Literatureרות זרנובה

Ruth Aleksandrovna Zernova

Ruth Zernova was a Soviet-born Israeli writer and translator who wrote stories about Soviet labor camps and everyday Soviet life.

1919 to 2004Stories of Soviet labor campsInterpreting in the Spanish Civil WarTranslating French and Spanish novels

Born: 15 February 1919, Odesa
Died: 15 November 2004, Jerusalem
Occupation: writer, translator, memoirist
Education: Faculty of Philology of Saint Petersburg State University, Saint Petersburg State University

Ruth Aleksandrovna Zernova was born in 1919 in Odesa

Ruth Zernova was born in 1919 to a Jewish family and grew up in Odessa. In 1936 she began studying literature at Leningrad State University, where she also took Spanish classes.

In her second year of university she was sent to Spain as an interpreter for Soviet military leaders during the Spanish Civil War. After her return she worked for the Naval Reconnaissance Office, and during World War II she worked for TASS.

She married Ilya Serman, and they had 2 children. In 1949 the couple was arrested and charged with spreading anti-Soviet propaganda, and she was sentenced to 15 years in prison. She was released in 1954, after the death of Joseph Stalin, and wrote about the women she met in prison.

After her release she translated novels from French and Spanish into Russian. Her own work was first published in the 1960s, including stories about the labor camps and Soviet daily life.

She later moved to Israel. Her book Mute Phone Calls appeared in 1991, and she died in 2004.