Lev Anninsky

Lev Alexandrovich Anninsky (, 7 April 1934 – 6 November 2019) was a Soviet and Russian literary critic, historian, publicist, essayist and author of more than 30 books. He was also a scriptwriter, and as such the three times TEFI laureate (1996 and 2004, twice).

Biography Anninsky was born in Rostov-on-Don, to Alexander Anninsky, a cossack from stanitsa Novo-Anninskaya, and Anna (Khana Zalmanovna) Alexandrova, born in Lyubech, Ukraine. His grandmother Bronislava Gershenovich was murdered in 1921 on a country road by members of the Chernigov-based Ivan Galaka's gang, for being Jewish. In 1968-1972 Anninsky worked in the Institute of Sociological research at the Academy of Science, then joined Druzhba Narodov magazine (1972-1991), starting a career of a freelancer which brought him the reputation of an insightful and original author whose essays were welcomed both in Oktyabr and Novy mir, the two magazines belonging to the competing ('patriots'/'liberals') factions. Anninsky has never joined the Soviet Communist Party. Since 2003, Anninsky had been a member of the Yasnaya Polyana Literary Award jury.

Anninsky died on 6 November 2019.