Boris Bazhanov
1900–1982 (age 82)
Biography
Boris Bazhanov (1900–1982) stood at the center of early Soviet politics as Joseph Stalin's personal secretary before making the difficult decision to defect, later shaping his experiences into a lucid body of memoirs and analyses. His writings offered rare insider testimony about the machinery of power, melding journalistic skill with moral conviction.
In exile he remained committed to the pursuit of truth, sharing his story widely as a warning and as a tribute to those who suffered under tyranny, and he continued to engage with intellectual communities until his final years. At Père Lachaise he is remembered for both courage and the clarity he retained in telling history from the vantage point of conscience.