The Russian Revolution forever changed the lives of many in Russia, not least those who had been in the service of the Imperial forces. This book traces the life of a young naval officer from his graduation in 1918 in St Petersburg through the ensuing Civil War, to Shanghai in the 1930's, Indonesia in the 1940's and 1950's and finally Australia. The fifty-year span of this odyssey takes place during some of the most momentous historical events of the 20th Century, such as the Russian Revolution, World War II and the subsequent painful decolonization of Asia. Igor Labzin has written this factual account as a tribute to the adaptability and inventiveness of his parents as well as to the many other Russian emigres from the Revolution that made a life for themselves in difficult and ever changing circumstances.
About the Author: Igor Labzin was born in Surabaya, Indonesia in 1947 to Russian parents Boris and Vera. Soon thereafter the family moved to Jakarta where they lived until immigrating to Australia in 1962. Igor completed his engineering degree at the University of Queensland in Brisbane and has worked as a structural engineer in London, Montreal, Canberra and Brisbane for the last forty-five years. Igor speaks a number of languages including Indonesian, French, Russian, Dutch as well as English. Years ago, his father recommended a book written by Igor's great grand uncle, Sergei Rudolfovich Mintslov, which described the Labzin family pre-Revolutionary lifestyle in Russia. The book "Faraway Days" was so fascinating that Igor translated it from Russian into English and published it under its original title. Inspired by the Labzin family stories, Igor then went on to write his father's story. The story spanned the fifty year time frame from the days before the Bolshevik Revolution and the ensuing Civil War, to his escape from Russia and creating a life with his new wife Vera, first in Shanghai, then in Indonesia during WWII and the subsequent Indonesian War of Independence, and then finally to restart once more in Australia. In researching the background to his parents' stories, Igor experienced at first hand the relevance of Boris' impeccable St. Petersburg credentials: of a noble family, graduate of the St. Petersburg Naval Academy, promoted to a White Officer in the White Army. Igor's knowledge of Russian enabled him to research his current book in St. Petersburg with the assistance of the Naval Archives and the St. Petersburg State History Museum and then in Moscow with the Dom Russkovo Zarubeshya. This book "Russia and Revolution: My Father, The Officer, The Man" has been a passion of Igor's for many years taking him and his family on journeys to Shanghai, St Petersburg and commemorative events in Moscow. Igor lives in Brisbane, Australia with his wife whilst their daughters live in Europe and the USA.