Forsh O.D. (1873-1961), writer

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FORSH (nee Komarova) Olga Dmitrievna (1873-1961, Tyarlevo, near Pavlovsk), writer. Graduated from Nikolaevsky Orphane Girls' Institute in Moscow in 1891. She studied painting at various art schools, including the home studio of artist P.P. Chistyakov in St. Petersburg which she attended in 1895. In 1910-18 she lived in Tsarskoe Selo, where she worked as drawing instructor. She was an active contributor to St. Petersburg journals Zavety, Sovremennik, Nash Put, children's magazine Tropinka, Skifi; she also attended Ivanov's Wednesdays. She lived intermittently in Petrograd (Leningrad) from 1920. In 1920-22 she was one of the residents of the House of Arts, Petrograd cultural phenomenon to which she gave an original artistic interpretation in her novel Mad Ship (also known as Ship of Fools) (1931). The essential part of her literary heritage is constituted by historical novels (Dressed in Stone, 1924-25; Contemporaries, Hot Shop, both in 1926; The Raven, also known as Symbolists, 1933; trilogy Radishchev, 1932-39; Mikhailovsky Castle, 1946, the latter being the first part of the unfinished cycle of novels about St. Petersburg, entitled The Immortal City). These novels convey the images of imperial, revolutionary, literary and artistic St. Petersburg of various epochs. In Tsarskoe Selo (Pushkin), she lived in the summer house of Chistyakov at 23 Moskovskoe Freeway at various times and at 38 Moskovskoe Freeway in 1915-16. In Leningrad, Forsh resided at 9 Griboedova Canal Embankment (collective memorial plaque) and at 3 Kuybysheva Street in 1954-61 (memorial plaque); she also lived at Tyarlevo village near Pavlovsk. She was buried at Kazanskoe cemetery in Pushkin. In 1970 a street in the north of the city was named after her.

References: Ольга Форш в воспоминаниях современников. Л., 1974; Тамарченко А. В. Ольга Форш: Жизнь, личность, творчество. 2-е изд., доп. Л., 1974; Бунатян Г. Г. Город муз: Лит. памят. места г. Пушкина. СПб., 2001. С. 274-289.

D. N. Cherdakov. Chistyakov Pavel Petrovich
Forsh Olga Dmitrievna
Griboedova Canal Embankment/Saint Petersburg, city, house 9
Kuibysheva St./Saint Petersburg, city, house 3
Moskovskoe Freeway/Pushkin, town, house 23
Moskovskoe Freeway/Pushkin, town, house 38
Olgi Forsh St./Saint Petersburg, city
Тамарченко А. В. Ольга Форш: Жизнь, личность, творчество. 2-е изд., доп. Л., 1974
Ольга Форш в воспоминаниях современников. Л., 1974
Бунатян Г. Г. Город муз: Лит. памят. места г. Пушкина. СПб., 2001 Zavety (Behests), journal, 1912-1914
Sovremennik (Contemporary), journal
Skify (Scythians), almanac
Ivanov's Wednesdays, Literary and Artistic Meetings
Arts, The House of, literary society
Kazanskoe Cemetery