William Pokhlyobkin

William August Vasilyevich Pokhlyobkin^[a] (Russian: Ви́льям-Август Васи́льевич Похлёбкин, August 20, 1923 – c. March 31, 2000) was a Soviet and Russian historian specializing in Scandinavian studies, heraldry, and the diplomacy and international relations of Russia. He was also known as a geographer, journalist, and an expert on the history of Russian cuisine. As such, he authored numerous culinary books.^[1] His A History of Vodka has been translated into a number of languages, including English.

William Pokhlyobkin
Вильям Васильевич Похлёбкин
Born	(1923-08-20)August 20, 1923 Moscow, Soviet Union
Died	c. March 31, 2000(2000-03-31) (aged 76) Podolsk, Russia
Citizenship	Soviet Union (1923–1991) → Russia (1991–2000)
Alma mater	Moscow State Institute of International Relations
Known for	Culinary books books about history
Awards	Urho Kekkonen's Medal (1986) Langhe Ceretto Prize (1993) Hugo Grotius Prize (1999)
Scientific career
Fields	History Scandinavian studies heraldry international relations
Institutions	Institute of History at the Academy of Sciences of the Soviet Union

Biography

William Pokhlyobkin's father was Russian revolutionary Vasili Mikhailov (Михайлов Василий Михайлович). "Pokhlyobkin" was Mikhailov's underground nickname, derived from the word "Pokhlyobka [ru]" which is a type of vegetable soup. According to various sources, William was either named after William Shakespeare, or "Vil-August" (Вил-Август) after Vladimir Ilyich Lenin and August Bebel; however, he was referred to as simply "William" by his family.^[2]

He took part in the Soviet-Finnish War and German-Soviet War as a private.^[3] After his discharge from service, he studied at the Moscow State Institute of International Relations from 1945–1949, and later completed postgraduate courses at the Institute of History of the USSR Academy of Sciences. He became a Kandidat of Historical Sciences and a research member at the Institute of History in 1953. He founded the journal Skandinavskii sbornik ("Скандинавский сборник") and was its chief editor from 1955-1961. He was later a member of the editorial collegium of the journal Scandinavica.

In 1968, he was labeled a dissident because his book on tea was popular in dissident circles. He was barred from publication and thus was unable to finish his doctoral dissertation, so he concentrated on his culinary hobby.^[4]

He was the author of over 50 books and a large number of articles, but most of his works were only printed after the dissolution of the Soviet Union. Because so many of his works were printed for the first time simultaneously, some speculated that "Pokhlyobkin" was a pen name of a whole artel of writers.

In 1993, he was awarded the Langhe Ceretto Prize, an international award for outstanding culinary writing awarded by Ceretto Brothers winery, on the recommendation of an international committee.

Controversies

A History of Vodka has been criticized by Lev Usyskin for containing many errors,^[5] and in 2014, Professor Mark Schrad of Villanova University demonstrated that much of the history contained in the book was likely fabricated by Pokhlyobkin. Of particular note is a trademark dispute Pokhlyobkin claimed took place between the Soviet Union and Poland over exclusive usage of the word "vodka" that did not in fact occur. Additionally, Pokhlyobkin's sources for many of the details in A History of Vodka could not be verified, and Schrad believes that such sources likely never existed.^[6]

Death

Pokhlyobkin was murdered in his apartment in Podolsk between March 27 and 31, 2000 at the age of 76. He was stabbed eleven times with a screwdriver. Alcohol was found in his system despite the fact that he was a teetotaler.^[6] His body was discovered on April 13 by the chief editor of the Polyfakt publishing house, who was worried about the delay of the book Cuisine of the Century and had arrived from Moscow to Podolsk to meet with Pokhlyobkin. A large number of his books on Scandinavian topics remain unpublished. His murder remains unsolved.

See also

• List of unsolved murders

Bibliography

Culinary

• Tea: Types, Properties, and Use. Food Industry, Moscow, 1968.^[7]

• Everything about Spices. Food Industry, Moscow, 1973.^[8]

• The Ethnic Cuisines of our Peoples. Light and Food Industry, Moscow, 1978.^[9]

• Secrets of Good Cooking. Molodaya Gvardiya, Moscow, 1979.^[10]

• Cooking for Fun. Light and Food Industry, Moscow, 1983.^[11]

• On Culinary from A to Z. A Reference Book. Polymya, Minsk, 1988.^[12]

• A History of Vodka. Inter-Verso, Moscow, 1991.^[13]
  • A History of Vodka. (in English) Verso-Books, Moscow, 1992.^[14]

• The Dinner is Served! Repertoire of Food and Beverages in the Russian Classical Dramas from the End of the 18th Century to the Beginning of the 20th Century. Artist, Director and Theater, Moscow, 1993.^[15]

• Tea and Vodka in the History of Russia. Krasnoyarsk, 1995.^[16]

• Culinary Dictionary. Tsentrpoligraf, Moscow, 1996.^[17]

• From the History of Russian Culinary Culture. Tsentrpoligraf, Moscow, 1997.^[18]

• History of Essential Foodstuff. Tsentrpoligraf, Moscow, 1997.^[19]

• Culinary Arts and Cooking Accessories. Tsentrpoligraf, Moscow, 1999.^[20]

• My Cuisine and My Menu. Tsentrpoligraf, Moscow, 1999.^[21]

• Culinary arts. Tsentrpoligraf, Moscow, 1999.^[22]

• Cuisine of the Century. Polifakt, Moscow, 2000.^[23]

• Great Encyclopedia of Culinary Arts. Tsentrpoligraf, Moscow, 2003.^[24]

History and Politics

• Denmark. Geografgiz, Moscow, 1955.^[25]

• Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Iceland. Geografgiz, Moscow, 1956.^[26]

• Norway. Geografgiz, Moscow, 1957.^[27]

• Scandinavian Countries and USSR. Znaniye, Moscow, 1958.^[28]

• Finland and the Soviet Union. Znaniye, Moscow, 1961.^[29]

• The Baltic and the Fight for Peace. Znaniye, Moscow, 1966.^[30]

• State System of Iceland. Yuridicheskaya Literatura, Moscow, 1967.^[31]

• USSR - Finland. 260 Years of Relations (1713—1973). International Relations, Moscow, 1975.^[32]

• Urho Kaleva Kekkonen. Political Biography. International Relations, Moscow, 1985.^[33]
  • Urho Kaleva Kekkonen. (in Estonian) Eesti Raamat, Tallinn, 1988.^[34]

• Dictionary of International Symbols and Emblems. International Relations, Moscow, 1989.^[35]

• Tatars and Rus. 360 Years of Relations between Rus and Tatar States in 13-16 Centuries, 1238-1598 (from the Battle on the River Sit' to the Conquering of Siberia). International Relations, Moscow, 2000.^[36]

• Foreign Policy of Rus, Russia, USSR for 1000 Years, in Names, Dates and Facts. A Reference Book. International Relations, Moscow, 1992.^[37]

• The Great Pseudonym (about Joseph Stalin's name). Yudit, Moscow, 1996.^[38]

• The Great War and the Peace that Never Happened 1941 - 1945 - 1994. A Military and Foreign-Policy Reference Book on the History of the Great Patriotic War and its International Legal Aftereffects from June 22nd 1941 to August 31st 1994. Art-Business Center, Moscow, 1997.^[39]

Notes

1. In this name that follows East Slavic naming customs, the patronymic is Vasilyevich and the family name is Pokhlyobkin.