Vladimir Paley 1897 – 1918

Biography

Vladimir Paley was born on January 9, 1897, in Saint Petersburg, during the twilight of Imperial Russia. He came of age in one of Europe’s most culturally vibrant cities, a place that nurtured writers, artists, and intellectuals who shaped the literary landscape of the early twentieth century. As a writer, Paley participated in the rich intellectual traditions of his native Russia during a time of extraordinary artistic achievement and social upheaval.

His life was cut tragically short on July 18, 1918, in Alapayevsk, a small city in the Urals, during the turbulent years following the Russian Revolution. He was only twenty-one years old. The circumstances of his death—occurring during a period of widespread violence and instability—reflect the profound chaos that consumed Russia in the aftermath of revolutionary upheaval. Though his time was brief, Paley lived during one of history’s most transformative moments, and his work as a writer remains part of Russia’s literary heritage from this pivotal era.