Maria Grinberg

Reading about the Soviet pianist Maria Grinberg.

Her sense of humor was legendary. Those who knew her recall a story. Her patronymic [the name of the father, customarily used in Russian names] was Israilyevna (that is, "daughter of Israel", the latter being the first name of her father). During the period of heightened hostilities between the Soviet Union and the State of Israel in 1967, which the Soviets always addressed as "Israeli aggressors," Maria Grinberg always introduced herself as "Maria Aggressorovna."