Portraits de Pechkoff by Francis Huré

In Portraits de Pechkoff, distinguished French diplomat Francis Huré sketches an intimate and enthralling series of portraits of his friend and mentor Zinovi Pechkoff. A remarkable man whose place in 20th-century history has, until now, gone largely unrecognized, Pechkoff kept many of the details of his background to himself. But Huré draws upon personal recollections and anecdotes related by contemporaries to give his readers fascinating insights into a life marked by tragedy, adventure, romance, and amazing success.

The story begins in Nizhni Novgorod, Russia, where a Jewish boy catches the eye of Aleksey Maksimovich Pechkoff, better known by his pen name, Maxim Gorky. The writer takes the youngster under his wing, eventually adopting him and baptizing him in the Russian Orthodox Church. Now known as Zinovi Pechkoff, the young man leaves Russia and makes his way to France, where he joins the French Foreign Legion. The loss of his right arm at the second battle of Artois in May 1915 gives him a cachet that, coupled with his natural charisma, sets his career on an unexpected trajectory. With virtually no education, no family connections, and an imperfect command of French, he nonetheless manages to rise to the top of France’s military and diplomatic ranks. Along the way, he crosses paths with some of the most influential figures of his day as he plays an unheralded role in both world wars—and in postwar Japan.

Francis Huré was born in Picardie in northern France. Educated at the lycée Louis le Grand and the École normale supérieure, he joined the French diplomatic corps as a young man and quickly rose through the ranks. He held posts in Cameroon, Moscow, and Japan before being named ambassador to Israel and Belgium. Since his retirement, he has served as deputy mayor of Grasse, a town in Provence known for its perfume industry. Huré is the author of several novels, including Le consulat du Pacifique (1974), winner of the Prix Cazes.