Savely Senderovich, professor of Russian literature and medieval studies emeritus in the College of Arts and Sciences (A&S), died on April 1 in Clarkstown, New York. He was 89.
A mainstay of the Department of Russian Literature from 1977 until his retirement after the department closed in 2010, Senderovich oversaw the establishment of a comprehensive graduate program in Russian literature, expanding Cornell’s graduate offerings in the field. He taught courses on topics such as the works of Alexander Pushkin and Anton Chekhov, Russian poetry and poetics, Old Russian literature, and the work of Vladimir Nabokov – an increasingly important focus of his later research.
“I knew Savely as a passionate scholar and thinker, learned in many fields and making connections between all of them,” said Nancy Pollak, associate professor of comparative literature (A&S). “He found particular delight in studying the works of Nabokov, who rewarded just that kind of connection-making and discovery.”
“Savely Senderovich was a comparatist of the kind one no longer meets today. The breadth of his knowledge and the subtlety of his literary analysis were nothing short of remarkable,” said Kora von Wittelsbach, senior lecturer in the Department of Romance Studies (A&S). “As a translator, I was particularly impressed by Professor Senderovich’s familiarity with the range and quality of translations of Russian literature into French, Italian and English and will always be grateful for his friendship and advice.”
Senderovich had a wide range of interests, said Wayles Browne, professor emeritus of linguistics(A&S). “He taught classical and modern Russian writings but also medieval literature and studied not only written poetry and prose but also folklore forms. He researched legends like St. George slaying the Dragon, and specialized in analyzing folk riddles, which led him to a memorable conclusion: You’re not meant to be able to solve riddles.”
Daina Taimina, a retired adjunct associate professor of mathematics (A&S) said Senderovich was a great storyteller with a witty sense of humor who demonstrated his amazing memory reciting poems and even childhood nursery rhymes on recent daily walks. “I will treasure those stories of his childhood poverty in Odessa, his great perseverance to overcome obstacles on his way to education,” she said.
Senderovich was born on Oct. 21, 1935, in Odessa, Ukraine, then part of the Soviet Union.
After receiving his bachelor of science (Automotive College, Soviet Union) in 1954, he studied Russian literature and linguistics at Odessa State University, studying in the evenings while working as a precision instrument technician at a factory during the day, graduating in 1958. From 1959 to ’63, he taught Latin and Ukrainian at a medical school in Ukraine; he had been denied other teaching positions because he was Jewish. From 1961 to ’64, he studied aesthetics and German classical philosophy at the doctoral level at St. Petersburg State University, passing all his exams but not defending his dissertation, another result of antisemitism.
Senderovich took an opportunity in 1972 to emigrate from the Soviet Union.
“As with many Jewish émigrés, the first stop was in Rome, Italy,” said Taimina. In Rome, he found work as a translator for the Russian program for Vatican Radio, later teaching Russian language and literature at a seminary in Vatican City.
Senderovich completed a Ph.D. in Russian literature at New York University from 1974 to ’77. During this time, he also worked as a visiting professor of Russian literature at the University of Virginia. He arrived in Ithaca on July 2, 1977 – the day Nabokov died, he often noted.
At Cornell, Senderovich taught more than 20 different undergraduate and graduate courses and advised graduate and honors students. He co-designed a comprehensive graduate program in Russian literature. He served as director of graduate studies in Russian literature for three years, as well as spending three years as chair of the department.
Senderovich was the author of more than 140 publications in four languages, including several books, writing and publishing up to the last year of his life. He made wide-ranging contributions to Russian literary scholarship, studying the period from the 11th century to the 20th century, as well as American literature, the history of German philosophy, Russian history and history of culture, folklore in various languages, literary theory, psychoanalysis and linguistics.
Senderovich was predeceased by his first wife, Marena Senderovich, and his second wife, Yelena Shvarts, both of whom were literary scholars. He is survived by his caretakers, Michael Partensky and Ludmilla Partensky, and by a large extended family.
Kate Blackwood is a writer for the College of Arts and Sciences.
