Boris Pasternak (1890-1960), a major writer of modern Russian literature, poet, translator, and novelist, had a fate that was out of the ordinary. His life was traversed by the historical upheavals of his time, as well as a passionate dedication to completely opposite pursuits.

Among the creators who mingled with his parents (his father was a painter and his mother a pianist) were Tolstoy, Scriabin, and Rilke. After initially abandoning music and then philosophy, Pasternak discovered that he wanted to dedicate himself to writing. His poetry collections reveal the originality of his talent and establish his reputation.

Meanwhile, the Russian Revolution shocks him, and he thinks it is the ultimate hope of humanity. In the 1930s, he primarily translates poets such as Goethe, Shakespeare, Shelley, Keats, and Verlaine.

In 1945, Pasternak begins writing 'Doctor Zhivago.' With this iconic novel, which was banned for a long time in the Soviet Union and initially published in Italy in 1957, he would receive the Nobel Prize a year later, in 1958, which he was forced to decline.

In this biography, Henri Troyat restores, beyond the conventional image, the universal vision of a great writer, illuminating his journey in a country that is once again in the spotlight today.

[Excerpt from the text on the back cover of the edition]