Russian Women Writers

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 1 
Helena Blavatsky
(Russian Writer and Co-Founder of the 'Theosophical Society')
Helena Blavatsky
8
Birthdate: August 12, 1831
Sun Sign: Leo
Birthplace: Dnipro, Ukraine
Died: May 8, 1891

Russian philosopher Helena Blavatsky, or Madame Blavatsky, was one of the co-founders of the Theosophical Society. She popularized the slogan “There is no religion higher than truth.” She was inspired by the Arya Samaj and later converted to Buddhism. She also wrote books such as The Secret Doctrine.

 2 
Anna Akhmatova
(One of the Most Significant Russian Poets of 20th Century)
Anna Akhmatova
4
Birthdate: June 23, 1889
Sun Sign: Cancer
Birthplace: Odessa, Ukraine
Died: March 5, 1966

One of the greatest Russian women poets, Anna Akhmatova had started writing poems at age 11. She was part of the Acmeists, who laid down their own style, Acmeism. Poema bez geroya and Requiem remain two of her finest works. She later wrote about the horrors of the Stalinist regime.

 3 
Masha Gessen
(Journalist)
Masha Gessen
5
Birthdate: January 13, 1967
Sun Sign: Capricorn
Birthplace: Moscow, Russia

Russian-American journalist and The New Yorker staff writer Masha Gessen is known for his sharp criticism of political figures such as Donald Trump. The renowned author of the internationally popular books such as The Man Without a Face and The Future Is History, he identifies as nonbinary and trans.

 4 
Maya Deren
(Ukrainian-born American Filmmaker Who Abandoned Established Rules of Filmmaking and Created Her Own Techniques)
Maya Deren
3
Birthdate: April 29, 1917
Sun Sign: Taurus
Birthplace: Kiev, Ukraine
Died: October 13, 1961

Maya Deren was a Ukrainian-born American filmmaker known for her experimental work. She played a major role in promoting the avant-garde in the mid-20th century. A multifaceted personality, she was also a dancer, choreographer, film theorist, photographer, and writer. She abandoned established rules of filmmaking and created her own techniques. Sadly, she died at the young age of 44.  

 5 
Lou Andreas-Salomé
(Russian Novelist, Essayist and Psychoanalyst)
Lou Andreas-Salomé
4
Birthdate: February 12, 1861
Sun Sign: Aquarius
Birthplace: Saint Petersburg, Russia
Died: February 5, 1937

Russian-born German author Lou Andreas-Salomé apparently rejected renowned philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche’s marriage proposal and then married a professor instead. A skilled psychoanalyst, she was also close to Rainer Maria Rilke and Sigmund Freud. She was one of the first to offer a psychoanalytic perspective to female sexuality.

 6 
Alexandra Kollontai
(Russian Revolutionary and Diplomat & First Woman in History to Become an Official Member of a Governing Cabinet)
Alexandra Kollontai
4
Birthdate: March 31, 1872
Sun Sign: Aries
Birthplace: Saint Petersburg, Russia
Died: March 9, 1952

Alexandra Kollontai was a Russian revolutionary, politician, and diplomat. She served as the People's Commissar for Welfare in Lenin’s government. A powerful figure, she became the first woman in history to become an official member of a governing cabinet. She was also one of the few women to play a prominent role during the Russian Revolution. 

 7 
Marina Tsvetaeva
(Russian Poet Who Lived during the Russian Revolution)
Marina Tsvetaeva
3
Birthdate: October 8, 1892
Sun Sign: Libra
Birthplace: Moscow, Russia
Died: August 31, 1941

Remembered as one of the greatest Russian literary figures of the 20th century, Marina Tsvetaeva was an integral part of Russian symbolism. She faced the Russian Revolution and lost her youngest daughter to the famine that followed. After her husband’s execution under espionage accusations, she committed suicide at age 48.

 8 
Natalia Pushkina
(Former Poet who was wife of the Russian poet Alexander Pushkin)
Natalia Pushkina
3
Birthdate: September 8, 1812
Sun Sign: Virgo
Birthplace: Tambov Oblast, Russia
Died: November 26, 1863
 9 
Lyubov Dostoevskaya
(Writer)
Lyubov Dostoevskaya
2
Birthdate: September 14, 1869
Sun Sign: Virgo
Birthplace: Dresden, Germany
Died: November 10, 1926

Lyubov Dostoevskaya was a Russian memoirist and writer. The daughter of popular Russian novelist Fyodor Dostoevsky and his wife Anna Grigoryevna Snitkina, Lyubov Dostoevskaya is best remembered for her work, Dostoyevsky as Portrayed by His Daughter. Many of her memoirs, which were written in French, were translated into other European languages.

 10 
Yevgenia Ginzburg
(Writer)
Yevgenia Ginzburg
3
Birthdate: December 20, 1904
Sun Sign: Sagittarius
Birthplace: Moscow, Russian Empire
Died: May 25, 1977
 11 
Anna Vyrubova
(Lady-in-waiting, Writer)
Anna Vyrubova
3
Birthdate: July 16, 1884
Sun Sign: Cancer
Birthplace: Saint Petersburg, Russia
Died: July 20, 1964

Anna Vyrubova was a Russian writer and lady-in-waiting of the Imperial Russian Court at the time when Tsarina Alexandra Fyodorovna served as the empress consort of Emperor Nicholas II. A confidante and best friend of Tsarina Alexandra Fyodorovna, Vyrubova enjoyed her position at the court. She also played a key role in popularizing Grigori Rasputin in the Imperial Russian Court.

 12 
Vera Zasulich
(Writer)
Vera Zasulich
2
Birthdate: August 8, 1849
Sun Sign: Leo
Birthplace: Gzhatsky Uyezd
Died: August 8, 1919
 13 
Ariel Durant
(Researcher)
Ariel Durant
3
Birthdate: May 10, 1898
Sun Sign: Taurus
Birthplace: Khmelnytskyi, Ukraine
Died: October 25, 1981
 14 
Anna Dostoevskaya
(Memoirist)
Anna Dostoevskaya
2
Birthdate: September 12, 1846
Sun Sign: Virgo
Birthplace: Saint Petersburg, Russia
Died: June 9, 1918
 15 
Anna Larina
(Memoirist)
Anna Larina
3
Birthdate: January 27, 1914
Sun Sign: Aquarius
Birthplace: Russian Empire
Died: February 24, 1996

Anna Larina was a Russian memoirist best remembered for her efforts to rehabilitate her husband Nikolai Ivanovich Bukharin after he was executed in 1938. Fifty years after his death, Bukharin was cleared of all charges, thanks to Larina's persistent effort. Anna Larina is credited with writing the popular memoir This I Cannot Forget.

 16 
Helena Roerich
(Writer)
Helena Roerich
2
Birthdate: February 12, 1879
Sun Sign: Aquarius
Birthplace: Saint Petersburg, Russia
Died: October 5, 1955
 17 
Rufina Pukhova
(Writer)
Rufina Pukhova
3
Birthdate: September 1, 1932
Sun Sign: Virgo
Birthplace: Russia

Rufina Pukhova was a Russian memoirist who wrote two memoirs about her husband Kim Philby, a British double agent for the Soviet Union. Pukhova is credited with helping Philby fight depression and alcoholism after his defection. After his controversial death in 1988, she vehemently denied rumors of suicide and maintained that he died of a heart condition.

 18 
Lyudmila Ulitskaya
(Novelist)
Lyudmila Ulitskaya
3
Birthdate: February 21, 1943
Sun Sign: Pisces
Birthplace: Davlekanovo, Russia
 19 
Svetlana Ustinova
(Actress, Producer, Writer)
Svetlana Ustinova
2
Birthdate: May 1, 1982
Sun Sign: Taurus
Birthplace: Severodvinsk, Russia
Height: 5'7" (170 cm)
 20 
Yulia Latynina
(Writer, Journalist)
Yulia Latynina
3
Birthdate: June 16, 1966
Sun Sign: Gemini
Birthplace: Moscow, Russia
Height: 5'7" (170 cm)
 21 
Lilya Brik
(Writer)
Lilya Brik
3
Birthdate: November 11, 1891
Sun Sign: Scorpio
Birthplace: Moscow, Russia
Died: August 4, 1978
 22 
Olga Ivinskaya
(Poet)
Olga Ivinskaya
3
Birthdate: June 16, 1912
Sun Sign: Gemini
Birthplace: Tambov, Russia
Died: September 8, 1995
 23 
Nadezhda Mandelstam
(Writer)
Nadezhda Mandelstam
3
Birthdate: October 30, 1899
Sun Sign: Scorpio
Birthplace: Saratov, Russia
Died: December 29, 1980
 24 
Nathalie Sarraute
(Writer, Lawyer)
Nathalie Sarraute
3
Birthdate: July 18, 1900
Sun Sign: Cancer
Birthplace: Ivanovo, Russia
Died: October 19, 1999
 25 
Yanka Dyagileva
(Poet)
Yanka Dyagileva
3
Birthdate: September 4, 1966
Sun Sign: Virgo
Birthplace: Novosibirsk, Russia
Died: May 9, 1991
 26 
Tatyana Tolstaya
(Writer)
Tatyana Tolstaya
4
Birthdate: May 3, 1951
Sun Sign: Taurus
Birthplace: Saint Petersburg, Russia
 27 
Dina Korzun
(Actress, writer known for Last Resort (2000), Forty Shades of Blue (2005) and Country of the Deaf (1998))
Dina Korzun
3
Birthdate: April 13, 1971
Sun Sign: Aries
Birthplace: Smolensk, Russia
 28 
Sofia Kovalevskaya
(Mathematician)
Sofia Kovalevskaya
2
Birthdate: January 15, 1850
Sun Sign: Capricorn
Birthplace: Moscow, Russia
Died: February 10, 1891
 29 
Mira Mendelson
(Poet)
Mira Mendelson
4
Birthdate: January 8, 1915
Sun Sign: Capricorn
Birthplace: Kiev, Russia
Died: June 8, 1968
 30 
Alexandra Mitroshina
(Writer)
Alexandra Mitroshina
2
Birthdate: June 27, 1994
Sun Sign: Cancer
Birthplace: Petrozavodsk, Russia

Blogger, author, and journalist Alexandra Mitroshina is also a well-known women’s rights activist. The founder of movements and projects such as I Did Not Want to Die and You Are Not Alone, she is also popular on social media and has penned the book Private Instagram Blogs Promotion.

 31 
Bella Akhmadulina
(Former Poet known for her apolitical, relationship-themed poems)
Bella Akhmadulina
3
Birthdate: April 10, 1937
Sun Sign: Aries
Birthplace: Moscow, Russia
Died: November 29, 2010
 32 
Yevgenia Albats
(Political journalist)
Yevgenia Albats
3
Birthdate: September 5, 1958
Sun Sign: Virgo
Birthplace: Moscow, Russian
 33 
Maria de Naglowska
(Writer)
Maria de Naglowska
3
Birthdate: 1883 AD
Birthplace: Saint Petersburg, Russia
Died: April 17, 1936
 34 
Lyudmila Petrushevskaya
(Writer)
Lyudmila Petrushevskaya
2
Birthdate: May 26, 1938
Sun Sign: Gemini
Birthplace: Moscow, Russia
 35 
Elsa Triolet
(Writer)
Elsa Triolet
3
Birthdate: September 12, 1896
Sun Sign: Virgo
Birthplace: Moscow, Russia
Died: June 16, 1970
 36 
Anna Timiryova
(Poet)
Anna Timiryova
3
Birthdate: July 18, 1893
Sun Sign: Cancer
Birthplace: Kislovodsk, Russia
Died: January 31, 1975
 37 
Senda Berenson
(Author)
Senda Berenson
3
Birthdate: March 19, 1868
Sun Sign: Pisces
Birthplace: Butrimonys, Lithuania
Died: February 16, 1954
 38 
Edith Södergran
(One of the Best Modern Swedish-Language Poets)
Edith Södergran
3
Birthdate: April 4, 1892
Sun Sign: Aries
Birthplace: St. Petersburg, Russia
Died: June 24, 1923

Edith Södergran was a Finnish poet whose poetry has influenced numerous lyrical poets all over the world. Counted among the greatest Swedish-language poets of modernism, Södergran's work continues to influence Swedish-language musical lyrics and poetry. Edith Södergran did not live long enough to experience the appreciation of her poetry as she died at the age of 31 due to tuberculosis.

 39 
Nina Berberova
(Russian Writer Best Known for Her Examination of the Plight of Exiles)
Nina Berberova
2
Birthdate: July 26, 1901
Sun Sign: Leo
Birthplace: Saint Petersburg, Russia
Died: September 26, 1993

Russian author Nina Berberova was initially part of Maxim Gorky’s entourage. Best known for her short stories and novellas, she had also penned biographies, novels, and poetry. She had also worked with Voice of America and taught at Yale and Princeton. Most of her works spoke of exiles.

 40 
Natalya Gorbanevskaya
(Russian Poet Known for Her Participation in 'Soviet Dissident Movement')
Natalya Gorbanevskaya
2
Birthdate: May 26, 1936
Sun Sign: Gemini
Birthplace: Moscow, Russia
Died: November 29, 2013

Russian dissident and poet Natalya Gorbanevskaya is best remembered for opposing the Soviet invasion of Czechoslovakia in 1968. She co-founded the underground journal A Chronicle of Current Events, which reported atrocities by the Soviet government. She was sent to a psychiatric hospital but moved to France and then Poland upon her release.

 41 
Irina Ratushinskaya
(Russian Soviet Writer, Poet, and Dissident)
Irina Ratushinskaya
2
Birthdate: March 4, 1954
Sun Sign: Pisces
Birthplace: Odesa, Ukraine
Died: July 5, 2017
 42 
Zinovia Dushkova
(Writer)
Zinovia Dushkova
3
Birthdate: July 19, 1953
Sun Sign: Cancer
Birthplace: Kongaz, Moldova

Zinovia Dushkova is a Russian poet, historian, philosopher, and author. A prominent writer, Dushkova's works have been translated into seven languages. In 2015, she was honored with the 20 Years of Gagauzia Medal. In 2017, Zinovia Dushkova’s book, The Call of the Heart, was honored at the Nautilus Book Awards with a silver medal in the United States of America.

 43 
Lydia Chukovskaya
(Writer)
Lydia Chukovskaya
2
Birthdate: March 24, 1907
Sun Sign: Aries
Birthplace: Saint Petersburg, Russia
Died: February 8, 1996
 44 
Lydia Koidula
(Poet)
Lydia Koidula
2
Birthdate: December 24, 1843
Sun Sign: Capricorn
Birthplace: Vändra, Estonia
Died: August 11, 1886
 45 
Yelena Shchapova
(Model)
Yelena Shchapova
2
Birthdate: June 22, 1950
Sun Sign: Cancer
Birthplace: Moscow, Russia
 46 
Zemaite
(Writer)
Zemaite
2
Birthdate: May 31, 1845
Sun Sign: Gemini
Birthplace: Bukantė , Kaunas County, Lithuania
Died: December 7, 1921
 47 
Madame Swetchine
Madame Swetchine
1
Birthdate: November 22, 1782
Sun Sign: Sagittarius
Died: January 30, 1905
 48 
Zoya Basharina
(Critic)
Zoya Basharina
0
Birthdate: May 21, 1945
Sun Sign: Gemini
Birthplace: Bulunsky District, Russia
 49 
Fanny Lewald
(Author)
Fanny Lewald
2
Birthdate: March 21, 1811
Sun Sign: Aries
Birthplace: Königsberg, Kaliningrad, Russia
Died: August 5, 1889

Best remembered for her six-volume autobiography, Meine Lebensgeschichte, a seminal work that documents the growing up years of a Jewish woman in the nineteenth century Europe, German writer Fanny Lewald was also a woman's rights activist, advocating for their education. A prolific author since the age of thirty, she wrote mainly on family, marriage, social problems and travel.

 50 
Margarita Aliger
(Poet)
Margarita Aliger
1
Birthdate: October 7, 1915
Sun Sign: Libra
Birthplace: Odessa, Russian Empire
Died: August 1, 1992