Alexander Tarasov-Rodionov

Alexander Ignatyevich Tarasov-Rodionov (Алекса́ндр Игна́тьевич Тара́сов-Родио́нов), October 7, 1885 – September 3, 1938, was a Russian/Soviet writer.

Biography
Alexander was born in Kazan where his father was a surveyor. He studied law at the University of Kazan. In 1905 he joined the Bolshevik party. He was drafted in 1914, and became an officer. He participated in the Russian revolution of 1917 as a Bolshevik. He later worked as a magistrate and was involved in setting up the literary organizations Kuznitsa (The Smithy) and RAPP.

He began writing after the Russian Civil War. His works were printed in proletarian magazines such as October and Young Guard. His novel Chocolate (1922), which has been translated into English, was used against him after his arrest in 1937. A number of his other works, including Grass and Blood (1924) and his unfinished autobiographical trilogy Heavy Steps (begun in 1927) were considered ideologically incorrect along with Chocolate. Upon being arrested he was accused of Trotskyism. He was executed in 1938 at Kommunarka. He was rehabilitated in 1952.

It should be mentioned that Schokolade, the German translation of Chocolate, was burned by the Nazis during the extensive Nazi book burnings in 1933.

English translations

 * Chocolate, from Fifty Years of Russian Prose, M.I.T Press, 1971.