Sophia Michelle Delanner

Sophia Michelle Delanner was born on January 23, 1955 in Gomel, Belarus (then the USSR). She spent her childhood in Gomel, before going to Moscow where she studied Mechanical Engineering at university. There she met and married Leonard Blavatnik. In 1978, they emigrated to the United States via Austria and Italy, with their newborn daughter, Inna. They lived in New York City before Sophia moved to Munich with her daughter in 1989. In 1998, Sophia and Inna moved to England for Inna to complete her university studies. In 2000, Sophia returned to New York City again. She moved to Tuxedo Park in 2019, where she passed on Feb. 22, 2025. She is survived by her daughter, Inna, her aunt Fayna Shapiro, her Siamese cat Mishka, and many friends.

Along the way, Sophia’s talents were applied to numerous professions. She worked as a mechanical engineer, graphic designer (studied at Parsons in NY), a translator, archivist, musical performer (song and guitar) and Pilates instructor. In 2015 she published her novel, “About Anna” which received 5 literary awards and many positive reviews.

Book Cover Intro

Born under a totalitarian regime in the Soviet Union to a dysfunctional family, Sophia Michelle Delanner was brought into the world with an intense lust for life and an incorrigible need to understand how the universe works. Although she currently lives in New York City, she has lived in England and Germany. These rich experiences have allowed her to observe people and their cultures as she searched for ever-elusive happiness. The result is her literary novel, "About Anna".