The Translator

Born in Swiss Davos in 1917 to a wealthy, intellectual Jewish family, the Translator Juri Elperin revisits his life story as he journeyed across Europe during the 20th century. Due to the Revolution in Russia, Juri spends his childhood with his family in Berlin during the Republic of Weimar. The Third Reich was established in 1933, and the family fled to Paris, where Juri attended High school, soon moved to the USSR where they remained. During WW2 Juri found his homeland in language – with the end of the war, he started teaching German linguistics at the Moscow State Linguistic University and later started translating. Over 150 Russian modern and classical works find a German audience through the writings of Juri, gaining him the national prize and fame amongst literary circles. The Elperins set up a lively home in Peredelkino inviting their intellectual friends (Boris Pasternak or Elfie Siegel).