Outstanding literary critic, linguist, teacher, culturologist and historian Boris Infantyev was born on September 14, 1921 in Rezekne. His ancestors were officers of the Russian Imperial Army.
Infantyev graduated with honors from the University of Latvia in 1946. Since 1955 he worked in the institutions of the Ministry of Education of the Latvian SSR, dealt with the methods of teaching the Russian language and literature in Latvian schools. At the same time Infantyev studied the history of Russian culture in the territory of Latvia from the 13th century to the present day. He was the author of many books, including on the history of Russian-Latvian literary relations.
Boris Infantyev became the first chairman of the SHSR in 1996.
Habilitated Doctor of Pedagogy, Candidate of Philological Sciences, Professor Boris Infantyev was a holder of the Pushkin Medal of the Academy of Russian Literature and the Latvian Order of Three Stars. He died in Riga on March 18, 2009.