Donald Rayfield | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | 12 February 1942 |
| Occupations | Professor of Georgian and Russian languages, Translator |
| Known for | Stalin and His Hangmen |
| Notable work | Kvachi Kvachantiradze A Man Was Going Down the Road The Literature of Georgia: A History A Comprehensive Georgian-English Dictionary Edge of Empires: A History of Georgia |
Patrick Donald Rayfield OBE (born 12 February 1942) is an English academic and Emeritus Professor of Russian and Georgian at Queen Mary University of London. He is an author of books about Russian and Georgian literature, history of Georgia, and about Joseph Stalin and his secret police. He is also a series editor for books about Russian writers and intelligentsia. He has translated Georgian, Russian and Uzbek poets and prose writers.
In March 2025, Donald Rayfield declined an award from the Writers' House of Georgia. Speaking at an event in London, he stated that he could not accept any gift associated with the Georgian Dream party.
In 2026, he wrote the foreword to The Georgian Wolves: The History of the Petrovskyi Family, a book by the Ukrainian historian Oleksandr Muzychko. He also took part in the book's presentation in London on 18 April 2026, during which the establishment of the Ukrainian-British Academic Platform for Caucasus Studies was announced, with Rayfield taking part in its activities.
