Boris Pasternak was born in Moscow in 1890 and became a famous writer, poet and translator. However, his literary work, particularly the epic novel, “Dr. Zhivago”, earned him a reputation for being disloyal to the Soviet regime. His books were banned within the Soviet Union.

Nevertheless, Boris Pasternak received worldwide praise and recognition for his writing, and in 1958, he was awarded the Nobel Prize for “his important achievement both in contemporary lyrical poetry and in the field of the great Russian epic tradition.” Leaders of the Soviet regime forced Pasternak to refuse the Prize, and two years later, in 1960, he passed away.