at the University of Washington, Seattle, a debt of gratitude for the exhaustive way she has brought to life a genuine part of London's literati scene at a vital time. Using unpublished material, she exposes the tumult and the tittle-tattle of life behind the creative curtain that adds a new dimension to the lives of authors we revere today." Gerald Isaaman, Camden New Journal, May 3rd 2012
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