Harlow Loomis Robinson (born September 20, 1950) is a Matthews Distinguished University Professor of History at

Northeastern University Northeastern University (NU or NEU) is a private university, private research university with its main campus in Boston, Massachusetts, United States. It was founded by the Boston Young Men's Christian Association in 1898 as an all-male instit ...

who specializes in Soviet and Russian cultural history, with writings on Soviet film and performing arts.

Background

Robinson was born in

Bristol, Connecticut Bristol is a suburban city located in Hartford County, Connecticut, United States, southwest-west of Hartford, Connecticut, Hartford. The city is also 120 miles southwest from Boston, and approximately 100 miles northeast of New York City. The ...

. During high school, inspired by the film adaption of '' Dr. Zhivago'', he started studying Russian on a program to

Cornell University Cornell University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university based in Ithaca, New York, United States. The university was co-founded by American philanthropist Ezra Cornell and historian and educator Andrew Dickson W ...

. He also studied Russian music and literature. In 1972, he received a BA in Russian from

Yale University Yale University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701, Yale is the List of Colonial Colleges, third-oldest institution of higher education in the United Stat ...

and graduated

Phi Beta Kappa The Phi Beta Kappa Society () is the oldest academic honor society in the United States. It was founded in 1776 at the College of William & Mary in Virginia. Phi Beta Kappa aims to promote and advocate excellence in the liberal arts and sciences, ...

, Magna cum laude. He took a "world tour" that included crossing Asia by the

Trans-Siberian Railway The Trans-Siberian Railway, historically known as the Great Siberian Route and often shortened to Transsib, is a large railway system that connects European Russia to the Russian Far East. Spanning a length of over , it is the longest railway ...

. In 1975, he received an MA in Slavic languages and literature, followed in 1980 a doctorate also in Slavic languages and literatures, both at the

University of California at Berkeley The University of California, Berkeley (UC Berkeley, Berkeley, Cal, or California), is a public land-grant research university in Berkeley, California, United States. Founded in 1868 and named after the Anglo-Irish philosopher George Berkele ...

. His doctoral thesis was on "The Operas of Sergei Prokofiev and Their Russian Literary Sources," for which he spent an academic year in the

Soviet Union The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...

Career

Before studying for his doctorate, Robinson worked as a journalist for his hometown Bristol newspaper as well as the ''

Hartford Courant The ''Hartford Courant'' is the largest daily newspaper in the U.S. state of Connecticut, and is advertised as the oldest continuously published newspaper in the United States. A morning newspaper serving most of the state north of New Haven and ...

''. During his "world tour," he also taught English in Japan (1972–1973). Robinson began his academic career as assistant professor in the Slavic department of the

State University of New York at Albany The State University of New York at Albany (University at Albany, UAlbany, or SUNY Albany) is a public research university in Albany, New York, United States. Founded in 1844, it is one of four "university centers" of the State University of N ...

(SUNY Albany) (1980-1994), where he chaired the departments of Slavic languages and literature (1992-1994) and Germanic and Slavic languages and literature (1994-1995). In 1996, Robinson moved to Northeastern University in

Boston Boston is the capital and most populous city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. The city serves as the cultural and Financial centre, financial center of New England, a region of the Northeas ...

, where he has taught courses on Russian cultural history, history of Soviet cinema, the image of Russia in American culture, and Prague, Vienna, Budapest 1867–1918. At Northeastern, he has also served as chair of Modern Languages (1996–99), Cinema Studies (acting director, 1998–99), International Affairs Program (2000-2001 advisor), and Department of History (2013–14). He served as vice president of the American Association of Teachers of Slavic and East European Languages. Robinson has delivered public lectures at the Boston Symphony, New York Philharmonic, Metropolitan Museum of Art, Metropolitan Opera, Lincoln Center, Philadelphia Orchestra, Los Angeles Music Center Opera, Guggenheim Museum, San Francisco Symphony, Rotterdam Philharmonic, Aspen Music Festival and Bard Festival. He has worked as a consultant for performing arts organizations and has served as writer and commentator for PBS, NPR and the Canadian Broadcasting System.

Fellowships, honors, awards

* 2010: Academy Film Scholar the

Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS, often pronounced ; also known as simply the Academy or the Motion Picture Academy) is a professional honorary organization in Beverly Hills, California, U.S., with the stated goal of adva ...

* 2010: Institutional Grants Committee from the

for research on Oscar-winning director

Lewis Milestone Lewis Milestone (born Leib Milstein (Russian: Лейб Мильштейн); September 30, 1895 – September 25, 1980) was an American film director. Milestone directed '' Two Arabian Knights'' (1927) and '' All Quiet on the Western Front'' (1 ...

* Fellowship/grant,

American Council of Learned Societies The American Council of Learned Societies (ACLS) is a private, nonprofit federation of 75 scholarly organizations in the humanities and related social sciences founded in 1919. It is best known for its fellowship competitions which provide a ra ...

* Fellowship/grant, Fulbright * Fellowship/grant, Whiting Foundation

Works

Major publications include: * ''The legend of the invisible city of Kitezh and the maiden Fevronia: An opera in four acts'', libretto by Vladimir Ivanovich Belsky, English version by Harlow Robinson (Melville, NY: Belwin-Mills, 1984) * ''Sergei Prokofiev: A Biography'' (New York: Viking Press, 1987) (1988) (2002) * ''The Last Impresario: The Life, Times and Legacy of Sol Hurok'' (New York: Viking Press, 1994) (1995) * ''Selected Letters of Sergei Prokofiev'', translated, edited and introduced by Harlow Robinson (Boston: Northeastern University Press, 1998) * ''Vasilisa the fair'', based on ''The frog princess and other Russian folk tales'' by Sophia Prokofieva and Irina Tokmakova, music by

Alla Lander Alla may refer to: * Ara Gaya, also called Alla (안라), a city-state kingdom in the part of Gaya confederacy, in modern-day Haman County of Korea Music * "Alla" (song) a song by Swedish singer Sofia * Allá, a rock band from Chicago * '' At ...

, translated by Sabina Modzhalevskaya and Harlow Robinson, adapted by Adrian Mitchell (New York: Samuel French, 2003) * ''Russians in Hollywood, Hollywood's Russians'' (Lebanon, NH: University Press of New England, 2007) * Lewis Milestone:Life and films (Lexington, KY: University of Kentucky Press: 2019) He has also contributed essays, articles, and reviews to the: ''New York Times'', ''Los Angeles Times'', ''The Nation'', ''Opera News'', ''Opera Quarterly'', ''Dance'', ''Playbill'', ''Symphony'' and other publications.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Robinson, Harlow 1952 births 21st-century American historians 21st-century American male writers Cornell University alumni Historians of communism American male non-fiction writers Living people Historians of Russia Stalinism-era scholars and writers

Background

Career

Fellowships, honors, awards

Works

See also

References