Aleksandr Tvardovsky
Encyclopedia
Aleksandr Trifonovich Tvardovsky (Алекса́ндр Три́фонович Твардо́вский) (–18 December 1971) was a Soviet
poet, chief editor of Novy Mir
literary magazine from 1950 to 1954 and 1958 to 1970. His name has also been rendered in English as Aleksandr Trifonovich Tvardovski, Aleksandr Tvardovski, and Alexander Tvardovsky (though "Aleksandr Tvardovsky" is by far the most common spelling).
. Although born into a family of blacksmiths, his parents were dispossessed and banished. Having attending only four classes, he left the rural school because of poverty and entirely devoted himself to literature. He joined the Communist Party of the Soviet Union
in 1940 and was a war correspondent during World War II
. During the post-war years he served as editor of Novy Mir
, an influential literary journal.
Tvardovsky fought hard to maintain the traditional independence Novy Mir had, even against official disapproval. During his editorship, the magazine published Ilya Ehrenburg's
Thaw in 1954, The Vologda Wedding by Aleksandr Yashin in 1962, and One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich
by Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn
in 1962. During those years, the journal Oktyabr'
, with the editor in chief Vsevolod Kochetov
, was the pro-Soviet, anti-Western and anti-liberal counterpart of Tvardovsky's Novy Mir.
In 1970, Tvardovsky resigned from Novy Mir, although he was awarded the Order of the Red Banner
"for services in the development of Soviet poetry" that same year and the State Prize for Literature in the year of his death, 1971, in Moscow.
Tvardovsky received the Stalin Prize (1941, 1946, 1947), the USSR State Prize
(1971), and the Lenin Prize
(1961) for the poem Expanse after Expanse (За далью - даль)).
Tvardovsky's most popular poem, Vasili Tyorkin (1941–1945), is about an ordinary soldier in the German-Soviet War. Filled with humor, the poem was a hymn of optimism and resourcefulness of the Russian soldier. It was surprisingly non-politicized, down-to-earth, and intentionally devoid of any picturesque heroism. It was printed chapter by chapter and immediately sent to the front in newspapers and magazines as well as read over the radio by Dmitry Orlov.
Tvardovsky's World War II-themed poem "A House on the Road" was the basis for Valery Gavrilin
's 1985 ballet of the same name.
A minor planet
3261 Tvardovskij
discovered by Soviet
astronomer Nikolai Stepanovich Chernykh
in 1979 is named after him.
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
poet, chief editor of Novy Mir
Novy Mir
Novy Mir is a Russian language literary magazine that has been published in Moscow since January 1925. It was supposed to be modelled on the popular pre-Soviet literary magazine Mir Bozhy , which was published from 1892 to 1906, and its follow-up, Sovremenny Mir , which was published 1906-1917...
literary magazine from 1950 to 1954 and 1958 to 1970. His name has also been rendered in English as Aleksandr Trifonovich Tvardovski, Aleksandr Tvardovski, and Alexander Tvardovsky (though "Aleksandr Tvardovsky" is by far the most common spelling).
Biography
Tvardovsky was born into a Russian family in Zagorye, Smolensk GovernorateSmolensk Governorate
Smolensk Governorate , or Government of Smolensk, was an administrative division of the Russian Empire, which existed, with interruptions, between 1708 and 1929....
. Although born into a family of blacksmiths, his parents were dispossessed and banished. Having attending only four classes, he left the rural school because of poverty and entirely devoted himself to literature. He joined the Communist Party of the Soviet Union
Communist Party of the Soviet Union
The Communist Party of the Soviet Union was the only legal, ruling political party in the Soviet Union and one of the largest communist organizations in the world...
in 1940 and was a war correspondent during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. During the post-war years he served as editor of Novy Mir
Novy Mir
Novy Mir is a Russian language literary magazine that has been published in Moscow since January 1925. It was supposed to be modelled on the popular pre-Soviet literary magazine Mir Bozhy , which was published from 1892 to 1906, and its follow-up, Sovremenny Mir , which was published 1906-1917...
, an influential literary journal.
Tvardovsky fought hard to maintain the traditional independence Novy Mir had, even against official disapproval. During his editorship, the magazine published Ilya Ehrenburg's
Ilya Ehrenburg
Ilya Grigoryevich Ehrenburg was a Soviet writer, journalist, translator, and cultural figure.Ehrenburg is among the most prolific and notable authors of the Soviet Union; he published around one hundred titles. He became known first and foremost as a novelist and a journalist - in particular, as a...
Thaw in 1954, The Vologda Wedding by Aleksandr Yashin in 1962, and One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich
One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich
One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich is a novel written by Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn, first published in November 1962 in the Soviet literary magazine Novy Mir . The story is set in a Soviet labor camp in the 1950s, and describes a single day of an ordinary prisoner, Ivan Denisovich Shukhov...
by Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn
Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn
Aleksandr Isayevich Solzhenitsyn was aRussian and Soviet novelist, dramatist, and historian. Through his often-suppressed writings, he helped to raise global awareness of the Gulag, the Soviet Union's forced labor camp system – particularly in The Gulag Archipelago and One Day in the Life of...
in 1962. During those years, the journal Oktyabr'
Oktyabr'
Oktyabr may refer to:*Oktyabr, Azerbaijan, a village in Azerbaijan*Oktyabr', Osh, a village in Kyrgyzstan*Oktyabr', Jalal-Abad, a village in Kyrgyzstan*Oktyabr, Russia, name of several rural localities in Russia...
, with the editor in chief Vsevolod Kochetov
Vsevolod Kochetov
Vsevolod Anissimovich Kochetov was a Soviet Russian writer and cultural functionary. He has been described as a party dogmatist and as a classic of socialist realism...
, was the pro-Soviet, anti-Western and anti-liberal counterpart of Tvardovsky's Novy Mir.
In 1970, Tvardovsky resigned from Novy Mir, although he was awarded the Order of the Red Banner
Order of the Red Banner
The Soviet government of Russia established the Order of the Red Banner , a military decoration, on September 16, 1918 during the Russian Civil War...
"for services in the development of Soviet poetry" that same year and the State Prize for Literature in the year of his death, 1971, in Moscow.
Tvardovsky received the Stalin Prize (1941, 1946, 1947), the USSR State Prize
USSR State Prize
The USSR State Prize was the Soviet Union's state honour. It was established on September 9, 1966. After the breakup of the Soviet Union, the prize was followed up by the State Prize of the Russian Federation....
(1971), and the Lenin Prize
Lenin Prize
The Lenin Prize was one of the most prestigious awards of the USSR, presented to individuals for accomplishments relating to science, literature, arts, architecture, and technology. It was created on June 23, 1925 and was awarded until 1934. During the period from 1935 to 1956, the Lenin Prize was...
(1961) for the poem Expanse after Expanse (За далью - даль)).
Legacy
Tvardovsky's World War II-themed poem "A House on the Road" was the basis for Valery Gavrilin
Valery Gavrilin
Valery Aleksandrovich Gavrilin was Russian composer, Honoured Artist of Russia, People's Artist of the USSR and a recipient of the USSR State Prize.-Biography:...
's 1985 ballet of the same name.
A minor planet
Minor planet
An asteroid group or minor-planet group is a population of minor planets that have a share broadly similar orbits. Members are generally unrelated to each other, unlike in an asteroid family, which often results from the break-up of a single asteroid...
3261 Tvardovskij
3261 Tvardovskij
3261 Tvardovskij is a main-belt asteroid discovered on September 22, 1979 by N. Chernykh at Nauchnyj.- External links :*...
discovered by Soviet
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
astronomer Nikolai Stepanovich Chernykh
Nikolai Stepanovich Chernykh
Nikolay Stepanovich Chernykh was a Soviet and Russian astronomer.Chernykh was born in the city of Usman' in Voronezh Oblast...
in 1979 is named after him.
Biography
- Aleksandr Tvardovsky. Autobiography
- http://www.sovlit.com/bios/tvardovsky.html Encyclopedia of Soviet Writers article on Tvardovsky
Other
- Stovemakers, (short story), from Such a Simple Thing and Other Stories, FLPH, Moscow, 1959.
- Aleksandr Tvardovsky. Poems
- http://www.sovlit.com/tvardovskyaxed/ Translation of the charges against Tvardovsky when he was removed from editorship of Novy Mir in the 1950s