Aleksandr Tvardovsky

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Aleksandr Trifonovich Tvardovsky

Born June 21, 1910(1910-06-21)
Zagorye, Russia
Died December 18, 1971 (aged 62)
Moscow, Russia,
Occupation Poet, Editor,

Aleksandr Trifonovich Tvardovsky (Александр Трифонович Твардовский) (21 June[1] 1910—18 December 1971) was a Soviet poet, chief editor of Novy Mir literary magazine (1950-1954, 1958-1970).

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[edit] Biography

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.[2]

He received the Stalin Prize (USSR State Prize) (1941, 1946, 1947, 1971) and of Lenin Prize (1961, for the poem Expanse after Expanse (За далью - даль)).

Tvardovsky was born in Zagorye, Russia. He was born into a family of blacksmiths but 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 in 1940 and was a war correspondent during World War II. By 1970, more hardline officials forced his resignation 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.[2]

Tvardovsky's grave at the Novodevichy Convent in Moscow as it was in March 1973. The grave was near Khrushchev's but is impossible to find now because of the large size of Khrushchev's memorial
Tvardovsky's grave at the Novodevichy Convent in Moscow as it was in March 1973. The grave was near Khrushchev's but is impossible to find now because of the large size of Khrushchev's memorial

[edit] Vasili Tyorkin

His most popular poem was Vasili Tyorkin (Василий Тёркин, also known as A book about a Soldier, "Книга про бойца") (1941-1945) about an ordinary but not so ordinary soldier in the Great Patriotic 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.

[edit] Legacy

A minor planet 3261 Tvardovskij discovered by Soviet astronomer Nikolai Stepanovich Chernykh in 1979 is named after him. [3]

[edit] Alternate spelling

His name in English has also been rendered:

  • Aleksandr Trifonovich Tvardovski
  • Aleksandr Tvardovski
  • Alexander Tvardovsky

"Aleksandr Tvardovsky" is by far the most common spelling.

[edit] Notes

  1. ^ 8th of June "Old Style" (OS)
  2. ^ a b 1972 Britannica Book of the Year (covering events of 1971), "Obituaries 1971" article, page 532, "Tvardovski, Aleksandr Trifonovich" item
  3. ^ Dictionary of Minor Planet Names - p.271

[edit] External links

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