What is Isaak Babel best known for?

Isaak Babel is best known for his short story collection *Red Cavalry*, which depicted the brutal realities of the Red Army during the Russian Civil War. His work provided a critical perspective on the Soviet Union's early years.

Where did Isaak Babel study?

Isaak Babel studied at the Kyiv Commercial Institute, now known as Kyiv National Economic University named after Vadym Hetman.

What pseudonyms did Isaak Babel use?

Isaak Babel often wrote under pseudonyms to avoid censorship during his journalism career.

What was the impact of *Red Cavalry*?

*Red Cavalry* was a landmark work that exposed the harsh conditions and disillusionment of the Red Army, influencing Soviet literature and providing a critical view of the early Soviet period.

Isaak Babel

Q: What was Isaak Babel's occupation?

Isaak Babel was a journalist, playwright, literary translator, and short story writer.

Russian language journalist, playwright, literary translator, and short story writer (1894–1940)

Person Human Q49080

Isaak Babel — anonimous · Public Domain · Wikimedia

Facts

30 properties

Instance of: human
Sex or gender: male^[30]
Date of birth: July 13, 1894, June 30, 1894, July 12, 1894, July 1, 1894^[10]^[11]^[12]
Date of death: January 27, 1940
Place of birth: Odesa
Place of death: Butyrka prison
Country of citizenship: Russian Empire, Soviet Union^[15]^[16]
Ethnic group: Ukrainian Jews^[17]
Occupation: translator, journalist, screenwriter, playwright, writer, prose writer, editing staff, war correspondent, military personnel, film director, short story writer^[18]^[19]^[20]^[21]^[22]^[23]
Field of work: creative and professional writing, journalism, film, translating activity^[24]^[25]^[26]^[27]
Educated at: Kyiv National Economic University named after Vadym Hetman^[28]
Notable work: Red Cavalry^[29]
Spouse: Antonina Pirožkova^[14]
Genre: prose, sketch story^[31]^[32]
Part of: list of authors banned during the Third Reich^[33]
Cause of death: gunshot wound^[35]
Languages spoken, written or signed: Russian, French, Yiddish, Hebrew, Ukrainian
Archives at: Hoover Institution Library and Archives^[34]
Described by source: Bio-bibliographic Dictionary of 20th-Century Russian Writers, Russian literature of the 20th century. Volume 1, 2005, Writers of St. Petersburg. XX century, Faces of Moscow^[40]^[41]^[42]^[43]
Documentation files at: SAPA Foundation, Swiss Archive of the Performing Arts
Family name: Babel^[36]
Given name: Isaak^[37]
Manner of death: capital punishment^[39]
Name in native language: Исаак Эммануилович Бабель

Show all 30 facts +6

On focus list of Wikimedia project: WikiProject Ukraine
Place of burial: New Donskoe cemetery^[13]
Place of detention: Lubyanka Building
Significant event: Nazi book burnings^[38]
Start of work period: 1921
Writing language: Russian

🏷️ Also known as

en Isaac Babel en Isaak Emmanuilovich Babel en Isaak Babel en Isaac Emmanuilovich Babel ar إسحاق بابل cs Isaak Immanuilovič Babel‘ cs Isaak Immanuilovič Babel' cs Isaac Babel cs Исаак Эммануилович Бабель de Isaak Babel de Isaak Emmanuilowitsch Babel el Ισαάκ Μπάμπελ en-gb Isaac Babel en-gb Isaac Emmanuilovich Babel es Isaak Babel es Isaak Bábel fa ایزاک بابل he איסאק באבל he איסאק בבל he איסק באבל

🔖 Identifiers · 161

ISNI: 0000000121200691
VIAF cluster ID: 9842443
Library of Congress Authorities ID: n50047804
GND ID: 118651390
AbART person ID: 18851
Academy of Athens authority ID: 165632
American Academy in Rome ID: 12459345
Article ID in the Lithuanian Universal Encyclopedia Online: isaak-babel
BAnQ authority ID: 0000353810
BD Gest' author ID: 49685
BHCL UUID: edc66860-6d6a-46eb-85a7-fac7c8891494
BIBSYS ID: 90093384

Show all 161 identifiers +149

Babelio author ID: 10236
Ben Yehuda author ID: 651
BiblioNet author ID: 35229
Biblioteca Franco Serantini ID: 25933
Bibliothèque nationale de France ID: 11889767q
BookBrainz author ID: b90cf147-6b73-468b-b587-e122ed589a29
British Museum person or institution ID: 200128
Brockhaus Enzyklopädie online ID: babel-isaak-emmanuilowitsch
CANTIC ID: 981058608846706706
CBDB.cz author ID: 1467
CCAB ID: 000195061
CONOR.BG ID: 19032933
CONOR.SI ID: 38809187
CONOR.SR ID: 821863
Canadiana Name Authority ID: ncf10792788
CiNii Research ID: 1140845216737551872
Cinémathèque québécoise person ID: 11062
CoBiS author ID: 95a5yja38danygu695b5yc1g68u30e8
Concise Literary Encyclopedia ID: 1-3873
Cultureel Woordenboek ID: literatuur-internationaal/isaak-babel
DBC author ID: 87097939428822
DDB person (GND) ID: 118651390
Dansk Forfatterleksikon ID: u12210
Deutsche Biographie (GND) ID: 118651390
Dialnet author ID: 1228578
Dimitri and Aliki Perrotis Central Library ID: 26451
ELNET ID: a11545616, a11191594
Encyclopaedia Beliana ID: babel-isaak
Encyclopedia of China (Third Edition) ID (2026): 2qDCZX
Encyclopedia of China (Third Edition) old ID (2021): 455873
Encyclopedia of Modern Ukraine ID: 38525
Encyclopædia Britannica Online ID: biography/Isaak-Emmanuilovich-Babel, biography/Isaac-Babel
Encyclopædia Universalis ID: isaac-babel
Evene ID: isaac-babel-17661
ExecutedToday ID: 2010/01/27/1940
FAST ID: 1734733
FES digital collections entity ID: 436629
FID performing arts ID: agent/gnd_118651390
Film.ru person ID: isaak-babel-0
Filmový přehled person or company ID: 129527
Filmportal ID: 5fdd46f39c8243b5bbb84ac670c7b193
Find a Grave memorial ID: 8962442
Freebase ID: /m/018gsl
GTAA ID: 77756
Goodreads author ID: 34055
Gran Enciclopèdia Catalana ID: isaak-emmanuilovic-babel
Gran Enciclopèdia Catalana ID (former scheme): 0006469
Great Norwegian Encyclopedia ID: Isaak_Babel
Great Russian Encyclopedia Online ID (2017): 1844394
Great Russian Encyclopedia portal ID: babel-isaak-emmanuilovich-a1b1ab
HAND ID: ABD1-847B-F714-491E-FBE6
HaBima Archive person ID: 2650
Harper's tag: i-isaak-babel
Hrvatska enciklopedija ID: 4990
IDU person ID: 10361
IMDb ID: nm0044871
ISFDB author ID: 20125
IdRef ID: 026699338
IxTheo authority ID: 079436943
J9U entity ID: 987007258051305171
Jewish Encyclopedia ID (Russian): 10369
Jewish Virtual Library ID: isaac-babel
JudaicaLink person (GND) ID: 118651390
KANTO ID: 000121428
KBR person ID: 14331069
Kalliope-Verbund (GND) ID: 118651390
Kallías ID: PE00066823
Kinobox person ID: 835315
Koha Kütüphane ID: 68532
Krugosvet article (archived): kultura_i_obrazovanie/literatura/BABEL_ISAAK_EMMANUILOVICH.html
LRB contributor ID: isaac-babel
LdiF person ID: 27115
Les Archives du spectacle person ID: 30420
Lex ID: Isaak_Babel
Libraries Australia ID: 35760221
LibraryThing author ID: babelisaac
Libris-URI: 0xbdd2jj0swx0kq
Literary Encyclopedia ID: 1-2911
Lur Encyclopedic Dictionary ID: 00695/eu_b_0039/b0039
MYmovies person ID: 111768
Marsilio Editori author ID: 774
Media Library for Dance and Theatre person ID: 2302
Munzinger person ID: 00000010200
NACSIS-CAT author ID: DA0221324X
NDL Authority ID: 00431994
NE.se ID: isaak-babel
NL CR AUT ID: jn20000700095
NLA Trove people ID: 1074942
NLAI ID: 191881
NLP ID: a0000001178137
NNDB people ID: 209/000179669
NSK (VIAF) ID: 000032916
NSK ID: 981005665986409366
NUKAT ID: n95000172
National Library of Brazil ID: 000605858
National Library of Chile ID: 000059938
National Library of Greece ID: 97963
National Library of Ireland ID: vtls000268225
National Library of Israel ID (old): 000013916
National Library of Korea ID: KAC199632708
National Library of Latvia ID: 000052157
National Library of Lithuania ID: LNB:V*141205;=1A
National Library of Poland MMS ID: 9810596477605606
National Library of Portugal ID: 5303
National Library of Russia ID: 7.7M (7.7M–7.8M, n=3)
National Library of Spain SpMaBN ID: XX930448
Nationale Thesaurus voor Auteursnamen ID: 069167125
Obálky knih ID: jn20000700095
Online PWN Encyclopedia ID: 3873006
Open Library ID: OL47639A
Oxford Reference overview ID: 20110803095438860
PM20 folder ID: pe/000822
PMB – Personen der Moderne Basis person ID: 13621
Parsifal cluster ID: 132521
Plex person key: 5d7770ea594b2b001e753dc1
Pontifical University of Salamanca ID: 1200011
Prabook ID: 736833
Proleksis enciklopedija ID: 10228
RERO ID (legacy): A000015041
RILM ID: 49446
RSL ID (person): 000007449
Radio France person ID: isaac-babel
Related category: Wikidata item, Wikidata item
Runeberg author ID: babelisa
SBN author ID: CFIV002409
SELIBR ID: 176416
SHARE Catalogue author ID: 387299
SNAC ARK ID: w6zk699d
SNK ID: 152940
SPAP ID: a/a45a9ae4-7509-4c3c-815e-be499f172046
SVKKL authority ID: p0021503-Babel-Isaak-emmanuilovic-18941940
Sancho el Sabio Foundation ID: 61642
Sceneweb artist ID: 40525
Sinemalar person ID: 160412
Slovak National Library (VIAF) ID: vtls002424243
TASS Encyclopedia person ID: babel-isaak-emmanuilovich
TMDB person ID: 1038604
Tabakalera ID: 106492
The Literary Encyclopedia person ID: 204
Topic's main category: Category:Isaac Babel
University of Barcelona authority ID: 981058608846706706
University of Barcelona authority ID (former scheme): a1004473
Vatican Library ID (former scheme): ADV12444878
Vatican Library VcBA ID: 495/330615
Wellcome Collection concept ID: r5fg6bfy
WorldCat Entities ID: E39PBJf8yDm7MQwmcbMYyyjDMP
YIVO Encyclopedia of Jews in Eastern Europe ID: Babel_Isaac
Yale LUX ID: person/b36f9049-2312-4866-902b-c2fd7e9506dd
ČSFD person ID: 296851

Report an error or request removal Lineage (PROV-JSON)

🔗 Connections

Occupation 11

writer, journalist, film director, playwright, screenwriter, translator, military personnel, war correspondent +3 more

Languages spoken, written or signed 5

French, Russian, Hebrew, Ukrainian, Yiddish

Country of citizenship 2

Soviet Union, Russian Empire

Described by source 2

Concise Literary Encyclopedia, Literary Encyclopedia 1929—1939

Field of work 2

film, journalism

Films written 2

Jewish Luck, Bennie the Howl

Genre 2

prose, sketch story

Works by author 2

Red Cavalry, The Odessa Tales

Belongs to 1

list of authors banned during the Third Reich

Cause of death 1

gunshot wound

Educated at 1

Kyiv National Economic University named after Vadym Hetman

Family name 1

Babel

Instance of 1

human

Manner of death 1

capital punishment

Named after 1

5808 Babelʹ

Notable work 1

Red Cavalry

On focus list of Wikimedia project 1

WikiProject Ukraine

Part of 1

list of authors banned during the Third Reich

Place of birth 1

Odesa

Place of burial 1

New Donskoe cemetery

Place of death 1

Butyrka prison

Place of detention 1

Lubyanka Building

Sex or gender 1

male

Significant event 1

Nazi book burnings

Spouse 1

Antonina Pirožkova

Spouses 1

Antonina Pirožkova

Topic's main category 1

Category:Isaac Babel

Writing language 1

Russian

← Category's main topic 1

Category:Isaac Babel

← Creator 1

Benya Krik

← SNARC ID 1

University of Cantabria

Press Enter · cited answer in seconds

Summary

Isaak Babel was born on July 13, 1894^[1], in Odesa^[2]. He died on January 27, 1940^[3], in Butyrka prison^[4]. He worked as a translator^[5], journalist^[6], screenwriter^[7], playwright^[8], and writer^[9].

Body

Works and Contributions

Things named for Isaak Babel include 5808 Babelʹ^[44], an asteroid^[45].

Why It Matters

Works attributed to him include Red Cavalry^[46], a literary work^[47], founded in 1922^[48] and The Odessa Tales^[49], a literary work^[50], founded in 1923^[51]. Entities named for him include 5808 Babelʹ^[44], an asteroid^[45].

FAQs

Where was Isaak Babel born?

Isaak Babel's place of birth was Odesa^[2].

Where did Isaak Babel die?

Isaak Babel passed away in Butyrka prison^[4].

Who was Isaak Babel married to?

Isaak Babel's spouses include Antonina Pirožkova^[14].

What did Isaak Babel do for work?

Isaak Babel worked as a translator^[5], journalist^[6], screenwriter^[7], playwright^[8], and writer^[9].

Where did Isaak Babel go to school?

Isaak Babel was educated at Kyiv National Economic University named after Vadym Hetman^[28].

References

Programmatic citations — every numbered marker resolves to a verifiable graph row below.

Direct Wikidata claims

[2] ↑ Isaak Babel — place of birth (P19): Odesa. Concise Literary Encyclopedia. wikidata.org.
[4] ↑ Isaak Babel — place of death (P20): Butyrka prison. wikidata.org.
[30] ↑ Isaak Babel — sex or gender (P21): male. BnF authorities. Retrieved 2015-10-10. wikidata.org.
[14] ↑ Isaak Babel — spouse (P26): Antonina Pirožkova. wikidata.org.
[15] ↑ Isaak Babel — country of citizenship (P27): Russian Empire. wikidata.org.
[16] ↑ Isaak Babel — country of citizenship (P27): Soviet Union. wikidata.org.
[28] ↑ Isaak Babel — educated at (P69): Kyiv National Economic University named after Vadym Hetman. wikidata.org.
[24] ↑ Isaak Babel — field of work (P101): creative and professional writing. Czech National Authority Database. Retrieved 2023-04-25. wikidata.org.
[25] ↑ Isaak Babel — field of work (P101): journalism. Czech National Authority Database. Retrieved 2023-04-25. wikidata.org.
[26] ↑ Isaak Babel — field of work (P101): film. Czech National Authority Database. Retrieved 2023-04-25. wikidata.org.
[27] ↑ Isaak Babel — field of work (P101): translating activity. Czech National Authority Database. Retrieved 2023-04-25. wikidata.org.
[5] ↑ Isaak Babel — occupation (P106): translator. wikidata.org.
[6] ↑ Isaak Babel — occupation (P106): journalist. wikidata.org.
[7] ↑ Isaak Babel — occupation (P106): screenwriter. wikidata.org.
[8] ↑ Isaak Babel — occupation (P106): playwright. wikidata.org.
[9] ↑ Isaak Babel — occupation (P106): writer. The Fine Art Archive. Retrieved 2021-04-01. wikidata.org.
[18] ↑ Isaak Babel — occupation (P106): prose writer. wikidata.org.
[19] ↑ Isaak Babel — occupation (P106): editing staff. wikidata.org.
[20] ↑ Isaak Babel — occupation (P106): war correspondent. Integrated Authority File. Retrieved 2026-04-20. wikidata.org.
[21] ↑ Isaak Babel — occupation (P106): military personnel. Retrieved 2019-06-14. wikidata.org.
[22] ↑ Isaak Babel — occupation (P106): film director. Retrieved 2019-06-14. wikidata.org.
[23] ↑ Isaak Babel — occupation (P106): short story writer. wikidata.org.
[13] ↑ Isaak Babel — place of burial (P119): New Donskoe cemetery. wikidata.org.
[31] ↑ Isaak Babel — genre (P136): prose. wikidata.org.
[32] ↑ Isaak Babel — genre (P136): sketch story. wikidata.org.
[17] ↑ Isaak Babel — ethnic group (P172): Ukrainian Jews. wikidata.org.
[33] ↑ Isaak Babel — part of (P361): list of authors banned during the Third Reich. wikidata.org.
[34] ↑ Isaak Babel — archives at (P485): Hoover Institution Library and Archives. wikidata.org.
[35] ↑ Isaak Babel — cause of death (P509): gunshot wound. Writers of St. Petersburg. XX century. wikidata.org.
[1] ↑ Isaak Babel — date of birth (P569): July 13, 1894. Library of Congress Authorities. Retrieved 2019-08-23. wikidata.org.
[10] ↑ Isaak Babel — date of birth (P569): June 30, 1894. BnF authorities. Retrieved 2015-10-10. wikidata.org.
[11] ↑ Isaak Babel — date of birth (P569): July 12, 1894. The Fine Art Archive. Retrieved 2021-04-01. wikidata.org.
[12] ↑ Isaak Babel — date of birth (P569): July 1, 1894. Concise Literary Encyclopedia. wikidata.org.
[3] ↑ Isaak Babel — date of death (P570): January 27, 1940. BnF authorities. Retrieved 2015-10-10. wikidata.org.
[36] ↑ Isaak Babel — family name (P734): Babel. wikidata.org.
[37] ↑ Isaak Babel — given name (P735): Isaak. wikidata.org.
[38] ↑ Isaak Babel — significant event (P793): Nazi book burnings. wikidata.org.
[29] ↑ Isaak Babel — notable work (P800): Red Cavalry. wikidata.org.
[39] ↑ Isaak Babel — manner of death (P1196): capital punishment. Writers of St. Petersburg. XX century. wikidata.org.
[40] ↑ Isaak Babel — described by source (P1343): Bio-bibliographic Dictionary of 20th-Century Russian Writers. wikidata.org.
[41] ↑ Isaak Babel — described by source (P1343): Russian literature of the 20th century. Volume 1, 2005. wikidata.org.
[42] ↑ Isaak Babel — described by source (P1343): Writers of St. Petersburg. XX century. wikidata.org.
[43] ↑ Isaak Babel — described by source (P1343): Faces of Moscow. wikidata.org.

Inverse relationships (entities pointing at this one)

Inline context (facts about related entities)

[47] ↑ Red Cavalry — P31: literary work. Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
[48] ↑ Red Cavalry — P571: 1922. Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
[50] ↑ The Odessa Tales — P31: literary work. Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
[51] ↑ The Odessa Tales — P571: 1923. Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
[45] ↑ 5808 Babelʹ — P31: asteroid. Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site

📑 Cite this page

Use these citations when quoting this entity in research, articles, AI prompts, or wherever provenance matters. We aggregate Wikidata + Wikipedia + authoritative open-data sources; the stitched, scored, cross-referenced view is what 4ort.xyz contributes.

APA 4ort.xyz Knowledge Graph. (2026). Isaak Babel. Retrieved November 12, 2026, from https://4ort.xyz/entity/isaak-babel

MLA “Isaak Babel.” 4ort.xyz Knowledge Graph, 4ort.xyz, 12 Nov. 2026, https://4ort.xyz/entity/isaak-babel.

BibTeX

@misc{4ortxyz_isaak-babel_2026, author = {{4ort.xyz Knowledge Graph}}, title = {{Isaak Babel}}, year = {2026}, url = {https://4ort.xyz/entity/isaak-babel}, note = {Accessed: 2026-11-12}}

LLM prompt

According to 4ort.xyz Knowledge Graph (aggregator of Wikidata, Wikipedia, and authoritative open-data sources): Isaak Babel — https://4ort.xyz/entity/isaak-babel (retrieved 2026-11-12)

Canonical URL: https://4ort.xyz/entity/isaak-babel · Last refreshed: November 12, 2026

Edit History

Rolling log of changes to this entity's Wikidata record. Values shown reflect the current state of each edited property — follow the history link to see the precise diff for any edit.

28d ago · Gerwoman · 2026-10-17 view diff on Wikidata ↗

Sancho el Sabio Foundation ID → 61642

"Created claim: Sancho el Sabio Foundation ID: 61642, Matched to Isaak Émmanuilovich Babel' (#285710244) in Sancho…"
4w ago · HedgeHog · 2026-10-10 view diff on Wikidata ↗

BookBrainz author ID → b90cf147-6b73-468b-b587-e122ed589a29

"Created claim: BookBrainz author ID: b90cf147-6b73-468b-b587-e122ed589a29, #quickstatements; #temporary_batch_1791629849434"
10w ago · MsMorale · 2026-09-01 view diff on Wikidata ↗

Sinemalar person ID → 160412

"Created claim: Sinemalar person ID: 160412, batch #270112"
13w ago · Yirba · 2026-08-08 view diff on Wikidata ↗

HAND ID → ABD1-847B-F714-491E-FBE6

"Changed the item: QuickStatements 3.0 batch #46230: HAND ID (0)"
18w ago · Nyuhn · 2026-07-10 view diff on Wikidata ↗

Encyclopedia of China (Third Edition) ID (2026) → 2qDCZX

"Changed the item: QuickStatements 3.0 batch #40849: ZGBK ID"
18w ago · Susmuffin · 2026-07-09 view diff on Wikidata ↗

Harper's tag → i-isaak-babel

"Created claim: Harper's tag: i-isaak-babel, Matched to i isaak babel (#289933738) in Harper's ta…"
20w ago · Printstream · 2026-06-26 view diff on Wikidata ↗

FES digital collections entity ID → 436629

"Created claim: FES digital collections entity ID: 436629, #quickstatements; #temporary_batch_1782462304762"
22w ago · Jindřich Rubeš · 2026-06-12 view diff on Wikidata ↗

SVKKL authority ID → p0021503-Babel-Isaak-emmanuilovic-18941940

"Created claim: SVKKL authority ID: p0021503-Babel-Isaak-emmanuilovic-18941940, batch #259496"
22w ago · Bargioni · 2026-06-06 view diff on Wikidata ↗

Described by source → Bio-bibliographic Dictionary of 20th-Century Russian Writers, Russian literature of the 20th century. Volume 1, 2005, Writers of St. Petersburg. XX century +1

"Changed the item: QuickStatements 3.0 batch #35377: add P1810 to P8034"
26w ago · Sj1mor · 2026-05-09 view diff on Wikidata ↗

Plaque image → Street Plaque for Isaak Babel - Odessa - Ukraine (2687080349, Одесса. Памятник Исааку Бабелю..JPG

"Created claim: Plaque image: Одесса. Памятник Исааку Бабелю..JPG"

Live feed via Wikidata EventStreams. New edits appear within minutes of being made on Wikidata.