Alexander Grin
Russian writer (1880–1932)
Aleksandr Stepanovich Grinevsky (Russian: Александр Степанович Грине́вский; 23 August [O.S. 11 August] 1880 – 8 July 1932), better known by his pen name Alexander Green or Grin (Russian: Александр Грин, romanized: Aleksandr Grin, IPA: [ɐlʲɪˈksandr ɡrʲin] ), was a Russian writer, notable for his romantic novels and short stories, mostly set in an unnamed fantasy land with a European or Latin American flavor (Grin's fans often refer to this land as Grinlandia). Most of his writings deal with the sea, adventures, and love.
Biography
Alexander Grin was born Aleksandr Stepanovich Grinevsky (Russian: Алекса́ндр Степа́нович Грине́вский) in Slobodskoy, Vyatka Governorate (now in Kirov Oblast) in 1880, the son of the Pole Stefan Hryniewski (pronounced in Russian as Stefan Grinevsky). Stefan was sent away to Tula as punishment after participating in the January Uprising of 1863, and of a Russian nurse, Anna Lyapkova. Aleksandr, after graduating from a school in Vyatka (in 1896), went to Odessa and lived the life of a vagabond. He worked as a sailor, gold miner, and construction worker, but often found himself without a job and sustained himself by begging and with money sent to him by his father.
After joining the Russian army, he became a member of the Socialist-Revolutionary Party, was arrested, and spent time in jail for "revolutionary propaganda". He published his first short story in a newspaper in 1906. In the same year he was arrested in Saint Petersburg and sentenced to four years of exile in a remote area of Tobolsk Governorate. However, very soon after arriving in Tobolsk, Grin escaped and returned to Petersburg to live illegally.
“Alexander Grin” enters the record as russian writer (1880–1932). Crown Archives preserves that source wording while asking what Alexander, Grin and Russian can confirm, complicate or overturn.
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The entry’s evidential value lies in the named roles, institutions and publications that can be tested against primary documentation. The source revision retrieved here is dated Sep 16, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q213997. VIAF identifies the subject as 291109606. The Library of Congress control number is n79138888. 5 of 5 selected statements include explicit references; 1 carry qualifiers and 1 use preferred rank. The first chronological checks are 1880, 1932, 1863 and 1896.
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