The name of the first Russian Nobel laureate in literature, Ivan Alekseevich Bunin, is familiar to many, but not everyone knows about his older brother, Yuli Bunin, who played an important role in the formation of the great writer. Yuli Alekseevich was born in 1857 and was 13 years older than Ivan. In the difficult conditions of childhood, he became a second father to his younger brother. It was Yuli who took on the responsibility of raising Ivan when he dropped out of gymnasium. He provided him with a good education and helped him find his path in life.

Yuli Alekseevich's life was not easy. In his youth, he studied at the mathematics faculty and showed promise as a writer, but his fascination with revolutionary ideas led to his involvement in a secret student society and subsequent legal prosecution. Only thanks to the intercession of the creative elite did he avoid imprisonment, but he was exiled. During his exile, Yuli lived in the family estate of Ozerki, where he focused on Ivan's education. After his exile, he moved to Kharkov and then to Moscow, maintaining a warm relationship with his brother. Ivan often turned to Yuli for advice even after starting his own writing career.

In the early 20th century, Ivan Bunin moved to Moscow and frequently met with Yuli; their relationship was closer than with other relatives. However, in the summer of 1918, their communication was interrupted when Ivan left Bolshevik Moscow and joined General Denikin's army. Yuli saw his brother off at Savelovsky Station, and that was their last meeting. Yuli Alekseevich Bunin died in July 1921, his health undermined by hunger and deprivation. He was buried at the new Don Cemetery opposite the grave of his aunt Vera Muromtseva-Bunina, Ivan's second wife. At the time of his death, he was 64 years old.