Riftin, Boris Lvovich

Born in the family of an employee in 1932 in Leningrad. In 1955 he graduated from the Eastern Faculty of Leningrad State University . Since February 1956, he is a research fellow at the Institute of World Literature of the Russian Academy of Sciences. He improved his knowledge at Peking University (1965-1966).

Candidate of Philological Sciences (09.10.1961, according to the monograph "The Legend of the Great Wall and the Problem of the Genre in Chinese Folklore"). Doctor of Philology (06/12/1970, thesis "Historical Epic and Folklore Tradition in China: Oral and Book Versions of the Three Kingdoms"). Laureate of the USSR State Prize for work on the encyclopedia "Myths of the World" (1990).

B. L. Riftin is one of the largest literature experts in China , the countries of the Far East and Central Asia . He formulated the principles of a typology of medieval literature, proposed a new methodology for analyzing prose works, described the structure of Chinese tales for the first time, and developed fundamentally new techniques for comparing written and oral versions of medieval novels. Most of his works are devoted to topics not studied in Sinology. Based on his own notes, B. L. Riftin wrote in Chinese a fundamental monograph on the myths of the aboriginal people of Taiwan , which, like his other books, is used in Chinese universities as a textbook.

A series of original works by B. L. Riftin on Sino-Mongolian literary and folklore relations, also based on their own records, was published in Russia, Germany, and China. He examined the Chinese collections of libraries in 15 countries, discovered and published unknown novels, dramas of the 16th – 17th centuries, and folk books. His works have been published in a number of countries, positive feedback on his works has been published in China, Japan, South Korea, Vietnam, USA, Germany.

B. L. Riftin was awarded the prize of the Ministry of Education of Taiwan, he is one of six world synologists who has been awarded the gold medal of the Ministry of Education of the People's Republic of China for his studies, for his merits in studying Chinese literature - the award of the Writers' Union of China . Honorary professor of Liaocheng University and Xinjiang Normal University ( PRC ), professor of Nankai and Shandong Universities (PRC).

In 1992-1998 , he worked in Taiwan (studied Taiwanese Aboriginal folklore, taught), led the scientific program “Collecting and Comparative Study of Taiwanese Aboriginal Folklore”, gave presentations, lectures and training courses in several other countries, many works were published in Chinese, Japanese , Korean, English and German.

Since 2006, Head of the Department of Literature in Asia and Africa, IMLI RAS. Member of the Academic Council of IMLI RAS, dissertation councils of the Institute of Oriental Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences and the Russian University for the Humanities.

Member of the editorial board of the journal Oriental Collection .

He was buried in Moscow at the Troekurovsky cemetery ^[1] .

1. "The Legend of the Great Wall and the problem of the genre in Chinese folklore", M., 1961.
2. “The historical epic and folk tradition in China. (Oral and book versions of the Three Kingdoms). ” (Series "Studies on folklore and mythology of the East"). M., 1970.
3. “From myth to novel. Character Evolution in Chinese Literature. ” (Series "Studies on folklore and mythology of the East"). M., 1979.
4. "Zhongguo Guanyan Wensue Yanju Tsai Sulian" (Study of Chinese Classical Literature in the USSR). Beijing, 1987, Taipei, 1991.
5. "Zhongguo Shenhua Gushi Lunji" (Collection of studies of myths and tales of China). Beijing, 1988, Taipei, 1991.
6. "Rare Chinese folk paintings from Soviet collections." Beijing, 1990 (together with Wang Shutsun and Liu Yushan).
7. "Hanwen Goodyan Xiaosho Lunheng" (Critical Judgments of Classical Prose in Chinese). Nanjing, 1992.
8. “Li Fuqing Lun Zhongguo Gujan Xiaosho” (Riftin of Chinese Classical Narrative Prose). Taipei, 1997.
9. “Guan-gun chuanshui yu“ Sango yanyi ”” (Traditions about Guan-gun and the novel “Three Kingdoms”). Taipei, 1997. Other ed. Taipei, 1999.
10. “Tsun Shenhua Tao Guihua: Taiwan Yuanzhumin Shenhua Gushi Bijiao Yanju” (From Myths to Tales of Evil Spirits: A Comparative Study of Taiwan Aboriginal Myths and Tales). Taichung, 1998. Revised ed. called "Shenhua Yu Guihua." Beijing, 2001.
11. Tales of China. SPb., 2007.

The list of the main scientific works of B. L. Riftin (1952-2009) is placed in the book. China and surroundings: mythology, folklore, literature. To the 75th anniversary of academician B. L. Riftin. M .: RGGU , 2010, p. 609-635.

• Myths and legends of Li Futsin: 75 years of academician B. L. Riftin // Archeology, Ethnography and Anthropology of Eurasia . 2009. No. 2. P. 153-157.
• China and surroundings: mythology, folklore, literature. To the 75th anniversary of academician B. L. Riftin. (Orientalia et Classica: Proceedings of the Institute of Oriental Cultures and Antiquities; issue 25.). M .: RGGU, 2010.
• Derevyanko A.P. , Larichev V.E. , Komissarov S.A., Azarenko Yu.A. Reality of myth: In memory of Academician B. L. Riftin // Bulletin of Novosibirsk State University. Ser. History, philology. 2012.Vol. 11. No. 10. P. 250—255.
• Neklyudov S. Yu. , Smirnov I. S. On the 80th anniversary of B. L. Riftin .
• Solovieva A.V. On the 80th anniversary of B.L. Riftin // Living Antiquity . 2012. No. 3. P. 60.
• Moscow encyclopedia . Volume 1: Faces of Moscow. Book 6: AZ. Additions. - M.: Moscow Textbooks OJSC, 2014.

• Riftin, Boris Lvovich // Brief Literary Encyclopedia / Ch. ed. A.A. Surkov . - M .: Soviet Encyclopedia , 1962-1978.
• Profile of Boris Lvovich Riftin on the official website of the RAS
• Article on the website of IMLI RAS
• Article on the website of the IOM RAS
• Article on the website of IVKA RSUH
• Article website of the Russian Association of University Korean Studies
• Historical background on the website of the Archive of the Russian Academy of Sciences
• Fragment of the interview