Born for the revolution: 20 years of hard labor, a bullet from the author of "Scarlet Sails" and other life vicissitudes of Ekaterina Bibergal

2024 Author: Richard Flannagan | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-15 23:55

She refused the author of the book "Scarlet Sails", who offered her a hand and a heart, but sunk his soul for life. Ekaterina Bibergal spent 20 years of her difficult life in hard labor - under the tsar she was exiled to revolutionary activities, and under Stalin - for counter-revolutionary activities. And Alexander Green embodied her image in many heroines of his works …

The surname Bibergal is translated from Yiddish as "castor oil". It is possible that the first owner of this surname was engaged in medicine. Catherine's father also dreamed of a medical career, but the fascination with revolutionary ideas ended with the arrest in 1876 and exile for 15 years. The wife of her own free will followed her husband, and in 1879 gave birth to a daughter, Catherine. Therefore, quite often the place of birth in the questionnaires, the conqueror of the heart of the author of the work "Scarlet Sails" put "Carian hard labor".

After completing her studies at the female gymnasium in the city of Blagoveshchensk, she entered the Higher Courses for Women in St. Petersburg. However, she followed in her father's footsteps and because of the arrest she never finished her studies. By coincidence, the girl was arrested in the same square as her father, only much later. During her exile in Sevastopol, Catherine becomes a member of the revolutionary movement. In 1903, a young thin 23-year-old guy, Alexander Grigoriev, arrived here. The documents were fake, in the original the surname sounded like Grinevsky, hence the pseudonym Green was formed. And he also dreamed of a revolution. True, in 1908 he wrote the story "Little Committee", the main character of which was a young fragile girl, and the epithets with which he writes out her image are much closer to the romantic style than to the revolutionary one.

At the time of Catherine's acquaintance with the writer, she was barely 24 years old. In the party cell she was called "Vera Nikolaevna", but very close people called her "Kitty." Alexander considered her one of the central figures of the secret organization. The head of the committee, Sergei Nikonov, together with Alexander Ulyanov, took part in the preparation of the assassination of Alexander III, but was detained in a different process, and later this saved his life.

Alexander Green in his autobiography recorded several points that indicated Catherine's addiction to archeology. For example, he describes in detail the case when, after a trip to the archaeological museum, "Kiska" grumbled for a long time at the joke of the writer, who asked the museum inspector to show him a button from the Macedonian clothes. But despite all the differences of opinion, Catherine agreed to become the wife of a young writer in the future. Noticing his excellent oratory skills, she convinced him to conduct campaigning activities among sailors and soldiers. His charisma was so strong that many after his speech were ready to give their lives in the revolutionary struggle.

In his autobiography, Grinevsky recalls that one day, before the next campaign, he had an unjustified feeling of anxiety. He tried to abandon the campaign, describing his condition to Catherine. However, she did not support him, calling him a "coward." He was forced to come to the square, where he was met by two soldiers and a policeman. Taking the writer to the police station, they searched his apartment, where they found a lot of forbidden literature. This became the basis for his arrest in 1903. In 1905, Alexander left the prison walls. Catherine tried to arrange for Green's escape by buying a sailboat and paying the driver. But the prisoner was seized at the moment when he was trying to overcome the prison wall.

Not waiting for Alexander from exile, Catherine, shortly before the escape of a friend, was detained and sent to Arkhangelsk. Subsequently, she managed to escape from there to Switzerland. The escape was organized by Nikonov, the head of the Socialist-Revolutionaries from Sevastopol. In this country, her sister lived with her husband, who was the son of a millionaire from Siberia. In the work "At Leisure", the writer is acutely experiencing parting with his beloved and is waiting for news from her. He carefully keeps every letter received from "Kiska". Once, having received a postcard from a friend, he notices the landscapes of Switzerland on it.

1905 changed the situation in Russia. Green was amnestied, and Catherine returned to the country. Their meeting took place in 1906. This event is described in her memoirs by the first wife of Alexander, but then she will destroy one of the important pages, where she described in detail the fateful day of the last meeting. The writer in his works only mentions this event in passing.

What happened that day? There are two versions of this incident. First, Green invited Catherine to become his wife, but all her thoughts were only about the revolution, and she gave him. According to the second version, the writer was jealous of his beloved for another exile, with whom she may have previously had an affair. Unable to cope with his emotions, Alexander shot Catherine. The bullet from the ladies' pistol hit the Pussy's left side, but not deep. The victim was taken to the hospital, where the surgeon Grekov performed the operation and took out a bullet. Catherine never said who and for what reason encroached on her life. However, this was their last meeting without witnesses. Soon Alexander and Ekaterina were detained again. Bibergal was sent to hard labor exactly where she was once born, almost 30 years ago. They had no more opportunity to meet in this life.

In hard labor, Catherine served her sentence along with other famous revolutionaries, and they left after the February revolution. The victory of the Bolsheviks did not end the prison suffering of the muse Alexander Green. In Leningrad, a plant was organized where essential oils were produced, and former members of the Socialist Revolutionary Party worked. With the proceeds from the sale of goods, a house was erected where people were settled. In addition to living quarters, several public places were built, including libraries. Catherine worked in one of these libraries and lived first with her first and then with her second spouse.

During the Stalinist purges, the house where former members of the Socialist-Revolutionary Party lived was one of the first to be subjected to the procedure. In 1935, Catherine was arrested and considered a dangerous person for society, banning her from living in large cities of the country for 15 years. A few years later, she was charged as a counter-revolutionary and sentenced to 10 years in prison. She was serving her sentence in an “invalid” camp in the Kemerovo region. She could often be found with a book in her hand. In her sixty years, she remained a fragile, thin, well-groomed woman, in whom she absolutely did not feel old age, despite the emerging gray hair.

After 10 years in the camps, Ekaterina was sent into exile in Karelia, where she continued to work in the local library.

Having survived the death of Stalin, Bibergal finally got the opportunity to move to Leningrad for permanent residence in 1956. In winter, with an unsuccessful fall, she suffered a serious fracture of her leg, which led to amputation. Already in 1959, the former Socialist-Revolutionary Irina Kakhovskaya, in order to somehow support her friend Katya Bibergal, translated Exupery's "Little Prince" for her as a New Year's gift. But the friend did not wait for the gift - she died.

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