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Walter Duranty

ウォルター・デュランティ

Worutā Deyuranti

Profile

Gender
Male
Born
1884-05-25 （Liverpool, England）
Died
1957-10-03 （Orlando, Florida, U.S.） age 73
Nationality
United Kingdom, United States
Languages
English
Residence History
Liverpool (birthplace) → Paris (residence) → Riga (worked as correspondent) → Moscow (resident and bureau chief) → United States (later life, Orlando)

Career

Occupations
Journalist, Author
Active Years
1906-1957
Influenced By
Aleister Crowley (associate/early influence)

Education

Emmanuel College, Cambridge
Degree: First-class degree
Period: 1903–1906
Year of Graduation: 1906
Country: United Kingdom
Entered on scholarship; graduated with a first-class degree

Awards

Pulitzer Prize (Correspondence)
1932
Work: Series of New York Times reports from Moscow (1931)
Category: Correspondence
Organization: Pulitzer Prize Board
Result: 受賞
O. Henry Award, First Prize
1928
Work: The Parrot
Organization: O. Henry Awards
Result: 受賞

Awards & Nominations

Works

Major Works

The Curious Lottery and Other Tales of Russian Justice

1929 Short stories / quasi-nonfiction

A collection of stories dealing with Russian society and justice, drawing on Duranty's reporting experiences.

Russian societyJusticeReporting

Red Economics

1932 Political/economic commentary

An explanation of Soviet economic policies and planned economy, based on Duranty's observations.

Planned economyFive-Year PlansStalinist regime

Duranty Reports Russia

1934 Reporting / reportage

A compilation of his reports as a Moscow correspondent. Describes the Soviet Union under Stalin, often in a sympathetic tone.

Stalin-eraPropaganda and reportingOn-the-ground observation

I Write As I Please

1935 Essays / memoir

A volume of essays and reminiscences detailing his reporting views and experiences.

JournalismReminiscenceSoviet observation

Bibliography

  • The Curious Lottery and Other Tales of Russian Justice (1929)
  • Red Economics (1932)
  • Duranty Reports Russia (1934)
  • I Write As I Please (1935)
  • The Kremlin and the People (1941)
  • USSR: The Story of Soviet Russia (1944)
  • Stalin & Co.: The Politburo, The Men Who Run Russia (1949)

Adaptations

  • Portrayed by Peter Sarsgaard in the film 'Mr. Jones' (2019)

Translations by Author

  • Translated 'The Story of the Lafayette Escadrille' by Captain Georges Thenault (1921)

Style & Themes

Literary Style
Reportage-style, descriptive journalismOn-the-ground observational proseSometimes pro-Soviet or apologetic tone
Recurring Motifs
Stalinist regimePlanned economy and Five-Year PlansModernization of the Soviet Union and its costs

Health

  • Gangrene leading to left leg amputation
    1924
    Following a train wreck in 1924, his left leg was amputated due to gangrene. Mobility was affected but he continued reporting.

Legacy

Duranty was a highly regarded Moscow correspondent who won a Pulitzer Prize, yet he has been strongly criticized for downplaying or denying the 1932–33 Soviet famines (Holodomor). Calls to rescind his Pulitzer persisted for decades though the board declined. His case remains a key example in discussions of journalistic ethics and reporting under authoritarian regimes.

Archives

  • The New York Times archives

In Popular Culture

  • Depicted in the film 'Mr. Jones' (2019)

Quotes

  • Russians Hungry, But Not Starving
    Source: The New York Times (headline/article) (1933)

Trivia

  • Associated with Aleister Crowley and mentioned in Crowley's writings.
  • Listed on George Orwell's list of writers considered unsuitable for certain government work.
  • His 1932 Pulitzer Prize has been the subject of long-running controversy.