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Olga Ilyin
Olga Ilyin, (nicknamed Lita, née Boratynski), grew up in pre-revolutionary Russia in a liberal-minded, talented family. She had a serious gift for poetry, which in Russia is a popu...view moreOlga Ilyin, (nicknamed Lita, née Boratynski), grew up in pre-revolutionary Russia in a liberal-minded, talented family. She had a serious gift for poetry, which in Russia is a popular fine art to this day. She was tutored in the sciences and liberal arts, and spoke French as fluently as Russian. Her studies at the University of Kazan were interrupted by WWI and the Revolution. This idyllic phase of her life ended when as a volunteer nurse she tended wounded soldiers. In 1917, she married Kiril Ilyin, a cavalry officer. A year later, as the civil war began, Kiril volunteered for service with the anti-communist “Whites.” Their son, Boris, was born just as the Reds stormed their previously freed city of Kazan, and nine days later, Olga and her child became homeless refugees. After a harrowing four years of separation, the three were miraculously reunited outside the USSR and in 1923 were able to come to America. There, a second son was born, just as the Great Depression began and Kiril was diagnosed with terminal tuberculosis. Miraculously he survived. Meanwhile, to support the family, Olga started a dress salon and turned her talents to designing clothing. Although her poetic gift had disappeared during all the stress she had experienced, she successfully turned to writing autobiographical novels. She died in 1991, leaving some unpublished memoires, including Visits to the Imperial Court.view less