Alexander Yesenin-Volpin is the illegitimate son of the great Russian poet Sergei Yesenin. He is known as a mathematician, the author of a number of serious works in the field of mathematical logic. Alexander succeeded in writing poetry. However, for some of his writings, he was arrested, sent to a psychiatric hospital and exiled outside Central Russia. This fate pushed Alexander to human rights activities.
Facts from the biography of Alexander Yesenin-Volpin
The future mathematician, philosopher and poet was born in Leningrad on May 12, 1924. Alexander's father was the famous Russian poet Sergei Yesenin. He died when Alexander was only a year and a half. Alexander's mother is a translator and poet Nadezhda Volpin. The boy's parents were united by literature, but they were not officially married.
In 1933, Alexander and his mother moved from Leningrad to the capital of Russia. Here he graduated with honors from Moscow State University in 1946, Faculty of Mechanics and Mathematics. Alexander was not drafted into the army - a psychiatric diagnosis interfered.
In 1949, Yesenin-Volpin completed his postgraduate studies. His dissertation was related to mathematical logic. After that, Alexander went to his place of work in Chernivtsi.
Socially dangerous element
In July 1949, Yesenin-Volpin was arrested on a denunciation. He was accused of anti-Soviet agitation and propaganda. The basis for this accusation was the fact of writing and reading several poems in a narrow circle. During the investigation, Alexander was sent for a forensic psychiatric examination and was eventually declared insane. With this conclusion of the examination, Yesenin-Volpin soon ended up in a special psychiatric hospital in Leningrad, where he was assigned for compulsory treatment.
In the fall of 1950, Alexander Sergeevich, recognized as a "socially dangerous element", was deported to the Karaganda region. He was given a term of exile - five years. At the end of 1953 he was released under an amnesty, after which he returned to the capital.
A few years later, Yesenin-Volpin received an invitation to a mathematical symposium held in Warsaw. However, he was not allowed to leave the country, citing his mental disability. It became unbearably difficult for Alexander to make a career in his native country.
In 1959, Alexander was once again placed in a clinic for the mentally ill: because he transferred a philosophical treatise and a collection of his poems outside the country. This time, Yesenin-Volpin spent about two years in the clinic.
In 1962, Alexander got married. V. B. became his wife. Volpin, nee - Hayutin. The marriage lasted about ten years.
Human rights activist and dissident
In the 60s, Alexander Sergeevich took part in protest activities more than once. He advocated a public trial of Daniel and Sinyavsky, called on the authorities to respect the country's Constitution. As a result, the mathematician and poet again found himself within the walls of a psychiatric hospital, where he was forcibly placed.
After the termination of treatment, Yesenin-Volpin continued to actively engage in human rights activities.
In 1972, Alexander Sergeevich emigrated to the United States. He worked at the University of Buffalo, was elected an honorary professor at Boston University. However, his teaching career was not successful. As a result, he got the position of an ordinary librarian.
Since the end of perestroika in the USSR, Yesenin-Volpin visited his homeland more than once. The famous dissident passed away in the United States on March 16, 2016.
