Zaitsev Alexander Iosifovich (1926–2000) – classical philologist, translator, historian of philosophy.
Was born in Leningrad. During the II World war he was evacuated to Ufa in the summer of 1942, where he graduated from high school. Studied at the Faculty of History of the Ufa Pedagogical Institute (1944-1945) and at the Faculty of Philology of Leningrad University (1945-1947).
In January 1947, he was arrested on charges of anti-Soviet agitation, was on compulsory treatment in a prison psychiatric hospital. In 1954 he was released. Rehabilitated in 1991.
Returning to the Department of Classical Philology of Leningrad State University as a student, he received a diploma in philology in 1956. Since 1959, he worked at the Department of Classical Philology at Leningrad State University / St. Petersburg State University. In 1969 he defended his thesis for the degree of candidate of philological sciences «Alkman’s “Hymn to hymn to the Dioscuri” and its epic sources». Since 1974 - Associate Professor. In 1987 he defended his doctoral dissertation for the degree of Doctor of Historical Sciences on the book “Cultural Revolution in Ancient Greece VII-V cent. CE”. Professor of the Department of Classical Philology, Leningrad State University since 1991.
A. I. Zaitsev is an author of a number of works on ancient mythology and religion, philosophy, history of the Ancient Greek language and Greek literature. Posthumously students of A.I. Zaitsev published his works related to the history of religion: “Greek Religion and Mythology” (2004), “Studies in Ancient Greek and Indo-European Poetry” (2006).