Alexandr Grin and family

Alexandr Grin and family

From left to right: me, my mother-in-law Prascovia Ghermanson, my wife Galina Grin, nee Ghermanson, my son Andrey's wife Olga Grin, holding my grandson Pyotr Grin. This photo was taken at our dacha near Moscow in 1988 by my son Andrey Grin.

My work experience in the Institute of Geography of the Academy of Sciences of the USSR, where I worked throughout my life, started in 1956 when my son Andrey was born. Galina went to work at the Institute of Water issues of the Academy of Sciences also in 1956. I worked at the Institute of Geography for 46 years. I defended my candidate and doctor's dissertation and received my scientific status of professor and became scientific deputy director. I have about 300 scientific works. I traveled all over the world.

Im 1973 my son entered the Geographical Faculty in French at the Moscow Pedagogical College. He had all excellent marks in all subjects, but mathematic where he received '4' or '3' marks out of 5.  In summer we lived at the dacha. Andrey studied well in college; his only mistake was that he got married. This was his first wife. He had four altogether. They were Russian wives. He divorced his first wife promptly. His son Pyotr, from his third wife Olia, was born in 1985. Pyotr is a student of the Faculty of Economics in Moscow State University now. Olga went to visit her friend in the USA during perestroika and stayed there. Later she married an American and they have two lovely daughters. She visited us here with her family and they stayed at the dacha. Pyotr has visited her in the USA several times, but he didn't dare to stay there. Olga lives near San Diego in California. Her surname is Beauty now, I think.

Pyotr lives with us. He is like our son. Galina and I don't think it's good though. A son must live with his father and mother rather than his grandparents. Andrey is married again. We get along well with his wife. Galina is her favorite mother-in-law. She has good relationships even with Andrey's ex-wives. I think his family life failed because he didn't find whom he needed. At first my son was a teacher at school and then he was promoted to deputy director. He was even about to become director of a school, but then he went to work at the Academic 'Systems Analysis Institute'. School teachers have low salaries and this was one of the reasons why he left. At the institute Andrey worked as an economist, studied in the post-graduate class and became a candidate of economic sciences. Some time later my son quit this job and went to work at the Moscow committee for architecture where he became deputy chief architect of Moscow for economics. He was responsible for all business related issues, developing estimated cost of building design and construction.

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