Vsevolod Ovchinnikov: Biography

Vsevolod Ovchinnikov, a senior citizen of the CIS, is not only familiar with the brilliant pleiad of international journalists leading one of the most beloved television programs of Soviet viewers - the International Panorama, but also as the author of the most popular book at the time, now the bestseller "The Sakura Branch" .

The whole country knew them

The most popular hosts were Farid Seifull-Mulyukov and Alexander Bovin, Valentin Zorin and Alexander Kaverznev, Henry Borovik and Vsevolod Ovchinnikov. And each of these talented people brought their note, their accent in the transmission, the slogan of which was the words: "The events of the week: chronicle, facts, comments!" Each of them had its own audience. Soft, intelligent smiling Vsevolod Ovchinnikov occupied his special niche. Orientalist by education, he wrote about Japan some cognitive and fascinating books. An interesting fact of the biography is the imposition of flowers on the grave of Richard Sorge - Vsevolod Vladimirovich, the first of the Soviet people had such an opportunity.

A little about him

VV Ovchinnikov was born in Leningrad in 1926, on November 17. My father was an architect (at one time he published poetry by Sasha Chernoy and Mayakovsky), and the family lived on Fontanka, where Vsevolod Ovchinnikov's childhood and youth passed. The war caught him a graduate of the 7th grade of incomplete secondary school No. 264. A whole year - from the autumn of 1941 to the fall of 1942 - the family spent in besieged Leningrad, where a mother with two children (Vsevolod and his younger brother) was evacuated to the Tyumen region, to the village of Pletnevo in the Jurgensky district. There the boy worked as a bookkeeper and graduated from absentia in 8-10 grades of high school. Examinations passed in the regional center - Ovchinnikov his fate resembled the story of the hero of the story of Rasputin's "Lessons of the French."

At the front

Vsevolod Vladimirovich took part in the Great Patriotic War - in 17 years he was called to the front. He was the commander of an artillery gun, a 45-mm anti-tank gun that supported the infantry. According to him, he had few chances to survive, but an order was issued to send all conscripts who had secondary education to higher military educational institutions. The young man himself wanted to become an engineer of the navy after the war, but it so happened that Vsevolod Ovchinnikov became a cadet of VIYAKA (Military Institute of Foreign Languages of the Red Army) in his native St. Petersburg. This period of life is beautifully described in the chapter "Midshipman on Nevsky" autobiographical book "Kaleidoscope of Life".

Main Parade

Even before the end of the war, cadet Ovchinnikov became a participant in the festive parade in Leningrad on the Palace Square on May 1, 1945. The Winter Palace has just been renovated by German prisoners. Vsevolod Ovchinnikov himself (his photo is in the review), by his own admission, considers this parade one of the most important in his life - of course, after the Victory Day parade on Red Square.

First foreign business trips

In 1951 Vsevolod Vladimirovich became a regular correspondent of the newspaper Pravda, to which he gave 40 years of life. He is accepted into the staff willingly, as he was a certified translator from Chinese and English. In 1953, Vsevolod Ovchinnikov was sent as a correspondent from the newspaper Pravda to China. The trip lasted seven years. And, according to Vsevolod Vladimirovich himself, China became his first love. All the years, especially after returning to his homeland, Vsevolod Vladimirovich is intensively studying the language of the Land of the Rising Sun. And in 1962 he, as a correspondent of the newspaper Pravda, was sent to Japan.

Scene Master

With this country, Ovchinnikov is associated six years of work, which resulted in regular reports on the pages of the newspaper that sent him there, and, most importantly, several books so beloved by Soviet readers. And why fell in love? Because they are written in a beautiful, accessible language, they presented interesting facts, and there was a great love of a person for the country, about which he wrote. "Sakura branch" is read in one breath - it captures, and this is the difference between Ovchinnikov's documentary books. So, "Hot Ashes" - a serious book about the arms race - is perceived as a detective story with a twisted intrigue.

Country of the Rising Sun

Vsevolod Ovchinnikov, whose biography is connected not only with the countries of the East, from 1974 to 1978 he was a correspondent of the newspaper Pravda in Great Britain. The result of his stay in Foggy Albion was the book "Roots of oak". And then there was the book "Sakura and Oak", containing comparative characteristics of the Japanese and the British. Having the opportunity to compare countries in which the publicist spent so many years, VV Ovchinnikov wrote "Plum Blossoms" - a work in which he draws parallels between the kitchens of China and Japan. In general, Vsevolod Vladimirovich has an interesting view of the surrounding reality. He belongs to a saying in which the Chinese are called the Germans of the East, and the Japanese are called the Russians of the East. And the most interesting is that his love for Japan does not irritate, although not everyone loves this country. But, reading the book of Vsevolod Ovchinnikov, you look at Japan with the eyes of the author. The Land of the Rising Sun is dedicated to the books "Shadows on the Bridge" (about the tragedy of Hiroshima and Nagasaki) and "Man and the Dragon".

Interesting autobiography

Journalist VV Ovchinnikov has been on less long-term business trips in other countries: Indonesia and India, the USA, Nicaragua and Mexico. Impressions of these trips are given in the book "Element of the race." OVchinnikov himself can best be told by his "Kaleidoscope of Life", which contains 80 of the most brilliant, dramatic and funny stories that have happened to the author during 50 years of his wanderings around the globe. Written in a wonderful, witty language, the book is extremely interesting.

A great publicist

Curious and an interview that the 100th anniversary of the newspaper "Pravda" gave her a former correspondent. Interestingly and says, and wrote Vsevolod Ovchinnikov. Reviews of his books from people who read them, only enthusiastic and grateful, because this talented publicist, an erudite person often presents and familiar facts in a rather unexpected foreshortening. Sometimes the reviews are as entertaining as, for example, the following phrase: "Read, appreciated, loved." Writer V. Ovchinnikov published 17 books. His work was evaluated: in 1986 Vsevolod Vladimirovich was awarded the State Prize of the USSR. By the way, he did not disown from any single line he wrote about the Soviet Union, and this too is worth a lot! You can add that the daughter and grandson of the journalist is also orientalists.