Residents of a small Russian town have appealed to Hollywood director Quentin Tarantino to help them save the house where renowned Russian writer Boris Pasternak once stayed. Located in the town of Kasimov southeast of Moscow, the “Pasternak House” belonged to Osip Kaufman, Pasternak’s uncle. Kaufman is believed to have inspired his most famous protagonist, Doctor Zhivago.
His long-abandoned home now stands in ruins after local authorities couldn’t afford to restore it following a 2017 fire.
“Dear Mr. Tarantino, we know that you love Russian literature and have a special spiritual connection with Boris Pasternak,” the Kasimov residents say in the video posted on Pasternak’s 132nd birthday. “Please help us save this house, which holds such a great historical importance to our town.”
The residents say they want to turn the home into a literary museum and preserve “that part of pre-revolutionary Russia that was dear to Boris Pasternak.”
“We are ashamed to seek help from you, an American director, but the local officials left us no choice.”
Tarantino is known for his love of Pasternak and visited the novelist’s grave in 2004. The Hollywood director said that he knows Pasternak’s poems by heart and that the writer has greatly influenced his work.
In their video, the Kasimov residents note that Tarantino appreciates Russian culture far more than an average Russian official.
In their video message to Tarantino, Kasimov residents also invite the director to visit their town.
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