Dmitryeva Valentina Iovovna was a Russian/Soviet prose writer, publicist, memoirist, teacher, medical doctor and revolutionary.
Background
Dmitryeva Valentina Iovovna was born on April 28, 1859 in Voronino village, Balashov Uyezd, Saratov Governorate, Russian Empire (now Voronino village, Balashov, Saratov region, Russian Federation). She comes from the family of peasants. Her father was a serf. He had been sent to an agricultural school by his master and was subsequently made the overseer of his master's estate. Her mother Anna passed on her love of literature to Dmitryeva. After the Emancipation reform of 1861 the family was reduced to poverty and a transient existence.
Education
In 1877 Valentina ended Tambov Girl's Secondary School, in 1885 in Saint Petersburg she ended Women's Medical Courses.
Career
Valentina was fond of the populist ideas, she was under police supervision. In the autumn of 1887 she was arrested and deported to Tver. Since the end of 1891 Valentina lived in Voronezh. She worked as a zemsky epidemiologist in Nizhnedevitsk in 1892-1893, and in 1894 – in Zadonsk Uyezd. In Voronezh Valentina conducted an active cultural and educational work, mainly in the section of extracurricular education at the Societies of People's Universities, she was regularly published in the local press (magazine “Voronezh Word”, December 1905-June 1907, and others).
In the autumn of 1919 she left Voronezh with the White Army, lived in Sochi in her countryhouse and was on friendly terms with N.A. Ostrovsky. She was published since 1877. Valentina is the author of many stories, tales and novels, including "In Different Sides" (1883), "Volunteer" (1889), "Gomochka" (1894), "Teacher Mityukha" (1896), "Chervony Khutor" (1900), " Dimka "(1900). The story "The Baby and Zhuchka" (1896) was awarded the Frebelev Prize and withstood more than 20 editions. In 1930 Dmitrieva's memoirs "The Way it was. The Way of My Life" (Moscow, Leningrad) were published. Her selected works were included in the book "Tales. Stories" (Voronezh, 1983, the preface of O.G. Lasu).