Zhigulin Anatoly: Biography

Zhigulin Anatoly Vladimirovich is a Russian writer, novelist and poet, the author of the famous autobiographical work "Black Stones" and several collections of poetry. A man with a difficult fate, who, during the Stalin period, knew the horror of forced labor camps, which became the basis of his literary work in the future.

Zhigulin Anatoliy Vladimirovich: childhood

Anatoly was born in Voronezh on the first day of 1930. Father Vladimir Fedorovich - a native of a peasant family, worked as an employee at the post office. The long period was sick with tuberculosis (in a dangerous open form), so the education of Tolik and his younger brother and sister involved mother. Evgenia Mitrofanovna - an educated and poetry-loving woman, was a great-granddaughter of VF Rayevsky - a famous poet, a Decembrist who participated in the Patriotic War of 1812

Anatoly, who often heard poetry and songs from his mother, himself began to slowly engage in literary creation. First he rhymed the lines with the school essays, then the themes of his works changed radically and was devoted to the half-starved childhood, the destroyed home town and the raging war. The first publication of the poems of the talented author took place in the spring of 1949 in a local newspaper.

In the struggle to expose the regime

In 1947, Anatoly Zhigulin together with his classmates organized the Communist Party of Youth - an illegal organization that fought for the restoration of the state with Leninist principles and the exposure of the Stalin regime (exclusively by peaceful means). This paragraph on the dismissal of the country's leader and his entourage from the positions held was stipulated in the program of the youth organization classified as "Secret." Despite careful secrecy, in the fall of 1949 the conspiracy was uncovered, and the majority of its participants, who had by that time become students, were arrested and punished with different terms of imprisonment.

Years in camps

Zhigulin Anatoly Vladimirovich - at that time a first-year student of the Forestry Institute - he avoided the article of execution by some miracle. By a decision of the "Special Meeting", a 19-year-old boy was sentenced to 10 years in strict security camps. During the years of condemnation, the young man had to experience many things: he worked at the Kolyma uranium mines and timber fellings in Taishet (Irkutsk region), participated in the construction of the Taishet-Bratsk railroad.

The story of an underground organization that operated for less than a year, about the "guilt" of the young Tolik before the state, punished and the long way to finding the truth, was reflected in the famous autobiographical work "Black Stones", which was published in 1988. This work, written quietly-sincere, without a hysterical tear and sentimentality, caused a huge public response.

Anatoly Zhigulin, whose biography repeats the fate of many people of Stalin's regime, was amnestied in 1954, and 2 years later he was completely rehabilitated. In 1959 the first thin book of poems "The Lights of My City" was published.

Literary Activity

Upon his return to Voronezh, the writer received his higher education, graduating in 1960 from the Forestry Institute. Then I got a job in the Voronezh editorial office "Raising", which was later replaced by the Moscow "Friendship of Peoples" and "The Literary Gazette". In 1961, from the pen of the author came out a compilation "Fire-man", and in 1963 was marked by the publication of the first Moscow book of poems "Rails". In the same year, deciding to devote himself entirely to writing, Zhigulin became a student of the Higher Literary Courses in the capital.

In 1964, a 3 thousandth edition published a book of poems "Memory", enthusiastically received by the press. Then, with a difference in the year were published collections of "Selected Lyrics" and "Polar Flowers".

Zhigulin Anatoly Vladimirovich: poetry

In the late 60's about the Voronezh poet developed a stable concept as a major literary man who is able to clearly and accurately express difficult topics. Anatoly Zhigulin's name was mentioned alongside Bella Akhmadulina, Robert Rozhdestvensky, Andrei Voznesensky, Yevgeny Yevtushenko and other literary stars of the second half of the 20th century.

His creativity, which establishes faith in the ultimate triumph of true spiritual and moral values, has been in demand constantly, regardless of political fluctuations. Collections of works, written by Zhigulin Anatoly Vladimirovich, verses for children ("Foxkin", "Chipmunk" including) were printed regularly: "Life, Unexpected Joy", "Burnt Notebook", "Transparent Days", "Kalina Red - Viburnum Black "," In the hope of eternal "," Solovets Gull ".

In the early 1990's Anatoly Zhigulin created a cycle of 12 poems "The Alarming Time of Russia", through the rhymed lines of which he told about the "Kolyma convoy", conveyed the entire burden of responsibility for the integrity of the Fatherland to his great-grandfathers, and defended the historical truth.

Characteristics of creativity

The lyrics of Anatoly Zhigulin - a man who passed through the horrors of camp life and managed to preserve kindness in his heart, was born from his personal spiritual and life experience. In the shrill lines on the years of imprisonment in the camp, as well as the majestic nature of Northeast Siberia and Central Russia, there is always a positive general attitude, a constant desire and ability to persistently overcome the trials that have fallen to the lot of people to which Anatoly Zhigulin was subjected.

Poems about the Motherland ("Oh, Motherland! In a dim spark", "I thought again about my Motherland"), like all the poetry of the Voronezh author, are characterized by simplicity and clarity of perception, draw closer to nature and convincingly convey the moral and humanistic attitude of a man who has survived a lot. Coming to freedom, Anatoly Zhigulin to some extent remained broken, more than once found himself in a psychiatric hospital, which was reflected in his sincere-hearted poetry. The poems of Anatoly Vladimirovich Zhigulin easily fall on music, that's why they became the basis of many works of professional composers.

The muse of his life

For nearly 40 years, Anatoly devoted poetry to the only woman in her life - Irina Zhigulina-Neustroeva. "Lost in the grass barrette ...", "Mistress", "Prodli, Almighty, the days of my Irina ...", "Love" entered the golden fund of lyric poetry, became an example of a quivering and noble attitude to a woman. Acquaintance with Irina, a young critic, a philologist by education, took place in 1961, and in 1963 the couple married. A year later the Zhigulins rejoiced at the appearance of the first-born Vladimir, named after his grandfather. It was a happy family, Irina completely subordinated herself to the interests of her husband, dissolved in it. Anatoly reciprocated, he lived only by her.

Heavy nineties, illnesses, depression, lack of money, complete indifference of higher ranks to the fate of the writer. The talented author did not become August 6, 2000. Anatoly died on the hands of Irina: the poet's heart, exhausted by adversity and disease, stopped. Irina survived her husband for 13 years, having hard transferred in 2009 another terrible loss - the death of her son. Zabolev pneumonia of the lungs, she could not resist the disease and left. She left to meet with those whom she sincerely valued, whom she loved more than life.

The memory of the Soviet poet Anatoly Zhigulin is still alive today. At the house where he lived before his departure to the capital (Studencheskaya Str. 32), in 2002 a memorial plaque was opened. Posthumously was published a book of prose and poetry "Far Bell", which included letters from readers and other materials.