Biography of the Simans. Literary and historical notes of a young technician

Konstantin (Kirill) Mikhailovich Simonov - poet, prose writer, playwright, publicist - born November 15 (28), 1915 in Petrograd.

In his autobiography he recalls: “I lived in Ryazan and Saratov during my childhood and youth. My father (stepfather - Ed.) was a military man, and many of my memories of that time are connected with the life and everyday life of military camps and commander’s dormitories” (Three Notebooks. M., 1964. P. 584). A participant in the Japanese and First World Wars, his stepfather became a devoted father to the future poet; in the poem “Father,” Simonov addressed him with words of heartfelt gratitude. Mother loved poetry, knew the poems of Pushkin, Lermontov, Tyutchev by heart; passed on her love of literature to her son. In 1930 Simonov graduated from seven classes of a labor school, then studied at the FZU (factory school) for metalworkers and became a metal turner.

In 1931 the family moved to Moscow; Simonov graduated from the Federal School of Precision Mechanics and worked as a turner at an aircraft factory, then in the mechanical shop of the Mezhrabpomfilm film factory, and as a turner at the Mosfilm film studio. He combined work in production with studies at the Literary Institute. M. Gorky.

In 1938 published the poem “Pavel Cherny” and the collection of poems “Real People” as a separate book. The first works "Winner" ( 1937 ) - about N. Ostrovsky, “Battle on the Ice” ( 1938 ), "Suvorov" ( 1939 ) attract attention with their versatility, but in these poems the young author seemed to write about one thing - about courage, about human dignity, about readiness for heroism. The poem “Murmansk Diaries” is about this ( 1938 ), glorifying the “daring world of great desires and passions,” and poems about Amundsen, about the Spanish Republican. Simonov became the personification of young poetry of the pre-war years, earning recognition for his versatility, energy, perseverance, ability to work, and clarity of thought.

Poems late 1930s“Battle on the Ice”, “Winner”, “Suvorov” not only marked the arrival of a large-scale poet in literature, but also expressed the feeling of a military threat, the approach of war. Her breath is heard from the fronts of Spain fighting against fascism - and Simonov writes the poem “General” and other poems about Spain.

In 1938 Simonov graduated from the Literary Institute named after. M. Gorky.

In 1939 on orders from the Political Directorate of the Red Army, he went to Khalkhin Gol in connection with Japanese aggression in Mongolia as a war correspondent for the newspaper “Heroic Red Army”. He writes the poem “Letters Home”, the poem “Far in the East”, etc.

In 1940 wrote his first play, “The Story of a Love”, at the end of the same year it was staged on the stage of the Moscow Theater. Lenin Komsomol. His next play, “A Guy from Our Town,” staged in the same theater on the eve of the war, became widely popular. in March 1941. In the image of its hero Sergei Lukonin, the author embodied the honesty and courage of his generation, its selflessness and patriotism. Mid-June 1941 Simonov graduated from war correspondent courses at the Military-Political Academy.

June 24, 1941 Simonov went to work in the newspaper “Battle Banner” of the 3rd Army in the Grodno region. Then he was appointed to the editorial office of the Western Front newspaper Krasnoarmeyskaya Pravda, and at the same time sent military correspondence to Izvestia. At the end of July for the entire period of the war he became a war correspondent for the Krasnaya Zvezda newspaper, where he sent poems, essays, and articles from Murmansk, Odessa, and the Don and Karelian fronts. He worked on the Western and Southern Fronts, in the Primorsky Army (Odessa), in the Special Crimean Army, in the Black Sea Fleet, in the Murmansk direction of the Karelian Front, in the Northern Fleet, then again on the Western Front. Simonov wrote the essay “Off the Coast of Romania” after a trip from besieged Odessa on a submarine, where he spent 10 days among people who had to “either survive together or die together.” Then Simonov landed behind enemy lines beyond the Arctic Circle, came under bombing in Feodosia, which had been recaptured by sailors, and worked on the Transcaucasian, Bryansk, and Stalingrad fronts.

The poet’s fame already at the beginning of the war grew into people’s love for him; Simonov’s poems not only taught him how to fight, but also literally helped him live. Poem “Wait for me and I will return...” ( 1941 ) has been rewritten millions of times. The high emotional intensity of the verse expressed the pathos of the time; behind the poeticization of female fidelity, the idea of ​​fidelity to the homeland arose. “Wait for me...” has become an indispensable part of the country’s spiritual life. Many composers wrote music for it, among them A. Novikov, V. Solovyov-Sedoy, M. Blanter, M. Koval, V. Muradeli.

Simonov’s poems of the first war years “Do you remember, Alyosha, the roads of the Smolensk region ...”, “Motherland”, “The major brought the boy on a gun carriage ...”, “I don’t remember, a day or ten ...”, “Attack” and others continued the best traditions of Russian classical poetry. They were addressed not to an abstract generalized reader, but to the responsive heart of everyone. The most striking example is Simonov’s poem “Kill him!”, calling for resistance to the enemy. July 18, 1942 it appeared in the Krasnaya Zvezda newspaper, the next day in Komsomolskaya Pravda, July 20 in TASS Windows, it was broadcast on the radio, dropped from airplanes printed on leaflets. As S. Baruzdin recalls, everyone both at the front and in the rear was shocked by Simonov’s poem-ballad “The Artilleryman’s Son” ( 1941 ). The “Open Letter” caused a wide response from readers ( 1943 ) Simonova - a rebuke to the woman who betrayed the soldier on the day when he and his platoon stood to the death on the front line.

Simonov also addresses the events of the war in the play “Russian People” ( 1942 ), which was one of the most significant works of Soviet drama during the war. Pravda published the play “Russian People” during the dramatic retreat of our troops in the summer of 1942, along with the most important military materials. This play was published in besieged Leningrad. In the 1970s Under the name "Captain Safonov" it was staged in Vietnam.

Simonov acted as a kind of scout for new topics: he was the first to raise the topic “Russian People” in the theater, the first to write the story about the Battle of Stalingrad “Days and Nights” ( 1943-44 ). The story was created quickly, but with forced breaks and under special nervous tension - between four trips to the front. The author's intention was not to give a pathetic outcome of the Battle of Stalingrad, but a harsh picture of the battles of those days.

Victorious 1945 Simonov met soldiers of the 4th Ukrainian Front in the ranks, fought through Transcarpathian Ukraine, Southern Poland, Slovakia, and worked in parts of the Czechoslovak Corps. In the last days of the battle for Berlin, he was in parts of the 1st Ukrainian and 1st Belorussian Fronts. He was present at the signing of the Act of Unconditional Surrender of Germany on May 8, 1945 in Berlin (Karlshorst).

In 1944 Simonov visited Romania, Poland, Yugoslavia, Bulgaria, and Italy. After the war, he visited Japan, China, the USA and other countries. As a result of these trips, the plays “Under the Chestnut Trees of Prague” appeared ( 1945 ) and "Russian Question" ( 1946 ), book of poems "Friends and Enemies" ( 1946-49 ), book of essays “Fighting China”; in China, Simonov was a correspondent for Pravda under the 4th Field Chinese Army. Simonov's story "Smoke of the Fatherland" ( 1946-56 ), which caused controversy in criticism, and the lyrical story “The Case of Polynin” ( 1969 ) revealed new facets of Simonov’s mastery.

In 1950-53 Simonov was the editor-in-chief of Literaturnaya Gazeta, in 1946-50 and in 1954-58- Editor-in-Chief of the magazine “New World”.

From 1958 to 1960 lived in Tashkent, worked as a correspondent for Pravda in the republics of Central Asia, traveled to the Pamirs, Tien Shan, the Hungry Steppe, the Karakum Desert, along the routes of gas pipelines under construction.

In 1963-67 as a correspondent for Pravda, he visited Mongolia, Taimyr, Yakutia, Krasnoyarsk Territory, Irkutsk Region, the Kola Peninsula, etc.

In 1970 was in Vietnam, published the book “Vietnam, winter of the seventieth...” ( 1970-71 ). In the dramatic poems about the Vietnam War, “Bombing the Squares,” “Over Laos,” “Duty Room,” and others, comparisons arise with the Great Patriotic War.

In the 1950s-60s Simonov continues to work in prose on the theme of the Great Patriotic War. In 1959 The novel “The Living and the Dead” was published, followed by the novels “Soldiers Are Not Born” ( 1964 ) and "Last Summer" ( 1971 ). These works made up the trilogy “The Living and the Dead,” which is dedicated to three different stages of the Great Patriotic War: the first book - the first weeks of the war, the retreat, the second book - the decisive battle on the Volga, the third - 1944, the battles for the liberation of Belarus. Simonov's constant attention and passion for people are strong, wonderful in their courage and determination.

Depicting the decisive stages of the war, the battles of Moscow and Stalingrad, the author creates an artistic history of the entire war. The trilogy was well received by readers; Based on the novel “The Living and the Dead,” a 2-part film was made.

1970s were also fruitful. In addition to “The Last Summer,” readers and viewers received the stories “Twenty Days Without War” and “We Won’t See You,” the movie “Twenty Days Without War,” two volumes of diaries “Different Days of the War,” a book of speeches about literature “Today and Long Ago” "; to this we must add articles, essays, and television appearances. Simonov’s activity as a translator deserves special attention; his widest sphere of attention included M. Vagif, M. Vidadi, S. Vurgun, B. Shinkuba, G. Gulyam, H. Alimdzhan, A. Mukhtar, M. Karim, K. Kaladze, F. Khalvashi, R. Gamzatov, E. Mezhelaitis, V. Nezval, V. Tavlay, N. Hikmet, I. Taufer, D. Metodiev, Zulfiya, R. Kipling.

Soviet literature

Konstantin Mikhailovich Simonov

Biography

Russian writer, poet, playwright, screenwriter, journalist, public figure. Konstantin Simonov was born on November 28 (old style - November 15) 1915 in Petrograd. My childhood years were spent in Ryazan and Saratov. He was raised by his stepfather, a teacher at a military school. In 1930, after finishing a seven-year school in Saratov, he went to study to become a turner. In 1931, he moved to Moscow with his stepfather’s family. After graduating from the factory department of precision mechanics, Konstantin Simonov went to work at an aircraft plant, where he worked until 1935. For some time he worked as a technician at Mezhrabpomfilm. During these same years he began to write poetry. The first works appeared in print in 1934 (some sources indicate that the first poems of Konstantin Simonov were published in 1936 in the magazines “Young Guard” and “October”). Studied at the Moscow Institute of Philosophy, Literature and History. N. G. Chernyshevsky (MIFLI), then at the Literary Institute named after. M. Gorky, who graduated in 1938. In 1938 he was appointed editor of the Literary Newspaper. After graduating from the Literary Institute, he entered graduate school at the IFLI (Institute of History, Philosophy, Literature), but in 1939 Konstantin Simonov was sent as a war correspondent to Khalkin-Gol in Mongolia and never returned to the institute. In 1940, the first play was written (“The Story of a Love”), which premiered on the stage of the Theater. Lenin Komsomol. For a year, Konstantin Simonov studied at war correspondent courses at the Military-Political Academy, receiving the military rank of quartermaster of the second rank. Wife - actress Valentina Serova (maiden name - Polovikova; first husband - pilot, Hero of the Soviet Union Anatoly Serov)

From the first days of the Great Patriotic War, Konstantin Simonov was in the active army: he was his own correspondent for the newspapers “Red Star”, “Pravda”, “Komsomolskaya Pravda”, “Battle Banner”, etc. In 1942, Konstantin Simonov was awarded the rank of senior battalion commissar, in 1943 - rank of lieutenant colonel, and after the war - colonel. As a war correspondent, he visited all fronts, was in Romania, Bulgaria, Yugoslavia, Poland, Germany, and witnessed the last battles for Berlin. In 1942, the first film was shot based on the script by Konstantin Simonov (“The Guy from Our Town”). After the war, for three years he was on numerous foreign business trips to Japan (1945−1946), the USA, and China. In 1946-1950 - editor of the magazine "New World". In 1950-1954 he was again appointed editor of the Literary Newspaper. In 1954-1958 - Konstantin Simonov was again appointed editor of the New World magazine. In 1958-1960 he lived in Tashkent as a Pravda correspondent for the republics of Central Asia. In 1952, the first novel (“Comrades in Arms”) was written. Ten plays were written from 1940 to 1961. Konstantin Simonov died on August 28, 1979 in Moscow. Simonov’s ashes, at his request, were scattered over the sites of especially memorable battles during the Great Patriotic War.

Stages of promotion of Konstantin Simonov through the party and public ladder. Since 1942 - member of the CPSU. In 1952-1956 - candidate member of the CPSU Central Committee. In 1956-1961 and from 1976 - member of the Central Audit Commission of the CPSU. In 1946-1954 - deputy of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR of the 2nd and 3rd convocations. In 1946-1954 - Deputy General Secretary of the Board of the Union of Writers of the USSR. In 1954-1959 and in 1967-1979 - Secretary of the Board of the Union of Writers of the USSR. Since 1949 - member of the presidium of the Soviet Peace Committee. Konstantin Simonov was awarded orders and medals, including 3 Orders of Lenin. Hero of Socialist Labor (1974). Awarded the Lenin Prize (1974), the State (Stalin) Prize of the USSR (1942, 1943, 1946, 1947, 1949, 1950).

Among the works of Konstantin Simonov are novels, novellas, plays, short stories, scripts for feature and documentary films, poems, diaries, travel essays, articles on literary and social topics: “Winner” (1937; poem about Nikolai Ostrovsky), “Pavel Cherny "(1938; poem glorifying the builders of the White Sea-Baltic Canal), "Battle of the Ice" (1938; poem), "Suvorov" (1939; poem), "The Story of a Love" (1940; play; premiere - at the Theater. Lenin Komsomol), “A Guy from Our City” (1941; play; in 1942 - USSR State Prize; in 1942 - a film of the same name), “Russian People” (1942; play; was published in the newspaper “Pravda”; premiered at the end of 1942 The play was successfully performed in New York; in 1943 - the USSR State Prize; in 1943 - the film “In the Name of the Motherland”), “With You and Without You” (1942; collection of poems), “Wait for Me” (1943; film script ), “Days and Nights” (1943−1944; story; in 1946 - USSR State Prize; in 1945 - film of the same name), “So It Will Be” (play), “War” (1944; collection of poems), “Russian Question” (1946; play; in 1947 - USSR State Prize; in 1948 - film of the same name), “Smoke of the Fatherland” (1947; story), “Friends and Enemies” (1948; collection of poems; in 1949 - USSR State Prize), “Alien Shadow” (1949; play; in 1950 - USSR State Prize), “Comrades in Arms” (1952; novel; new edition - in 1971; novel), “The Living and the Dead” (1954− 1959; novel; 1 part of the trilogy “The Living and the Dead”; in 1964 - the film of the same name, awarded the State Prize of the RSFSR in 1966), “Southern Tales” (1956−1961), “Immortal Garrison” (1956; film script), “Normandy” - Neman" (1960; script for a Soviet-French film), "The Fourth" (1961; play; premiere - at the Sovremennik Theater), "Soldiers are not born" (1963−1964; novel; part 2 of the trilogy "The Living and the Dead" ; in 1969 - the film “Retribution”), “From Lopatin’s Notes” (1965; cycle of stories), “If your home is dear to you” (1967; script and text of the documentary), “Grenada, Grenada, my Grenada” (1968; documentary film, film poem; Prize of the All-Union Film Festival), “The Last Summer” (1970−1971; novel; 3rd part of the trilogy “The Living and the Dead”), “The Case of Polynin” (1971; film script), “Twenty Days Without War” (1972; story; in 1977 - film of the same name), “There is no such thing as someone else’s grief” (1973; film script), “A Soldier Walked” (1975; film script), “A Soldier’s Memoirs” (1976; TV film script), “Reflections on Stalin”, “Through the Eyes of a Man” of my generation" (memoir; an attempt to explain the author's active participation in the ideological life of the Soviet Union in 1940-1950; published in 1988), "Letters from Czechoslovakia" (collection of essays), "Slavic Friendship" (collection of essays), "Yugoslav Notebook" (collection of essays), “From the Black to the Barents Sea. Notes of a war correspondent" (collection of essays).

Konstantin Simonov first saw the light of day in Petrograd on November 28, 1915. He spent his childhood in Saratov and Ryazan. From 1930 he studied turning. Until 1935 he graduated from the factory teacher of precision mechanics and worked at an aircraft factory. While working at Mezhrabpomfilm, he began to write poetry, which was published for the first time from 1934 to 1936. in the magazines “Young Guard” and “October”. Konstantin studied a lot: Moscow Institute named after. N.G. Chernyshevsky, Literary Institute named after. M. Gorky, postgraduate study at the Institute of History, Philosophy, Literature, Courses for War Correspondents at the Military-Political Academy in Mongolia. His first play, “The Story of a Love,” was written in 1940. He is married to actress Valentina Serovo.

Konstantin Serov wrote a lot of works and literary works - poems, novels, scripts for feature and documentary films, stories, travel essays, articles on literary and social topics, stories, plays, diaries, poems. Here are examples of some of them: the poem “Winner”; film “In the Name of the Motherland”; collection of poems “With You and Without You”; play "Russian People"; novel "Comrades in Arms"; "Southern Tales"; memoirs “Reflections on Stalin”, “Through the Eyes of a Man of My Generation”; collections of essays “Letters from Czechoslovakia”, “Yugoslav Notebook” and many others.

During the Great Patriotic War, Konstantin was a correspondent for the newspapers “Pravda”, “Battle Banner”, “Red Star” and others. After the war he received the rank of colonel. In the post-war period, he traveled a lot on business trips - Japan, China, the USA. He was the editor of newspapers and magazines – “New World” 1946 – 1950. and 1954 – 1958, “Literary newspaper” 1950 – 1954. From 1958 to 1960 Simonov was appointed correspondent for Pravda.

The Russian playwright, writer, screenwriter, journalist left this world on August 28, 1979 in Moscow.

SIMONOV Konstantin (real name Kirill) Mikhailovich (1915 1979), poet, prose writer, playwright.

Born on November 15 (28 NS) in Petrograd, he was raised by his stepfather, a teacher at a military school. My childhood years were spent in Ryazan and Saratov.

After graduating from the seven-year school I in Saratov in 1930, he went to the factory department to study as a turner. In 1931, the family moved to Moscow, and Simonov, having graduated from the factory teacher of precision mechanics here, went to work at the plant. During these same years he began to write poetry. He worked at the plant until 1935.

In 1936, the first poems of K. Simonov were published in the magazines “Young Guard” and “October”. After graduating from the Literary Institute. M. Gorky in 1938, Simonov entered graduate school at the IFLI (Institute of History, Philosophy, Literature), but in 1939 he was sent as a war correspondent to Khalkin-Gol in Mongolia and never returned to the institute.

In 1940 he wrote his first play, “The Story of a Love,” staged on the stage of the Theater. Lenin Komsomol; in 1941 second “A guy from our city.”

For a year he studied at the war correspondents' course at the Military-Political Academy and received the military rank of quartermaster of the second rank.

At the beginning of the war he was drafted into the army and worked for the newspaper "Battle Banner". In 1942 he was awarded the rank of senior battalion commissar, in 1943 the rank of lieutenant colonel, and after the war, colonel. Most of his military correspondence was published in Red Star. During the war years, he also wrote the plays “Russian People”, “So It Will Be”, the story “Days and Nights”, two books of poems “With You and Without You” and “War”; His lyric poem “Wait for me...” became widely known.

As a war correspondent, he visited all fronts, walked through the lands of Romania, Bulgaria, Yugoslavia, Poland and Germany, and witnessed the last battles for Berlin. After the war, his collections of essays appeared: “Letters from Czechoslovakia”, “Slavic Friendship”, “Yugoslav Notebook”, “From the Black to the Barents Sea. Notes of a War Correspondent”.

After the war, Simonov spent three years on numerous foreign business trips (Japan, USA, China).

From 1958 to 1960 he lived in Tashkent as a Pravda correspondent for the republics of Central Asia.

The first novel, "Comrades in Arms," ​​was published in 1952, then the first book of the trilogy, "The Living and the Dead" "The Living and the Dead" (1959). In 1961, the Sovremennik Theater staged Simonov's play "The Fourth". In 1963-64, the second book of the trilogy appeared, the novel “Soldiers Are Not Born.” (Later 3rd book “The Last Summer”.)

Based on Simonov's scripts, the following films were produced: "A Guy from Our City" (1942), "Wait for Me" (1943), "Days and Nights" (1943-44), "Immortal Garrison" (1956), "Normandie-Niemen" ( 1960, together with Sh. Spaakomi, E. Triolet), “The Living and the Dead” (1964).

In the post-war years, Simonov's social activities developed as follows: from 1946 to 1950 and from 1954 to 1958 he was editor-in-chief of the magazine "New World"; from 1954 to 1958 he was editor-in-chief of the New World magazine; from 1950 to 1953 editor-in-chief of Literaturnaya Gazeta; from 1946 to 1959 and from 1967 to 1979 secretary of the USSR Writers' Union.

K. Simonov died in 1979 in Moscow.

The man who will be discussed further was an amazing, extraordinary playwright, prose writer, poet and writer of the Soviet era. His fate was very interesting. She presented him with many difficult trials, but he withstood them in a dignified manner and died a real fighter, having fulfilled his civic and military duty to the end. He left as a legacy to his descendants his memory of the war, expressed in numerous poems, essays, plays and novels. His name is Simonov Konstantin. The biography of this man truly deserves special attention. In the literary field he had no equal, because it is one thing to invent and fantasize, and quite another to see everything with your own eyes. But first things first.

Parents of Simonov Konstantin and a brief biography of the family

The Simonov family is of rare aristocratic blood. His father was the nobleman Mikhail Agafangelovich Simonov - major general, graduate of the Imperial Nicholas Academy, holder of the Order of Merit for the Fatherland. The latest data about him dates back to 1920-1922. They talk about his emigration to Poland.

On the maternal side, the writer's surname comes from Rurik. Simonov's mother's name was Alexandra Leonidovna Obolenskaya. She was a princess. The ancestor of this family was Prince Obolensky Ivan Mikhailovich. All the nobles who wore it were his descendants.

Konstantin Simonov: biography and creativity (briefly)

Simonov Kirill (this is his real name) was born in what was then Petrograd in 1915 on November 15 (28). He didn’t know his father at all, since he went to fight in the First World War and disappeared without a trace. Although later his relatives claimed that his father really emigrated to Poland and intended to take his wife and son, but, apparently, their interests did not converge.

When Simonov was four years old, he and his mother moved to live in Ryazan. And there Kirill had a stepfather - Ivanishev A.G. He was a former officer of the tsarist army, a colonel. After the revolution, he joined the Red Army and first taught tactics at a military school, but later became the commander of the Red Army. As in any military family, the life of Ivanishev, his wife and adopted son was spent constantly moving around garrisons and commander’s dorms. Simonov was afraid of his stepfather, since he was very strict, but at the same time he respected him very much, because it was he who gave him the hardening that would come in handy later. The poet will even dedicate his touching poem “Stepfather” to him in the future.

Study and the beginning of a creative path

The biography of the writer Konstantin Simonov indicates that he completed seven years of school in Saratov and, instead of the eighth grade, learned to become a turner and went to work. His salary, although small, was a good support for their meager family budget. Then the whole family moved to Moscow. This happened in 1931. For several years Simonov worked as a turner at an aircraft factory. During these years he began to compose his first poems. In 1934, the young man entered them. Gorky. In 1936, Konstantin Simonov first published his poems in the magazines “Young Guard” and “October”.

Work as a correspondent

In 1939, Simonov was sent as a war correspondent to Khalkin-Gol. He changed his real name, Kirill, to “Konstantin” due to the fact that he had trouble pronouncing the letter “r”. From that moment on he was Simonov Konstantin. His biography continued with significant but difficult events.

When the war with Germany began, he was 25 years old. On his first business trip, he, together with his comrades, took the main blow of the most powerful tank units of the German army.

Defense of Mogilev

In July 1941, Simonov arrived in a rifle regiment, which was located 6 km from Mogilev. The unit's task was to defend this city. The battle lasted 14 hours on Buinichesky Field. In this battle, the Germans suffered colossal losses of equipment - 39 tanks were simply burned.

Simonov's dead fellow soldiers remained in his memory forever and became examples of courage and true heroism. When he returned to Moscow from encirclement, the first thing he did was appear in the Izvestia newspaper on July 20, his first military report - the essay “Hot Day” and photographs of destroyed tanks.

At the end of the war, Simonov looked for his colleagues who took part in the battle on the Buynichesky Field, but neither his commander Kutepov, nor those who were with him in terrible moments remained alive. They fought to the end and laid down their lives on the altar of a common cause.

And the victory over the Germans was celebrated in Berlin by the correspondent of “Red Star” Simonov Konstantin. The biography of this man tells amazing facts from his difficult fate at the front. He had to visit besieged Odessa, he went into battle on a submarine, attacked with infantry, landed behind enemy lines with scouts, and was caught in a bombing in Feodosia.

Awards and literary works

The poet Konstantin Simonov, whose biography is expressed very briefly in this case, was awarded the Order of the Red Banner in 1942. In 1943, Simonov was awarded the rank of lieutenant colonel. Front-line soldiers who encountered him during the war noted that he was a very brave and reliable person. This is how he was raised by his stepfather, who, perhaps, was not as affectionate as the child wanted then, but he instilled in his stepson a sense of duty and honor of a real officer.

The writer himself admitted that all the material was provided to him by his work as a war correspondent. During the war, Konstantin Simonov (his biography confirms this) wrote three plays, two collections of poems, “War” and “With You and Without You,” and the story “Days and Nights.”

Personal life

First, his wife was Evgenia Laskina, a philologist by training. She was also in charge of one of the departments of the Moscow magazine. In 1939, the couple had a son, Alexei.

In 1940, Simonov began an affair with Valentina Serova. This happened shortly before the death of her husband, the hero of Spain Anatoly Serov. The whole country followed this novel. She is a beautiful and bright movie star, the standard of femininity itself, and he is a popular poet and writer who did not miss a single performance of hers and always sat in the front row with flowers. They have been married for 15 years.

The third wife of Konstantin Simonov was Larisa Zhadova, the daughter of Hero of the Soviet Union Alexei Zhadov and the widow of the poet Semyon Gudzenko, a friend of Simonov. He adopted her daughter, and then they had a child together. The girl was named Alexandra. The writer’s third wife also bequeathed her ashes to be scattered over Buinichesky Field, which happened a year and a half after her husband’s death.

Konstantin Simonov was a very sincere poet and writer. His full biography contains a lot of very interesting facts, which are still used by modern directors in their documentaries and feature films.

Once the writer was asked what was the most difficult thing during the war years. He answered: “Leaving people in the most critical situations for them.”

Simonov Konstantin (Kirill) Mikhailovich (1915 - 1979), poet, prose writer, playwright. Born on November 15 (28 NS) in Petrograd, he was raised by his stepfather, a teacher at a military school. My childhood years were spent in Ryazan and Saratov.
After graduating from a seven-year school in Saratov in 1930, he went to the factory department to study to become a turner. In 1931, the family moved to Moscow, and Simonov, having graduated from the factory teacher of precision mechanics here, went to work at the plant. During these same years he began to write poetry. Worked until 1935.
In 1936, the first poems of K. Simonov were published in the magazines “Young Guard” and “October”.
After graduating from the Literary Institute. M. Gorky in 1938, Simonov entered graduate school at the IFLI (Institute of History, Philosophy, Literature), but in 1939 he was sent as a war correspondent to Khalkin-Gol in Mongolia and never returned to the institute.
In 1940 he wrote his first play, “The Story of a Love,” staged on the stage of the Theater. Lenin Komsomol; in 1941 - the second - "A guy from our city."
During the year he studied at the military correspondent course at the Military-Political Academy and received the military rank of quartermaster of the second rank.
At the beginning of the war he was drafted into the army and worked for the newspaper "Battle Banner". In 1942 he was awarded the rank of senior battalion commissar, in 1943 - the rank of lieutenant colonel, and after the war - colonel. Most of his military correspondence was published in Red Star. During the war years, he also wrote the plays “Russian People”, “Wait for Me”, “So It Will Be”, the story “Days and Nights”, two books of poems “With You and Without You” and “War”.
As a war correspondent, he visited all fronts, walked through the lands of Romania, Bulgaria, Yugoslavia, Poland and Germany, and witnessed the last battles for Berlin. After the war, his collections of essays appeared: “Letters from Czechoslovakia”, “Slavic Friendship”, “Yugoslav Notebook”, “From the Black to the Barents Sea. Notes of a War Correspondent”.
After the war, he spent three years on numerous foreign business trips (Japan, USA, China).
From 1958 to 1960 he lived in Tashkent as a Pravda correspondent for the republics of Central Asia.
The first novel, Comrades in Arms, was published in 1952, followed by a larger book, The Living and the Dead (1959). In 1961, the Sovremennik Theater staged Simonov's play "The Fourth". In 1963 - 64 he wrote the novel “Soldiers Are Not Born.” (In 1970 - 71 a continuation will be written - “The Last Summer”.)
Based on Simonov's scripts, the following films were produced: "A Guy from Our City" (1942), "Wait for Me" (1943), "Days and Nights" (1943 - 44), "Immortal Garrison" (1956), "Normandie-Niemen" ( 1960, together with Sh. Spaakomi, E. Triolet), “The Living and the Dead” (1964).
In the post-war years, Simonov's social activities developed as follows: from 1946 to 1950 and from 1954 to 1958 he was editor-in-chief of the magazine "New World"; from 1950 to 1953 - editor-in-chief of the Literary Newspaper; from 1946 to 1959 and from 1967 to 1979 - secretary of the USSR Writers' Union.
In 1974 he was awarded the title of Hero of Socialist Labor. K. Simonov died in 1979 in Moscow.
Brief biography from the book: Russian writers and poets. Brief biographical dictionary. Moscow, 2000.