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Letter from Ilya Leikin



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  • Title Letter from Ilya Leikin 
    Date April 30, 1992 
    Locality Nanette Asimov’s records 
    Source Type Letter 
    Source ID S842 
    Text St. Petersburg, the 30.4.92

    Dear Stanley and family of Isaac Asimov,

    With deep regret I learned from the newspaper about the untimely death of our relative, the world-famous writer Isaa Asimov. This is a great loss not only to those who were close to him, but to all educated people interested in and connected with science, literature, and, on the whole, to all thinking people of which Isaac Asimov was an outstanding representative.

    My family and I mourn and grieve on account of this sad event.

    Now a few words about myself. My name is Ilya Leikin, I am 62 years old. I am an electronic engineer who worked in a scientific research laboratory for 33 years. Now I am in retirement.

    I have two children, a daugher, Irina Leikin, who is 33 years old, and a son, Oleg Leikin, who is 18 years old. My father, Isaac Leikin, who was born in 1903, perished in 1944, at the time of the war.

    My grandfather, Moshe Leikin, and your grandmother, Hanna, were brother and sister. Your father, Jude Asimov, and my father, Isaac, were cousins. It follows that I and the late I. Asimov (the same as with you, Stanley, who you were already born in the USA) are relatives in the third generation.

    I have lived in Russia all my live. Life was very interesting. Childhood, youth, maturity, love and marriage, children studies, professional activities, travel. On the whole, I have lived a full life. Naturally not without difficulties, however, ne of the pleasures of life is to be found in overcoming them.

    If you are interested in your father’s native land, it would be a pleasure for me to invite you on a visit. You could visit historical sites in St. Petersburg, palaces and museums, theaters, holiday resorts and so on. You would have the opportunity to meet interesting people.

    I am in the position to offer you a rent-free apartment with all mod-cons, and to be your guide.

    Yours sincerely,

    I. Leikin
    PS: I enclose a copy of a letter I received from I. Asimov in 1989.
    My duagher, Irina Leikin, has been in the USA already seven months. She has found it very interesting meeting real Americans and getting to know the American way of life. Should you be interested in getting in touch with her, I have below written out her address.
    Yours sincerely,
    I. Leikin 
    Linked to (1) LEIKIN, Hanna 


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