(1850-1916)
Russian dramatist, opera librettist and literary translator Modest Tchaikovsky was born in rural Russia as the younger brother of the composer Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky. Like his older brother, he qualified in law. However, he dedicated his life to literature and music, going on to write plays, translate Shakespeare's sonnets into Russian and create librettos for his brother's operas (The Queen of Spades and Iolanthe), while also collaborating with others, such as Sergei Rachmaninoff (on Francesca da Rimini).