Lev Philippovitch Wolkenstein was a Russian jurist, lawyer and cadet.
Life
He was born as Isaak-Leib Fishelevich Wolkenstein at 1858 presumably in Taganrog. Lev Wolkenstein was brother of who also was a Russian lawyer. Lev Wolkenstein studied at Taganrog Classical Male Gymnasium at the same time as Anton Chekhov. When Chekhov was at seventh grade and Wolkenstein was at undergraduate eighth grade, all students at Wolkenstein's class except Wolkenstein rejected to write essay prescribed for them. This caused conflict between Wolkenstein and his classmates. One of them called Wolkenstein as "zhyd" and Wolkenstein slapped him in the face. For this assault and battery Wolkenstein had been expelled from gymnasium. After that Chekhov had induced classmates to write a collective statement that all of them will leave gymnasium if Wolkenstein will not be reinstated. That had effect and he was reinstated and then graduated from gymnasium. Then Wolkenstein studied at faculty of law of Saint Petersburg State University. In 1888 he was a lawyer assistant and took part in a trial on case of poisoning. Maximenko has been accused of poisoning her husband but she had been acquitted. A famous Russian lawyer and prison doctor Mark Krasso also took part in that trial. In the 1890s Wolkenstein became a lawyer of Novocherkassk court board and. In 1890 he bought a house in Rostov-on-Don at corner of Staro-pochtovaya street and Kazansky lane and made great repair of it. From the mid 1890s Wolkenstein lived in this house with his wife Sofia Efremovna Wolkenstein , his daughters and his young son Yuri/Georg Wolkenstein. Chekhov was coming to this Wolkenstein's house and discussing with Wolkenstein about staging of Chekhov's vaudevilles and plays in theatres of Rostov-on-Don. According to Chekhov, at 1896 Wolkenstein also had dacha in Kislovodsk. Some rooms in house in Rostov-on-Don Wolkenstein could lease so this house at Staro-pochtovaya stret/Kazansky lane became a revenue house. building still exist and now it is a regional architectural monument. Wolkenstein and Chekhov both liked performances. founded by was biggest and most famous theatre in Rostov-on-Don at that time. In 1910 Vladimir Asmolov has sold this theatre to Lev Wolkenstein and Iosif Moiseevich Fain. Wolkenstein had been writing scripts for several theatrical performances, for example, Hussars and Doves vaudeville. Also he was working as jurist for newspaper. Then Wolkenstein had emigrated from Russia. He spend last years of his life in Paris and wrote for Illustrated Russia magazine. In this magazine at 1934 he published his own memorials about Anton Chekhov. 20 May 1935 Lev Wolkenstein died in Paris. His widow Sofia Efremovna Wolkenstein lived several years more, then 4 January 1940 she died in Vulaines and had been buried at Nouveau Cimetiere de Neuilly. The son of Lev Wolkenstein, George Wolkenstein was the founder of the French branch of the family, Alexis Wolkenstein, his son, Pierre Wolkenstein and Marie-Sophie Wolkenstein, his grand children and Paul, Louis, Héloïse and Simon Wolkenstein, his great grand children living in Paris.
