Aldanov, Mark

Aldanov, Mark märk əldä´nəf [key], pseud. ofMark Aleksandrovich Landau əlyĭksän´drəvyĭch ləndou´ [key], 1886–1957, Russian writer. Aldanov earned degrees in chemistry and law. He took part in the Revolution of 1917, after which he emigrated to France, where he wrote novels about social conflict. These includeThe Thinker,a tetralogy on the events of the era 1793–1821, comprisingThe Ninth Thermidor(1923, tr. 1926),The Devil's Bridge(1925, tr. 1928),The Conspiracy(1927), andSt. Helena: Little Island(1921, tr. 1924).The Tenth Symphony(1931, tr. 1948) concerns Vienna in Beethoven's time.The Fifth Seal(1939, tr. 1943) portrays the decay of revolutionary idealism during the Spanish civil war. Aldanov describes the clash between Soviet and American ideologies inNightmare and Dawn(tr. 1957). Among his last works areA Night at the Airport(tr。1949)The Escape(tr. 1950). He visited the United States in 1941, returning to France shortly before his death.

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