born Oct. 10, 1870, Voronezh, Russia
died Nov. 8, 1953, Paris, France
Russian poet and novelist.
He worked as a journalist and clerk while writing and translating poetry, but he made his name as a short-story writer, with such masterpieces as the title story of The Gentleman from San Francisco (1916). His other works include the novel Mitya's Love (1925), the story collection Dark Avenues (1943), fictional autobiography, memoirs, and books on Leo Tolstoy and Anton Chekhov . The first Russian awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature (1933), he is among the best stylists in the language.