Denikina Marina Antonovna, whose biography is presented in the article, being a TV presenter and writer, met with Salvador Dali and Pablo Picasso, was friendly with Marc Chagall. But the main interest for the Russians is due to the huge rehabilitation activities named after his father - General Denikin, who led the White movement during the Civil War.
General's daughter
Anton Ivanovich Denikin was more of the flesh and blood of his people than those who considered him an enemy. His father, a native of serfs (Saratov province), devoted his life to the army. Anton Ivanovich, who proved himself heroically in the Russo-Japanese and World War I, also went along his path. Having reached the rank of general and covering his name with fame, he married late, supporting his seriously ill mother throughout his life. His chosen one was young Ksenia Vasilievna Chizh, who discerned in him a writing talent and a remarkable mind.
Denikina Marina Antonovna, whose photo is presented in the article, was born on 02/20/1919, when her father turned 46. Her birthplace was a military hospital in Yekaterinodar, where a year later her mother took her on a foreign ship to Constantinople. There was a Civil War, from the beginning of which Anton Ivanovich led the resistance movement to the Bolsheviks in southern Russia. The combat officer was never a politician, but the oath and his own understanding of military honor made him speak out against an illegitimate government that had come to power illegally. An adherent of the constitutional monarchy, he was left in the White movement, and in 1920, under the pressure of right-wing forces, he officially transferred command to Baron Wrangel.
"Golden emigration"
The family reunited in Constantinople, where, waiting for her husband, Ksenia Vasilievna lived with her young daughter in the embassy building. The difficult years began, full of wanderings and domestic disorder. Mass emigration during the Civil War went down in history under the name of “golden”, but this does not mean that the Russian elite once lived due to the support of European states. Anton Ivanovich, who has a talent in the field of literature, was previously published under the pseudonym Nochin, but now he was forced to support his wife and daughter at the expense of literary work. The family wandered around Europe (Great Britain, Austria, Belgium, Hungary) until in 1926 it settled in France. Denikina Marina Antonovna, whose life passed "overboard" her country, considers her to be her second homeland.
Father introduced his daughter to the Russian language and literature, teaching to read and write on the works of M. Yu. Lermontov. But she always reached out to French friends, not perceiving family talk about Russia and the war. Denikin was allocated a small pension from the money of the Russian government that had settled in the banks of France and England, which seriously helped the family out, especially during the war against fascism. But this was not enough for a comfortable life, so at 17, after graduating from college, the girl had to go to the UK, where for two years she taught the English family the Russian language. Returning to France, Marina Antonovna Denikina began working as a presenter on the radio, and then on television.
Personal life
The daughter of General Denikin was married three times, and all her husbands were French. After the death of her second husband, she raised a son named Michelle Bouday, not thinking about a new relationship. Working as a presenter on television, she met the historian Jean-Francois Chiapp, who had his own historical television programs. He had noble roots, being a real count. She was scared of the age difference, for she was 13 years older than the chosen one. The decisive role in accepting the proposal for marriage was played by the son, admired by the mind of the young scientist. For more than forty years, the couple lived in Versailles, an old mansion with a royal palace visible in its windows. Marina Antonovna Denikina was happy in her third marriage, having outlived her husband for several years.
The son lives near Paris, connecting his life with television. He followed in his footsteps and the eldest daughter, editing reports and documentaries. Outwardly looking like his grandfather, Michelle maintains contact with Russia, keeping family heirlooms and proud of his origin.
Literary work
The daughter of the general began to write under the pseudonym Marina Gray while she was working on television. Her father’s talent was fully transferred to her, because a small novel based on ten years of experience on the radio in the broadcast for women brought her some success. But the full literary activity of Denikina Marina Antonovna, whose books today are popular in France and in Russia, began to be engaged after leaving television. This happened after the victory in the election of Georges Pompidou in 1969, who did not forgive her for meeting her political opponent. Marina Gray wrote the first book “White Armies” to order and was so carried away by history that she was followed by “Ice Campaign” and several books about French history, since her husband was a professional in this field.
In total, she has written more than twenty works, including fiction. The most fascinating for Russians: “My father is General Denikin”, “Rasputin”, “Pavel I”, “The investigation into the murder of the Romanovs” and “The General dies at midnight”. The memory of his father, of greatest interest, was published in France as far back as 1985, but appeared in Russia only in the 2000s. They include articles and excerpts from the diaries of Anton Ivanovich himself, revealing his patriotism and the tragic fate of a person deprived of his beloved homeland.
In exile, he was not involved in political activities and was not a member of organizations dreaming of revenge. A supporter of the idea of a great and indivisible Russia, he did not come to terms with the ideology of Bolshevism, but unlike General Krasnov, he took an anti-fascist position with the outbreak of World War II. He spent it in the south of France, after which he emigrated with his wife to the United States. It is a known fact that the German officer, having the authority, offered him a move to Germany and a comfortable life, but Denikin did not consider this possible for himself.
Attitude to Russia
Marina Antonovna Denikina recalls that her father never learned French, remaining in his soul an absolutely Russian person. She herself was truly imbued with Russia after the death of Anton Ivanovich (1947) and work with its archives. Books on the history of the White movement so captivated her that after 40 years, she felt in herself the real Russian roots. Realizing that there could be no winners in the Civil War, she wanted to “return” her father to his historical Motherland. She said that on the eve of death from a heart attack, Denikin dreamed of saving Russia most of all and believed that he had left the main thing for his descendants - his perfect name.
Ksenia Vasilievna, who survived her husband for 26 years, devoted years to forming the archive of her husband, passing it to Columbia University. The daughter considered it necessary to hand over personally collected materials to Russia. She was lucky to meet Putin at the reception of the Russian ambassador in Paris, to whom she conveyed her father’s wish to see a great and indivisible Russia. And if the country no longer succeeds in becoming indivisible, then it is in the power of the president to make it great. In the 2000s, she took part in a campaign to return the ashes of the Denikins to their historic homeland.
The return of the remains
In the summer of 2005, Marina Antonovna Denikina became a citizen of Russia, and in the fall, along with her son and senior granddaughter, participated in the reburial of the ashes of her father on the territory of the Donskoy Monastery. He was transported from a Russian cemetery in New Jersey (USA). Nearby is the grave of Ksenia Vasilievna, who died in France, but years later reunited with her beloved spouse. At a meeting with the President of the Russian Federation, the daughter of a general handed him a battle piece received by his father in 1915. She considered that a valuable heirloom should belong to a country, the devotion of which Anton Ivanovich Denikin proved his whole life.
