BORIS MIHAJLOVIČ DE ZIRKOFF se je rodil 7. marca 1902 v Skt. Petersburgu, materi Lidiji Dimitrijevni von Hahn, nečakinji H. P. Blavatsky.

Kot občutljivega otroka so ga vzgajali na domu, kjer se je naučil več jezikov. O svoji veliki stari teti ni vedel kaj dosti vse dotlej, dokler se nista njegova mati in krušni oče leta 1917, ko sta pobegnila na Finsko pred rusko februarsko revolucijo, ustalila v Stockholmu. Tam je na domu ruskega konzula prvič videl izvod Tajnega Nauka. Njegov študij je postal nato njegov prvi korak v doživljenjski predanosti teozofiji.

Študiral je na različnih evropskih univerzah in se specializiral za jezike in klasiko. V Baden-Badnu v Nemčiji je srečal ameriškega Rusa, Nikolaja Romanova, ki mu je povedal za obstoj, v Point Lomi v bližini San Diega v Kaliforniji, organizacije, z imenom Univerzalno Bratstvo in Teozofsko Društvo. Napisal je pismo g. Katherini Tingley, tedanji voditeljici tega Društva, in se potem srečal z njo na Finskem, ko je slednja obiskala Evropo. G. Katherina Tingley, ki je zvedela za to, da je Boris de Zirkoff sorodnik Helene Petrovne Blavatsky, ga je povabila v glavni stan v Point Lomo in mu obljubila vso potrebno pomoč v zvezi z njegovim potovanjem v Ameriko.

To pot mu je uspelo opraviti proti koncu leta 1923. Ko je prišel v Kalifornijo, je začel s svojim osemnajstletnim delom kot učitelj, tajnik in pisatelj ter se leta 1925 odločil, da bo uredil vsa dela H. P. Blavatsky. Ta projekt je vodil do dopisovanja s sodelavci po celem svetu in do 50 let dolgega raziskovalnega dela. Z "Fraternization Movement", ki ga je leta 1930 sprožil g. Gottfried de Purucker je postala enotna izdaja besedil H. P. Blavatsky enoten projekt teozofskih organizacij. Prve štiri zvezke je med leti 1933 in 1936 natisnila založniška hiša Rider & Co. v Londonu kot The Complete Works of H. P. Blavatsky, vendar pa so bile tiskarske plošče med drugo svetovno vojno uničene med nemškim bombardiranjem Londona.

Leta 1942 se je Boris de Zirkoff preselil v Los Angeles in začel s svojim neodvisnim delom. S podporo g. Manly P. Halla, kot tudi fondacije HPB Writings Found, sta bila med leti 1950 in 1954 natisnjena 5 in 6 zvezek. Leta 1956 pa je postalo Teozofsko Društvo (Adyar) edini založnik in prodajalec Blavatsky Collected Writings.

S pomočjo majhne ekipe prostovoljcev je Boris de Zirkoff od leta 1944 do leta 1981 izdajal revijo Theosophia, predaval in pisal za številne teozofske časopise po svetu.

Leta 1981, v letu njegove smrti, mu je predsednica Teozofskega Društva, g. Radha Burnier, izročila, za njegov izjemen prispevek k teozofski literaturi nagrado: T. Subba Row Medal.

Boris de Zirkoff je umrl 4. marca 1981, potem ko je bil priča natisu prvih dvanajstih zvezkov del H. P. Blavatsky, kot tudi novih izdaj Odstrte Izide in Tajnega Nauka. Iz njegovih rokopisov sta bila nato v letih 1982 in 1985 natisnjena še XIII. in XIV. zvezek. Zbirni index v zvezku XV pa je bil nato objavljen leta 1991.

BORIS MIHAILOVICH DE ZIRKOFF was born on March 7, 1902, in St. Petersburg, to Lydia Dmitriyevna von Hahn, niece of H. P. Blavatsky.

As a delicate child he was educated at home and learned several languages. He didn’t know much about his great aunt until his mother and stepfather, in 1917, escaping through Finland because of Russian February Revolution, settled in Stockholm. There, at home of the Russian Consul, he saw for the first time a copy of The Secret Doctrine. Its study then became his first step in his lifetime dedication to Theosophy.

He studied in various European universities, where he specialized in languages and classics. At Baden-Baden in Germany, he met a Russian American, Nikolai Romanoff, and learned from him about the existence, at Point Loma, close San Diego in California, of the organization, named Universal Brotherhood and Theosophical Society. He wrote a letter to Mrs. Katherine Tingley, then head of the Society, and when she visited Europe, they met in Finland. Mrs. Tingley, who had learned that Boris was Blavatsky’s relative, invited him to come to the headquarters at Point Loma and promised him all the necessary help in regard to his travel to America.

He managed to realize this journey towards the end of 1923. Arriving in California he began to work for eighteen years as a teacher, secretary and writer and resolved, in 1925, to compile Blavatsky’s writings. This project led to a world-wide correspondence and over 50 years of research. Along with Mr. Gottfried de Purucker’s Fraternization Movement, in 1930, a uniform edition of Blavatsky’s writings became an inter-organizational venture. The first four volumes were published between 1933 and 1936 by Rider & Co. as The Complete Works of H. P. Blavatsky, however, the Rider edition plates were destroyed in the German bombing of London during World War II.

In 1942 Boris de Zirkoff moved to Los Angeles and began with his independent work. With the support of Mr. Manly P. Hall, as well as the HPB Writings Fund, volumes 5 and 6 were published in 1950 and 1954. In 1956 the Theosophical Society (Adyar) became the sole publisher and distributor of the Blavatsky Collected Writings.

With the help of a small volunteer staff, Boris de Zirkoff edited, from 1944 to 1981, the magazine Theosophia, lectured and contributed to various theosophical journals around the world.

In 1981, the year of his death, he was awarded the T. Subba Row Medal by Radha Burnier, President of the Theosophical Society, for his outstanding contributions to Theosophical literature.

Boris de Zirkoff died on March 4th, 1981, after seeing Blavatsky’s first 12 volumes as well as new editions of Isis Unveiled and The Secret Doctrine into print. From his manuscripts for Volumes XIII and XIV the remaining numbered series were completed in 1982 and 1985. And a Cumulative Index Volume XV was then published in 1991.

Njegova dela in internetni viri

His works and online resources

Zbrana dela H. P. Blavatsky
Theosophia
Audio predavanja
Zasebni tečaj

H. P. Blavatsky Collected Writings
Theosophia
Boris de Zirkoff's Audio Lectures
Boris de Zirkoff's Private Class

Pripravil: Anton Rozman