Photo: File:Gessen, Masha.JPG: Rodrigo Fernandez derivative work: Innisfree987 / CC BY-SA 3.0 (source: Wikimedia Commons)
M. Gessen is a journalist, translator and political activist, born on January 13, 1967 in Moscow, Moscow Governorate, Duchy of Moscow. That puts M. Gessen at 59 years old in 2026. Recorded honors include Kurt Tucholsky Prize (2013), National Book Award for Nonfiction (2017), Leipzig Book Award for European Understanding (2019) and 5 more.
My Take
M. Gessen is among the writers who unsettle me most, in the best way. Moscow-born, moving between Russia and America, Gessen has confronted the lies of power with a fearless, precise pen and written extensively on LGBT rights. The roster of honors, the National Book Award and the Hannah Arendt Prize, reads like a measure of courage rather than mere acclaim. What I esteem is the refusal to retreat to safety; a journalist who is also an activist, willing to risk much to say what must be said. To me, that kind of intellect, resistant to authoritarianism, is precisely what our era demands.
1. Profile
- Name (English)
- M. Gessen
- Name (Japanese)
- マーシャ・ゲッセン
- Reading
- まーしゃ・げっせん
- Born
- January 13, 1967 (age 59)
- Zodiac / Chinese zodiac
- Capricorn / Goat
- Origin
- Moscow, Moscow Governorate, Duchy of Moscow
- Occupation
- journalist / translator / political activist / academic / writer
2. Background
Awards & achievements
- 2013 Kurt Tucholsky Prize
- 2017 National Book Award for Nonfiction
- 2019 Leipzig Book Award for European Understanding
- 2017 Guggenheim Fellowship
- 2023 Hannah Arendt Prize
- 2015 Wallenberg Medal
- 2015 Carnegie Fellow
- 2022 John Chancellor Award
3. Links
- Instagramhttps://www.instagram.com/mashagessen/
- Xhttps://x.com/mashagessen
- Wikipedia (English)https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/M.%20Gessen
- Wikidatahttps://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q441226
4. About this entry
Tags
- Last updated
- 2026-06-21
Facts are limited to publicly available information up to 2024; non-public or unconfirmed items are omitted. English text is machine-assisted (facts translated by Sonnet, "My Take" written by Opus 4.8). The Japanese page is the source of record.
Frequently asked questions
When was M. Gessen born?
Born January 13, 1967 (age 59).
Where is M. Gessen from?
M. Gessen is from Moscow, Moscow Governorate, Duchy of Moscow.
What does M. Gessen do?
M. Gessen works as journalist, translator, political activist, academic, writer.
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