Exile
Following the Russian Revolution of 1917 and the murder of his father, Botkin fled Tobolsk. He later spent a summer at a Russian Orthodox monastery and briefly considered becoming a priest, but decided against the religious life. He married Nadine Mandraji, widow of Ensign of the Dragoons regiment, nobleman Michael Nikolaevich Mandraji, who was the chevalier of the Order of St. George and was killed in battle in June 1915 at Grodno in Belarus. Two months later Nadine gave birth to their daughter Kira Mihailovna Mandraji (1915-2009). Nadine's father, nobleman Alexei Vladimirovich Konshin (1858-?), was the President of the Russian Bank of State from 1910-1914 and the President of the Russian Industry and Commerce Bank from 1914-1917. The Botkins emigrated first to Japan, then to France and after that to the United States. Botkin worked as a photo engraver and attended art classes at the Pratt Institute in New York City. Later, he earned his living as a novelist and illustrator.
Read more about this topic: Gleb Botkin
Famous quotes containing the word exile:
“The bond between a man and his profession is similar to that which ties him to his country; it is just as complex, often ambivalent, and in general it is understood completely only when it is broken: by exile or emigration in the case of one’s country, by retirement in the case of a trade or profession.”
—Primo Levi (1919–1987)
“Ha, banishment? Be merciful, say “death”;
For exile hath more terror in his look,
Much more than death. Do not say “banishment!””
—William Shakespeare (1564–1616)
“The exile is a singular, whereas refugees tend to be thought of in the mass. Armenian refugees, Jewish refugees, refugees from Franco Spain. But a political leader or artistic figure is an exile. Thomas Mann yesterday, Theodorakis today. Exile is the noble and dignified term, while a refugee is more hapless.... What is implied in these nuances of social standing is the respect we pay to choice. The exile appears to have made a decision, while the refugee is the very image of helplessness.”
—Mary McCarthy (1912–1989)