Ehrenburg, Ilya

Ehrenburg, Ilya (Grigoryevich)

(born Jan. 27, 1891, Kiev, Ukr., Russian Empire—died Aug. 31, 1967, Moscow, Russian S.F.S.R., U.S.S.R.) Russian writer and journalist. Arrested as a youth for revolutionary activity, he moved to Paris. He worked as a war correspondent, then returned to write for Soviet newspapers. His first novel and best work was Julio Jurenito and His Disciples (1922). He soon embraced the Soviet regime, eventually becoming one of its most effective spokesmen in the West. The vehemently anti-Western The Fall of Paris (1941) was followed by The Storm (1946–47) and The Ninth Wave (1951–52). After Joseph Stalin's death, Ehrenburg's works, including The Thaw (1954) and his autobiography, People, Years, Life, 6 vol. (1960–66), turned critical of Stalin's heritage.