Maria Gessen is a journalist and writer equally known both in Russia and in the USA. Without hiding her homosexual inclinations, Masha Gessen is an activist in the LGBT movement. Members of this movement stand for civil equality and respect for human rights, regardless of one's sexual, social or political views.
Biography Facts
Maria was born on January 13, 1967 in Moscow. Parents are Jews. His father is a successful entrepreneur, his mother is a translator and literary critic. In 1981, the whole family emigrated to the United States. Abroad, Maria went to study as an architect, but she never received a diploma. In 1991, she returned to Russia and settled in the capital.
In 2004, Masha Gessen was diagnosed with breast cancer. In the female line in the Hessen family, the mother and aunt of the journalist died from this disease. 4 years after the diagnosis, Masha had her breast removed. A little later, she will write a book about it.
Writing and journalism
Maria AlexandrovnaGessen writes a lot in both Russian and English. More than once the name of the journalist was associated with the name of the President of Russia. In 2011, she wrote a book about him in English. In 2012, she left the post of editor-in-chief of the Vokrug Sveta magazine, and, as it turned out later, this was again connected with Putin V. V. The fact is that Maria refused to cover the expedition to save the Siberian Cranes, the main participant of which was the president. A little later, Gessen will tell the world about a personal conversation with V. V. Putin in the Kremlin.
After learning about the dismissal of Maria from the post of editor-in-chief, Putin personally called Gessen and made an appointment in the Kremlin. During the conversation, journalist Masha Gessen learned many new details about the president's personality, but she ultimately refused the request to return to the post of editor-in-chief of the magazine.
In 2013 Gessen leaves Russia again and moves to live in New York. He leads an active social life there - he publishes in The New Yorker magazine, later becomes its staff writer, while simultaneously teaching at the Department of Russian and East European Studies.
Maria Gessen has never hidden her homosexuality and has always openly defended the rights of sexual minorities. Maria has three children, one of whom is adopted. In 2004, Maria entered into her first marriage with Svetlana Generalova, a Russian citizen. The second time the official marriage was concluded with Daria Oreshkina.
Maria Gessen is the author of many books written in English. Here are just a few.
Perfect severity
The protagonist of the book Grigory Perelman is a Russian mathematician, a genius of his time. He was able to prove the Poincaré conjecture. At one time, the American Clay Institute offered an unprecedented reward for such proof - a million dollars. However, Perelman refused the reward and completely isolated himself from communication with the outside world. Masha Gessen, whose book is dedicated to the phenomenon of the Russian genius, is trying to study his personality. She presents to the reader a lot of interviews with his classmates, teachers, colleagues.
Words destroy the cement: The Passion of Pussy Rayo
A heroic story that resurrected the power of truth in a society built on lies. On February 21, 5 young women entered the Cathedral of Christ the Savior in Moscow. Wearing neon dresses and balaclavas, they performed a "punk prayer" asking God to "deliver them from Putin." Shortly after this action, they were arrested. However, the details of this incident hit the pages of newspapers. The world is talking about an act of political confrontation and the infringement of human rights to freedom of speech.
Half of a Revolution: Russian Women's Contemporary Fiction
Russian women step into the male-dominated literary establishment and publish their own anthology, a courageous act that will turn them into heroes, if not great writers. Here are the stories collected and translated by freelance journalist Masha Gessen.
Propaganda of homosexuality in Russia
BThe book deals with the events that followed the passage of the law banning homosexual propaganda. In Russia, they began to openly put pressure on representatives of sexual minorities. The heroes of the book are living people who have lost the right to love. Each of them tells his story of persecution and oppression. On the pages of the book are candid interviews with gay couples, owners of gay clubs, many of whom were forced to leave the country due to constant attacks. Masha Gessen, being a lesbian, understands what she is writing about. She, like no one, close and understands the experiences of the characters in the book.
The future is history: how totalitarianism reconquered Russia
A book that won the National Book Award. On the pages of the book - the history of Russia. The way the author sees it. Masha Gessen shows us a whole gallery of heroes over the past four decades. Leads the reader to the idea that the Soviet Union "died", and the unique species "Homo sovieticus" lives to this day. Masha writes that there is practically no hope for the resurrection of Russia, for the formation of a normal civilized state.
