Viktor Borisovich Perelman () (July 15, 1929 – November 13, 2003), was a Russian-language journalist,Rhode Island Herald. 'Soviet Journalist in Unofficial Article Calls On Jews To Refuse Tax Payment.' Sep. 22, 1972. writer,Svoboda (Radio Liberty). From the broadcast 'Myths and Reputations', Ivan Tolstoy. 'Hyde Park with its Baggage: In Memory of Viktor Perelman.' Nov. 17, 2013. publisher,Books Published by Time and We Publishing House editor,Svoboda (Radio Liberty). From the broadcast 'A Glance from New York City', Aleksander Genis. 'Russian America: From Journals to Hollywood.' Mar. 20, 2020. Dzhaman, Solomia. 'Literature of the Diaspora: Perelman’s “Vremya I My"' Bwog: Columbia Student News. Feb. 28, 2020. and dissident.Jewish Telegraphic Agency. '21 Jews Appeal To Red Cross.' Daily News Bulletin. Dec 22, 1972. He was the founder and sole editor-in-chief of a leading third wave Russian immigration international democratic journal for literary and social problems, "Time and We" or "Vremya I My" () from 1975 to 2001.Perelman, Viktor. (Editor-in-chief). 'Time and We' Journal, Issues 1–152. (1975–2001). From the electronic library "imWerden." In addition, he was the author of two autobiographical novels,Perelman, Viktor. "Forsaken Russia" (1977)Perelman, Viktor. "Theatre of the Absurd" (1984) one fiction novel,Perelman, Viktor. "The Sinful Fall of Caesar" (1992). Excerpted in 'Time and We.' and dozens of published articles in leading Russian language newspapers and other press.Articles published by Viktor Perelman in Russian diaspora and other press can be viewed on the 'In The Press' Page from his official memorial website. As the founder of Time and We Publishing House, he published several Russian language books by well-known authors of third wave Russian immigration.
Biography Viktor Perelman was born on July 15, 1929, in Moscow, Russia (then Russian SFSR, Soviet Union).
In 1951, he graduated with a degree from Moscow State University Faculty of Law () and obtained a Publishing and Editing degree from the Moscow Polygraphic Institute Faculty of Journalism (now known as the Moscow State University of Printing Arts).
In the 1950s, he worked at Radio Moscow, at the newspaper "Trud" (),Perelman, Viktor. 'The Case of Tikhomirov.' Trud (No. 122). May 27, 1956. was the head of the Economics division of the magazine "Soviet Trade Unions" (), at "Moskovskij Komsomolets" (),Perelman, Viktor. 'The Case for Alexsander Grachev.' Moskovskij Komsomolets. Dec. 26, 1957. "Sovietskaya Rossiya" (), and "Pravda" ().
In 1968, he was invited to take on the position of the Head of Information Department of "Literaturnaya Gazeta" ().Perelman, Viktor. 'Chelovek Vernulsya...' Literaturnaya Gazeta. July 1970. Etkind, Efim. 'As I Am Rereading "Forsaken Russia"...' Foreword to the book by Viktor Perelman, "Forsaken Russia – A Journalist in a Closed Society." (1989). Translated from Russian by Irina Perelman-Grabois. He was dismissed from the "Literaturnaya Gazeta" following his application for permission to emigrate to Israel in 1972.Jewish Telegraph Agency. 'Viktor Perelman, Family, In Israel.' Daily News Bulletin. Jan. 15, 1973. His dissident articles, among them "Reflections Before the Auction," which described his opposition to the Soviet Government imposing an education tax on Jewish emigrants, were translated and published in Western newspapers, including the New York Times.The New York Times. 'Soviet Journalist Privately Urges Jews Not to Pay New Exit Tax.' Aug. 28, 1972.
After a struggle with Soviet authorities as a Jewish "Refusenik", he was allowed by the Soviet government to emigrate to Israel in 1973,The New York Times. 'Soviet to Let Jewish Writer Leave Without Paying Tax.' Dec. 19, 1972. where he worked as a correspondent for the Israeli newspaper "Al Hamishmar",Perelman, Viktor. 'Madua Kara Ma Shekara Beveidat Oleibrit Hamoatzot.' Al Hamishmar. Oct. 8. 1973. and a special correspondent for Radio Liberty ().Radio Liberty Archives. 'Zametki Yurista: Interview with Leonid Rostov." Munich. Dec. 8, 1974.
In 1975, in Tel Aviv, Israel, he founded a thick Russian language magazine for literary and socio-political problems, "Vremya I My" or "Time and We" ().Skarligina, Elena. Moscow State University. '"Time and We" Magazine in the Context of Third Wave Immigration.' He was the magazine's sole editor-in-chief until 2001. He published altogether 152 issues of "Vremya I My", giving a tribune to over 2200 authors and over 100 artists. "Vremya I My" had headquarters in Israel,Directory Of Open Access Journals. 'SOVIET ALIYAH AS A PIVOTAL THEME OF RUSSIAN-LANGUAGE PERIODICALS IN ISRAEL: THE CASE OF “VREMYA I MI” AND “22” JOURNALS.' RUDN Journal of Russian History. (2018). France, Russia (in its later years),Ivanov, Vissarion. Special Correspondent of Trud. 'In Russian – For The Whole World: "Vremya I My" Celebrates A Quarter Of A Century.' Trud. Jan. 26, 2000. http://viktorperelman-timeandwejournal.com/newspaper29.pdf with its main office located in the United States since 1981. Over 150 Slavic Departments of universities around the globe were subscribed to “Time and We” magazine over the 25 years of its existence, with a full archive of 152 issues still available in their library catalogs today.Columbia University Libraries. CLIO Catalog Entry. 'Vrema i my.'Indiana University Libraries. IUCAT Catalog Entry. 'Vremia i my : Mezhdunarodnyĭ demokraticheskiĭ zhurnal literatury i obshchestvennykh problem. Proza, memuary, publit͡sistika. Pervye desiatʹ let izdanii͡a.' The full archive is also available at the library of the National Endowment for Democracy, an organization from which 'Time and We' had been receiving a grant for over 10 years. A full electronic archive of 152 issues of "Time and We" is also available on the electronic library "ImWerden". Viktor Perelman published works by many literary figures of the Russian diaspora,Perelman, Viktor. 'Faces and Details.' Rodina. February 1993 such as poet Alexander Galich,Jewish.ru 'Галич. Жизнь под током.' Oct. 19, 2015 and writers Viktor Nekrasov,Memorial Site for Viktor Nekrassov. 'Статьи о Викторе Некрасове: Виктор Перельман.' Boris Khazanov, and Friedrich Gorenstein.Svoboda Radio Archives. 'Viktor Perelman on Frederich Gorenstein.' Perelman wrote over 50 essays'The complete catalogue of essay titles and their descriptions, written and published by Viktor Perelman in "Time and We".' in "Vremya I My" and reviewed over 100 artists in his magazine under the pen name Viktor Petrovsky, including Mikhail Chemiakin, Ernst Neizvestny, Mikhail Turovsky, Komar and Melamid, Mikhail Belomlinsky, and Oscar Rabin. Sixty-six covers of "Vrema I My" magazine were illustrated by a Russian-American artist Vagrich Bakhchanyan.Viktor Perelman's Official Memorial Website
After his immigration to the United States with an EB-1A Green Card, Perelman's essays were often published in various Russian language publications in the West such as Russkaya Mysl,Perelman, Viktor. 'Illusions, Once Again.' Russkaya Mysl. Nov. 14, 1974. Novoe Ruskoe Slovo, Panorama,Panorama Newspaper Evreyskaya Gazetta, Megapolis Express, Boston Time, and others. In Russia, following the collapse of the Soviet Union, he also appeared in Russian publications such as Ogoniok,Perelman, Viktor. 'Introduction to the Reprinted Excerpt from the Book by Alexander Orlov, "The Secret History of Stalin's Crimes."' Published by Vremiya I My Publishing House. Ogoniok (No. 46). November 1989. Rodina, and Yunost.Perelman, Viktor. 'Excerpts from his autobiographical novel, "Theatre of the Absurd."' Eunost. April 1991. May 1991.
Perelman was known to discover the writer Boris Khazanov ()Kurt, Marco. "Boris Khazanov – Writer in Freedom? Roots and Expulsion: Two Millennia." ROSSICA 2:33–42.Perelman, Viktor. "РАДОСТЬ ОТКРЫТИЯ: О ПРОЗЕ БОРИСА ХАЗАНОВА."Khazanov, Boris. "Me, Resurrection, and Life." (1985) and his Time and We Publishing House was the first to translate to the Russian language “KGB Today: The Hidden Hand” by American journalist John Barron ().Barron, John. "KGB Today: The Hidden Hand." (1984). Translated into Russian by Viktor Perelman.
Viktor Perelman died on November 13, 2003, after a long illness, at his home in Cliffside Park, New Jersey. He was 74 years old. He is buried in Paramus, New Jersey. He is survived by his wife, Alla Perelman, his only daughter, Irina Perelman-Grabois, and three American-born grandchildren Mark Grabois, Lara Grabois and Victoria Grabois.
Books
Perelman was the author of an autobiographical novel in Russian, "Forsaken Russia" (), depicting the struggles of a journalist within a Soviet society governed by heavily censored state press. Its first edition was published in 1977 and its second edition was published in 1989. In 1977, the first two-book edition of "Forsaken Russia" won the Second Prize for Dissident Literature in Translation from the Hebrew University in Jerusalem, Israel. In 1981, he wrote and published a second autobiographical novel "The Theater of Absurd" (), described by him as "comedic-philosophical narrative of my two emigrations: the experience of anti-memoirs”. In 1992, he wrote a fiction novel titled “The Sinful Fall of Caesar” (). His three books are available at university libraries around the globe.Princeton University Libraries. Search results: 'viktor perelman'Harvard University Libraries. HOLLIS Search results: 'viktor perelman'
Viktor Perelman also ran the "Time and We Publishing House," wherein he published the following books:
John Barron. "KGB Today." First ever translation to Russian. (1984). () Aleksander Orlov. "The Secret History of Stalin Crimes." (1991). () Vladimir Soloviyov & Elena Klepikova. "The Battle in Kremlin: from Andropov to Gorbachev." (1986). ()
Boris Khazanov. "Me, Resurrection, and Life." (1985). () Gordon Brooke-Shefferd. "The Faith of Soviet Defectors." (1983). () Time and We Publishing House (New York). "Almanac of 'Time and We' 1990: Hands Off Venus de Milo." Featuring A. Galich, S. Dovlatov, A. Kestler, and an interview with Joseph Brodsky. (1990). () Albin Michel Publishing House (Paris), and Time and We Publishing House (New York). "Le Temps et Nous." 'Time and We' almanac 1990 translated into French. (1990).
External links Viktor Perelman's Official Memorial Website Время и мы (журнал, комплект номеров) во «Второй литературе»
References