Evg Yevtushenko biography. Evgeny Yevtushenko: biography, creativity and interesting facts from the life of the poet. Yevtushenko is the director and screenwriter of the military drama "Kindergarten" and the melodrama "Stalin's Funeral"

The legendary writer Yevgeny Yevtushenko was born in Siberia in 1932, and from his birth his whole life was associated with change. Evgeniy’s mother, Zinaida Ivanovna, changed her husband’s surname to her maiden name and registered her son as Yevtushenko. This is not surprising. The head of the family, Alexander Rudolfovich, was half German, half Baltic and bore the last name Gangnus. A little later, during the evacuation of the Great Patriotic War, in order to avoid problems with documents, the mother had to change the year in Evgeniy’s birth certificate to 1933.

Yevgeny Yevtushenko grew up in a creative family: his father was an amateur poet, and his mother was an actress, who later received the title of Honored Cultural Worker of the RSFSR. From an early age, his parents instilled in him a love of books: they read aloud, retold interesting facts from history, teaching the child to read. So, at the age of six, dad taught little Zhenya to read and write. For his development, little Yevtushenko chose not children's authors at all, reading the works of Cervantes and Flaubert.


In 1944, Evgeniy’s family moved to Moscow, and after a while his father left the family and went to another woman. At the same time, Alexander Rudolfovich continues to study literary development son. Evgeniy studied in the poetry studio of the House of Pioneers, attending poetry evenings at Moscow State University with his father. Yevtushenko attended creative evenings by Alexander Tvardovsky. And my mother, being a soloist of the theater named after. , often gathered artists and poets at home. Mikhail Roshchin, Evgeny Vinokurov, Vladimir Sokolov and others came to visit little Zhenya.

Poetry

In such a creative atmosphere, young Zhenya was precocious and tried to imitate adults, also writing poetry. In 1949, Yevtushenko’s poem was published for the first time in one of the issues of the newspaper “Soviet Sport”.

In 1951, Evgeniy entered the Gorky Literary Institute and was soon expelled for not attending lectures, but the real reason lay in public statements that were unacceptable for that time. By the way, Yevtushenko received a diploma of higher education only in 2001.


The lack of higher education did not prevent the young talent from achieving success in creativity. In 1952, the first collection “Scouts of the Future” was published, consisting of praising poems and pretentious slogans. And the poetry “Before the Meeting” and “Wagon” gave the start to the poet’s serious career. In the same year, Yevtushenko was accepted into the Union of Writers of the USSR, and the twenty-year-old boy became the youngest member of the organization.

The real fame of the young poet comes from such works as “The Third Snow”, “Poems of Different Years” and “Apple”. In just a few years, Yevgeny Yevtushenko achieves such recognition that he is called to speak at poetry evenings. The young poet read his poems along with such legends as Bella Akhmadulina.

In addition to poetry, prose that readers loved came from his pen. The first work, “The Fourth Meshchanskaya,” was published in 1959 in the magazine “Youth,” and later the second story, “The Chicken God,” was published. Yevtushenko published his first novel, “Berry Places,” in 1982, and the next, “Don’t Die Before You Die,” eleven years later.

In the early nineties, the writer moved to the United States, but did not stop his creative activity there either: he taught courses in Russian poetry at local universities and even published several works. Evgeny Yevtushenko still publishes his collections. So, in 2012, “Happiness and Reckoning” was released, and a year later - “I Can’t Say Goodbye.”

During his creative life More than one hundred and thirty books have been published, and his works are read in 70 languages ​​of the world.


Evgeniy Alexandrovich not only received recognition among readers, but also earned countless awards. Thus, Yevtushenko was a laureate of the Nobel Prize in Literature, the USSR State Prize and the Tefi Prize. The poet was awarded the “Badge of Honor” and the medal “For Services to the Fatherland” - and this is only a small part of the awards. A small planet is named after the writer solar system, which is called 4234 Evtushenko. Evgeniy Alexandrovich is also an honorary professor at King's College in Queens, the University of Santo Domingo, the University new school in New York "Nonoris Causa" and at the University of Pittsburgh.

Music

The poet's poems inspire many musicians to create songs and musical performances. For example, based on Yevtushenko’s poem “Babi Yar,” the composer created the famous thirteenth symphony. This work has won global recognition: “Babi Yar” is spoken in seventy-two languages ​​of the world. Evgeny began collaborating with composites back in the sixties, working with such celebrities as Evgeny Krylatsky, Eduard Kolmanovsky and.

Songs based on the poet's poems became real hits. There is probably not a person in the post-Soviet space who does not know the compositions “And It’s Snowing,” “When the Bells Ring” and “Motherland.” The poet also managed to work with musical groups: his poems formed the basis of the rock operas “The Execution of Stepan Razin” and “White Snow is Falling.” Last piece premiered at the Olimpiysky sports complex in Moscow in 2007.

Movies

Yevtushenko managed to prove himself in films. The script for the film “I Am Cuba,” which was released in 1964, was co-written by Yevgeny Yevtushenko and Enrique Pineda Barnet. In Savva Kulish's film "Takeoff" the poet performed main role.


The film was released in 1979. And in 1983, the writer tried himself as a screenwriter and directed the film " Kindergarten", where he played a small role. In 1990, he wrote the script and directed the film "Funeral".

Personal life

The poet and writer was married four times. Evgeniy first married in 1954 to a poetess. But the creative union did not last long, and in 1961 Yevtushenko led Galina Sokol-Lukonina down the aisle. In this marriage they had a son, Peter.


The writer’s third wife was his admirer from Ireland, Jen Butler, and although the foreigner gave birth to Yevtushenko’s two sons, Anton and Alexander, their marriage also fell apart.

The fourth chosen one was the doctor and philologist Maria Novikova. Yevtushenko has been married to her for 26 years, raising two sons - Dmitry and Evgeny.

Death

April 1, 2017 at the age of 85. The legendary poet died in a US clinic where he was. The writer’s wife, Maria Novikova, said that doctors gave Evgeniy Alexandrovich virtually no chance of recovery, but fought for his life until the last minutes.

Yevgeny Yevtushenko died in his sleep from cardiac arrest, surrounded by family and friends. He also managed to announce his last will- the poet’s dying wish was a request to bury him in the village of Peredelkino near Moscow.

Bibliography

  • Scouts of the future
  • Highway Enthusiasts
  • White snows are falling
  • I am Siberian breed
  • Compromise Kompromisovich
  • Almost at last
  • Darling, sleep
  • I will break through into the twenty-first century...
  • Happiness and retribution
  • I don't know how to say goodbye

Evgeniy Aleksandrovich Yevtushenko(surname at birth - Gangnus, July 18, 1932 [according to passport - 1933], Winter; according to other sources - Nizhneudinsk, Irkutsk region- April 1, 2017, Tulsa, Oklahoma, USA) - Soviet and Russian poet. He also gained fame as a prose writer, director, screenwriter, publicist, speaker and actor. Member of the USSR Writers' Union. Was nominated for Nobel Prize on literature.

Biography and essay on creativity

Born on July 18, 1932 in the family of amateur poet Alexander Rudolfovich Gangnus (Baltic German by origin; 1910-1976) and Zinaida Ermolaevna Yevtushenko (1910-2002), geologist, actress, Honored Cultural Worker of the RSFSR. Grandson of the teacher-mathematician Rudolf Gangnus and Ermolai Naumovich Yevtushenko (born 1883, the village of Khimichi, Azari Volost, Bobruisk district, Minsk province; Belarusian, member of the CPSU (b) since 1917, higher education, commanded artillery in the Volga and Moscow military districts, was Deputy Chief of Artillery of the Red Army, Inspector of the Artillery Directorate of the Red Army, Brigintendant, Arrested 02/17/1938. Sentenced by the USSR Air Force on 08/25/1938 for participation in a revolutionary terrorist organization. Shot 08/25/1938. Rehabilitated 03/23/1957).

In 1944, upon returning from evacuation from the Zima station to Moscow, the poet’s mother changed her son’s surname to her maiden name (about this in the poem “Mom and the Neutron Bomb”) - when preparing the documents for changing the surname, a mistake was deliberately made in the date of birth: They wrote down 1933 so as not to receive a pass, which they were required to have at the age of 12.

He studied at Moscow schools No. 254 and No. 607; at school he had bad grades. He studied at the poetry studio at the regional House of Pioneers in Moscow.

In 1948, he was unfairly suspected of arson at school No. 607 school magazines with marks, so at the age of 15 he was expelled from school. Since he was not accepted anywhere after that, his father sent him with a letter of recommendation to a geological exploration expedition to Kazakhstan, where he had 15 unconvoyed criminals under his command. Then he worked in Altai.

He began publishing in 1949, his first poem was published in the newspaper “Soviet Sport”.

From 1952 to 1957 he studied at the Literary Institute. A. M. Gorky. Expelled for “disciplinary sanctions”, as well as for supporting Vladimir Dudintsev’s novel “Not by Bread Alone.”

In 1952, the first book of poems, “Scouts of the Future,” was published; the author subsequently assessed it as youthful and immature.

In 1952, he became the youngest member of the Union of Writers of the USSR, bypassing the stage of candidate member of the joint venture.

“I was accepted into the Literary Institute without a matriculation certificate and almost simultaneously into the Writers' Union, in both cases considering my book to be sufficient grounds. But I knew her worth. And I wanted to write differently."

- Yevtushenko, "Premature Autobiography".

At the same time, he was appointed secretary of the Komsomol organization at the Writers' Union.

The period from 1950 to 1980 was a time of poetic boom, when B. Akhmadulina, A. Voznesensky, B. Okudzhava, R. Rozhdestvensky, E. Yevtushenko entered the arena of enormous popularity. They infected the whole country with enthusiasm, striking it with their freshness, independence, and informality of creativity. The performances of these authors attracted huge stadiums, and the poetry of the Thaw period soon began to be called pop poetry.

In subsequent years, Yevtushenko published several collections that gained great popularity (“The Third Snow” (1955), “Highway of Enthusiasts” (1956), “Promise” (1957), “Poems of Different Years” (1959), “Apple” (1960 ), “Tenderness” (1962), “Wave of the Hand” (1962)).

One of the symbols of the thaw were the evenings in the Great Auditorium of the Polytechnic Museum, in which Yevtushenko took part, together with Robert Rozhdestvensky, Bella Akhmadulina, Bulat Okudzhava and other poets of the wave of the 1960s.

His works are distinguished by a wide range of moods and genre diversity. The first lines from the pathetic introduction to the poem “Bratsk Hydroelectric Power Station” (1965): “A poet in Russia is more than a poet” - a manifesto of the creativity of Yevtushenko himself and catchphrase, which has steadily come into use. The poet is no stranger to subtle and intimate lyrics: the poem “A dog used to sleep at my feet” (1955). In the poem “Northern Surcharge” (1977) he composes a real ode to beer. Several poems and cycles of poems are devoted to foreign and anti-war themes: “Under the Skin of the Statue of Liberty”, “Bullfight”, “Italian Cycle”, “Dove in Santiago”, “Mom and the Neutron Bomb”.

Yevtushenko’s extreme success was facilitated by the simplicity and accessibility of his poems, as well as by the scandals that often arose from criticism around his name. Counting on the journalistic effect, Yevtushenko either chose topics of current party politics for his poems (for example, “Stalin’s Heirs” (Pravda, October 21, 1962) or “Bratsk Hydroelectric Power Station” (1965)), or addressed them to a critically minded public (for example. , “Babi Yar” (1961) or “The Ballad of Poaching” (1965)).<…>His poems for the most part narrative and rich in figurative details. Many are long-winded, declamatory and superficial. His poetic talent rarely manifests itself in deep and meaningful statements. He writes easily, loves the play of words and sounds, which often, however, reaches the point of pretentiousness. Yevtushenko’s ambitious desire to become, continuing the tradition of V. Mayakovsky, a tribune of the post-Stalin period led to the fact that his talent - as clearly manifested, for example, in the poem “For the Berries” - seemed to be weakening.

Wolfgang Kazak

Yevtushenko’s stage performances have become famous: he successfully reads his own works. He has released several discs and audiobooks in his own performance: “Berry Places”, “Dove in Santiago” and others.

From 1986 to 1991 he was Secretary of the Board of the Union of Writers of the USSR. Since December 1991 - Secretary of the Board of the Commonwealth of Writers' Unions. Since 1989 - co-chairman of the April writers' association. Since 1988 - member of the Memorial Society.

On May 14, 1989, with a huge margin, having received 19 times more votes than the nearest candidate, he was elected as a people's deputy of the USSR from the Dzerzhinsky territorial electoral district of the city of Kharkov and remained so until the end of the existence of the USSR.

In 1991, having signed a contract with an American university in Tulsa, Oklahoma, he left with his family to teach in the USA, where he lived permanently, sometimes coming to Russia.

In 2007, the Olimpiysky sports complex hosted the premiere of the rock opera “The White Snows Are Coming,” based on the poems of Yevgeny Yevtushenko by composer Gleb May.

Last years and death

On March 12, 2017, Yevtushenko was hospitalized in serious condition in the United States. He had cancer in the last fourth stage, which had returned after surgical removal of a kidney about six years ago. According to Mikhail Morgulis, Yevtushenko remained conscious until the very end. Yevgeny Yevtushenko died on April 1, 2017 in his sleep from cardiac arrest, surrounded by his family at Hillcrest Medical Center in Tulsa (Oklahoma, USA). Russian President Vladimir Putin and Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin expressed their condolences.

On April 10, the poet’s funeral service was held in the Church of the Holy Blessed Prince Igor of Chernigov in the village of Peredelkino; The funeral service was performed by Archpriest Vladimir Vigilyansky.

On April 11, a farewell ceremony for Yevtushenko took place at the Central House of Writers; later that day, in accordance with his last will, he was buried at the Peredelkinskoye cemetery next to Boris Pasternak.

Criticism

Yevtushenko's literary style and manner provided a wide field for criticism. He was often reproached for pretentious rhetoric and hidden self-praise. Thus, in an interview from 1972, published in October 2013, Nobel Prize laureate Joseph Brodsky spoke extremely negatively about Yevtushenko as a poet and person:

Yevtushenko? You know - it's not that simple. He is, of course, a very bad poet. And he is an even worse person. This is such a huge factory for reproducing itself. By self-reproduction. ... He has poems that, in general, you can even remember, love, you can like them. I just don’t like the general level of this whole thing.

civil position

Yevtushenko's first collection of poems included poems glorifying Stalin. One chapter of the poem “Kazan University” is dedicated to V.I. Lenin and was written just in time for Lenin’s 100th anniversary. According to the poet himself, all this (as well as his other sincere propaganda poems of the Soviet era: “Party Cards”, “Communards will not be slaves”, etc.) is a consequence of the influence of propaganda. Andrei Tarkovsky, having read “Kazan University” by Yevtushenko, wrote in his diaries: “I read it by accident... What mediocrity! Takes aback. Meshchansky Avangard<…>What a pathetic Zhenya. Yoke<…>In his apartment, all the walls are covered with bad paintings. Bourgeois. And he really wants to be loved. And Khrushchev, and Brezhnev, and the girls...” Yevtushenko’s early poems are characterized by optimism and faith in a bright communist future, characteristic of the generation of the “sixties”. So, in one of his works he wrote:

If we want to build communism,
No talkers are required in the stands.
Communism for me is the highest intimacy,
but they don’t talk about the most intimate things.

In 1962, the Pravda newspaper published the widely known poem “Stalin’s Heirs,” timed to coincide with the removal of Stalin’s body from the Mausoleum. His other works also caused great resonance: “Babi Yar” (1961), “Letter to Yesenin” (1965), “Tanks are moving through Prague” (1968). The last poem was written on August 23, 1968, two days after the entry of Warsaw Pact troops into Czechoslovakia. Despite such an open challenge to the then authorities, the poet continued to publish and travel throughout the country and abroad.

Impressed by the 1973 military coup in Chile and the death of President Salvador Allende, with whom he personally met, Yevtushenko wrote the poem “Dove in Santiago.” After the fall of Pinochet's dictatorship, in 2009, President Michelle Bachelet awarded Yevtushenko Chile's highest honor for foreigners, the Order of Bernardo O'Higgins, after which he read his poem to a crowd of thousands from the balcony. presidential palace La Moneda in Santiago.

Yevgeny Yevtushenko was published in what were considered oppositional Soviet time magazines “Youth” (also served on the editorial board of this magazine), “New World”, “Znamya”. His speeches in support of Soviet dissidents Brodsky, Solzhenitsyn, and Daniel became famous. Despite this, Joseph Brodsky did not like Yevtushenko (according to Sergei Dovlatov, his catchphrase is known “If Yevtushenko is against collective farms, then I am for it”) and sharply criticized Yevtushenko's election as an honorary member of the American Academy of Arts and Letters in 1987. However, according to the memoirs of M.I. Weller, this did not stop Brodsky from asking Yevtushenko for help in difficult life moments, and Yevtushenko never refused him.

In 1990, he became co-chairman of the All-Union Association of Writers in Support of Perestroika “April”.

After the reaction of some Russians to the terrorist attacks in London, expressed in schadenfreude, covered with some sympathy, in 2005 Yevtushenko wrote the poem “Serves them right!”, in which he noted that joy in other people’s misfortunes is a legacy of Stalin’s and Gulag’s radiation, but “the stations of London metro -/relatives of Beslan,” and since “Homelands may be different,/but during war and terror/can’t we be united/by a common homeland—woe?”

In February 2014, Yevtushenko addressed the people of Ukraine with words of support and the poem “State, be a man!”, written on the night of February 18-19, at the height of clashes between protesters and police during the Euromaidan. Noting that “invisible on the Maidan / together - Pushkin, Bryullov, we stand,” Yevtushenko spoke out against political hostility and in support of convergence, expressing the hope that “we will succeed in becoming all of Europe.”

Personal life

Yevgeny Yevtushenko was officially married four times. His wives:

  • Isabella (Bella) Akhatovna Akhmadulina, poetess (married since 1957);
  • Galina Semyonovna Sokol-Lukonina (married since 1961),
    • son Peter;
  • Jan Butler, Irish, his passionate fan (married since 1978),
    • sons:
  • Alexander,
  • Anton;
  • Maria Vladimirovna Novikova (born 1962), married since 1987,
    • sons:
  • Eugene,
  • Dmitriy.

Data

  • In 1963 he was nominated for the Nobel Prize in Literature.
  • American columnist Robert Shelton, in the October 28, 1963 issue of the New York Times, compares the young Bob Dylan with Yevtushenko: “...perhaps an American Yevtushenko (the Russian poet).”
  • In 1967, Yevgeny Yevtushenko semi-legally visited Portugal, from which, under the Salazar regime, Soviet Union did not maintain any relationship. The one-day visit was organized by the publisher Snu Abekassish, who for this reason had serious problems with PIDE. Impressed by what he saw, Yevtushenko wrote the poem “Love in Portuguese.”
  • Some sources attribute to P. A. Sudoplatov the statement that Yevtushenko collaborated with the KGB, playing the role of an “agent of influence.” However, in the memoirs of Sudoplatov himself, this is described as a recommendation from Sudoplatov’s wife, a former intelligence officer, to KGB officers who turned to her for advice regarding Yevtushenko: “to establish friendly confidential contacts with him, under no circumstances recruit him as an informant.” Yuri Felshtinsky also states that Yevtushenko collaborated with the KGB, and his supervisor in the KGB was General Pitovranov.
  • Yevtushenko opened a museum-gallery in Peredelkino near Moscow, timed to coincide with his birthday on July 18, 2010. The museum presents a personal collection of paintings donated to Yevtushenko by famous artists - Chagall, Picasso. There is a rare painting by Ernst, one of the founders of surrealism. The museum operates in a specially built building next to the poet’s dacha.
  • The super microbook with the poem “Volga” has a size of 0.5x0.45 mm and is one of the ten smallest books in the world.
  • “Karelian son-in-law” - Yevgeny Yevtushenko acquired this nickname after marrying Petrozavodsk medical student Masha. Currently, Maria Vladimirovna Yevtushenko is already a two-time graduate of PetrSU (medical and philological faculties) and the mother of two sons of the famous poet.
  • Yevtushenko called “The Dove in Santiago” the favorite poem he wrote, which, according to his own statement, saved more than three hundred people in different countries from suicide.

Bibliography

Poems

  • "Station Winter" (1953-1956)
  • "Babi Yar" (1961)
  • "Bratsk Hydroelectric Power Station" (1965)
  • "Pushkin Pass" (1965)
  • "Bullfight" (1967)
  • "Under the Skin of the Statue of Liberty" (1968)
  • "Kazan University" (1970)
  • "Where are you from?" (1971)
  • "Snow in Tokyo" (1974)
  • "Ivanovo Calico" (1976)
  • "Northern Surcharge" (1977)
  • "Dove in Santiago" (1974-1978)
  • “Non-pryadva” (1980)
  • "Mom and the Neutron Bomb" (1982)
  • "Distant Relative" (1984)
  • "Fuku!" (1985)
  • "Thirteen" (1996)
  • "Full Length" (1969-2000)
  • "Glade" (1975-2000)
  • "Dora Franco" (2011)

Poetry

  • Ballad of the Swallow (1976)
  • A ballad about the chief of gendarmes and about Lermontov’s poem “On the Death of a Poet”
  • White nights in Arkhangelsk (1964)
  • Gratitude (1968)
  • I'm afraid I can't handle my face (2004)
  • In the Store (1956)
  • In the Church of Coxueta (1958)
  • Wagon (1952)
  • Waltz on Deck (1957)
  • Volga (1958)
  • Where is the way home?
  • Depth (1952)
  • Citizens, listen to me... (1963)
  • God forbid! (1990)
  • Two bicycles
  • Two Cities (1964)
  • Two loves
  • Palace (1952)
  • Long Screams (1963)
  • To Women (1961)
  • Life and death
  • Envy (1955)
  • The Spell (1960)
  • Anger (1955)
  • Emeralds (2004)
  • Execution of Stenka Razin (1964)
  • Dwarf Birches (1966)
  • Picture of Childhood (1963)
  • Career (1957)
  • Record Kiosk (~1981)
  • Whale Graveyard (1967)
  • When a Man Is Forty (1972)
  • When Lorca Was Killed (1967)
  • Bluebell (1992)
  • Tips of Hair (1972)
  • Extra Miracle (1965)
  • Best of a Generation (1957)
  • Darling, sleep! (1964)
  • Love in Portuguese (1967)
  • Mother (1969)
  • Masha (1958)
  • To My Dog (1958)
  • My Dog (1958)
  • Prayer (1996)
  • Prayer Before a Poem (1964)
  • Monologue of a former priest who became a boatswain on the Lena (1967)
  • Monologue of the Blue Fox (1967)
  • Monologue from the drama “Van Gogh” (1957)
  • Sea (1952)
  • Men don't give themselves to women (2004)
  • Pangs of Conscience (1966)
  • On a Bicycle (1955)
  • What Life Takes (1996)
  • Nastya Karpova (1960)
  • Don't Be Proud (1970)
  • Don't Fade Away (1977)
  • Don't (1978)
  • Tenderness (1955)
  • unrequited love
  • No Years (1992)
  • On Translations (1959)
  • About creativity
  • Fence (1961)
  • Loneliness (1959)
  • One Friend (1974)
  • Waiting (1951)
  • Alder Earring (1975)
  • In Memory of Akhmatova (1966)
  • In Memory of Yesenin (1965)
  • Park (1955)
  • Partisan Graves (1957)
  • Sails (1969)
  • Patriarch's Ponds (1957)
  • Singer (1951)
  • Letter to Paris (1965)
  • According to Pechora (1963)
  • By the Berry (1955)
  • Wounded Man (1963)
  • Half Things (1989)
  • The Last Mammoth (1956)
  • last try
  • Loss (March 13, 1991)
  • Poet (1965)
  • Prologue (1955)
  • Procession with Madonna (1965)
  • Pskov Towers (1971)
  • Old Men's Revue (1967)
  • Rhythms of Rome (1965)
  • Weddings (1955)
  • The Tale of a Russian Toy (1963)
  • People Laughed Behind the Wall (1963)
  • Companion (1954)
  • Old Friend (1973)
  • Knock on the Door (1959)
  • The Troubadour Mystery (1977)
  • Adolescent secrets melt away like fogs on the banks (1960)
  • Your Soul (1956)
  • Third Snow (1953)
  • Three Figures (1995)
  • By the Roman Forgotten Road (1967)
  • Mothers Leave (1960)
  • Front-line soldier (1955)
  • Flowers Are Better Than Bullets (1970)
  • A Man Was Killed (1957)
  • Black Banderillas (1967)
  • Playful (1963)
  • I would like... (1972)
  • Fair in Simbirsk (1964)
  • The Clear, Quiet Power of Love (1973)

Collections of poems

  • "Scouts of the future." - M.: Soviet writer, 1952
  • "The Third Snow" - M., 1955
  • "Highway of Enthusiasts". - M., 1956
  • "Promise". - M.: Soviet writer, 1957
  • "Bow and Lyre." - Tbilisi, 1959
  • "Poems from different years." - M.: Young Guard, 1959
  • "Apple". - M.: Soviet writer, 1960
  • "Wave of the hand." - M.: Young Guard, 1962, 352 pp., 100,000 copies.
  • "Tenderness". - M.: Soviet writer, 1962, 192 pp., 100,000 copies.
  • "Bratskaya HPP". - Chicago, 1965
  • "Communication boat." - M.: Young Guard, 1966
  • "Pitching". - London, 1966
  • “This is what’s happening to me”. - M.: Pravda, 1966
  • “Poems and poem “Bratsk Hydroelectric Power Station”.” - M.: Soviet writer, 1967
  • "Poetry". - M.: Fiction, 1967
  • "White snow is falling." - M.: Fiction, 1969
  • “I am of Siberian breed.” - Irkutsk, 1971
  • "Kazan University". - Kazan, 1971
  • "Singing Dam". - M.: Soviet writer, 1972
  • "Road No. 1". - M.: Sovremennik, 1972
  • "Intimate lyrics." - M.: Young Guard, 1973. - 192 pp., 75,000 copies.
  • “A poet in Russia is more than a poet”. - M.: Soviet Russia, 1973
  • "Father's Hearing" - M.: Soviet writer, 1975, 1978
  • "Thank you". - M.: Pravda, 1976
  • "Full growth." - M.: Sovremennik, 1977
  • "Glade." - M.: Children's literature, 1977
  • "Morning People" - M.: Young Guard, 1978
  • "Oath to space." - Irkutsk, 1978
  • Heavier than the earth. - Tbilisi, 1979
  • "Explosive Welding" - M.: Moscow worker, 1980
  • "Compromise Kompromisovich." - M.: Pravda, 1978; 48 pp., 75,000 copies.
  • "Poetry". - M., 1981
  • "Two pairs of skis." - M.: Sovremennik, 1982
  • "'Mother and the Neutron Bomb' and other poems." - M., 1983, 1986
  • "Where I'm from." - L.: Children's literature, 1983
  • "Almost at last." - M.: Young Guard, 1985
  • “Half a glass of grass.” - M.: Pravda, 1986
  • "Tomorrow's Wind" - 1987
  • "Poetry". - M., 1987
  • "Last try". - Petrozavodsk, 1988
  • "1989"
  • "Citizens, listen to me." - M.: Fiction, 1989
  • “Darling, sleep.” - M.: JV “All Moscow”, 1989; 206 pp., 25,000 copies.
  • "Green Gate". - Tbilisi, 1990
  • "Last try". - M.: Soviet Russia, 1990
  • "Belarusian blood". - Minsk, 1990
  • "Poems and Poems". - M., 1990
  • "No years: love lyrics" - St. Petersburg, 1993
  • "My golden mystery." - Irkutsk, 1994
  • “My very best.” - M.: H. G. S., 1995
  • "Last Tears" - M.: Terra, 1995
  • "Slow Love" - M.: Eksmo, 1997
  • "Tumbler." - 1997
  • "Stolen Apples" - 1999
  • “I will break through into the 21st century...” - 2001
  • “The window looks out onto white trees.” - 2007
  • "Russian anthem"
  • "Poems of the XXI century." - M.: Eksmo, 2008, 352 pp., 3000 copies.
  • "My Football Games" (1969-2009)
  • “It can still be saved.” - 2011
  • "Happiness and retribution." - 2012
  • “I don’t know how to say goodbye.” - 2013

Novels

  • "Berry places" - M., 1982
  • "Don't die before you die." - M.: Moscow worker, 1993
  • "Bering Tunnel"

Stories

  • Pearl Harbor (We Try Harder) (1967)
  • "Ardabiola" (1981)

Journalism

  • “Notes to an Autobiography” (circa 1970) - manuscript, circulated in samizdat.
  • “Talent is a miracle that is not accidental.” - M.: Soviet writer, 1980 (book of critical articles)
  • "War is anti-culture." - M., 1983
  • "Tomorrow's Wind" - M.: Pravda, 1987. - 480 p.; ill.; 300,000 copies
  • "Politics is everyone's privilege." Book of journalism. - M.: APN, 1990. - 624 p.; ill., 200,000 copies. X
  • “Abyss in 2 leaps?” - Kharkov: Prapor, 1990

Memoirs

  • "Wolf Passport" - M.: Vagrius, 1998. - 576 pp., 15,000 copies. (series “My 20th Century”)
  • "Six-paratrooper": Memoir prose. - M.: AST; Zebra, 2006. ;;;
  • “I have come to you, Babi Yar...” - M.: Text, 2012-142 p.

Collected works

  • Selected works in 2 volumes. - M.: Fiction, 1975
  • Selected works in 2 volumes. - M.: Fiction, 1980
  • Collected works in 3 volumes. - M.: Fiction, 1983-1984., 75,000 copies.
  • Poems and poems in 3 volumes. - M.: Soviet Russia, 1987, 55,000 copies.
  • The first collected works in 8 volumes. - M.: AST Publishing House, 2002, 3000 copies.

Anthologies

  • “Strophes of the Century” (1993 - in English, USA; 1995 - Russian edition) - an anthology of Russian poetry of the 20th century (compiled)

In English

  • poem "Zima Station" on English language
  • Selected Works in English I
  • Selected Works in English II

Collaboration with musicians

Discography

  • 1973 - “Citizens, listen to me” (read by the author) (Melodiya company)
  • 1977 - “Northern Surcharge” (read by the author) (Melodiya company)
  • 1980 - “Dove in Santiago” and other poems (read by the author) (Melodiya company)

Classical music

  • Symphony No. 13 in b-moll “Babi Yar” by Dmitri Shostakovich, op. 113 in five movements for bass, bass choir and orchestra. Poems by E. Yevtushenko. Premiere - December 18, 1962, Moscow, Great Hall of the Conservatory. Performed by: V. Gromadsky (bass), State Choir and Choir of the Gnessin Institute, Moscow Philharmonic Orchestra (conductor K. Kondrashin)
  • Cantata “The Execution of Stepan Razin” by D. Shostakovich. Poems by Yevtushenko (1965)
  • Rock opera “White Snow is Falling...” (2007)

Songs

to music by various composers

  • “Still, there is something in our people” (Al. Karelin) - performed by Nat. Moskvina
  • “And the snow will fall” (G. Ponomarenko) - Spanish. Klavdiya Shulzhenko
  • “And the snow will fall” (D. Tukhmanov) - Spanish. Muslim Magomaev
  • “Grandmothers” (Al. Karelin) - Spanish. M. Zadornov and Nat. Moskvina
  • “Ballad of Friendship” (E. Krylatov)
  • “The Ballad of the Fishing Village of Ayu” (Yu. Saulsky) - Spanish. A. Gradsky
  • “Even with every effort” (A. Pugacheva) - Spanish. Alla Pugacheva
  • “You will love me” (N. Martynov) - Spanish. Victor Krivonos
  • “Eyes of Love” (“There is always a woman’s hand”) (Brandon Stone) - Spanish. Brandon Stone
  • “Eyes of Love” (“There is always a woman’s hand”) (Mikael Tariverdiev) - Spanish. Galina Besedina
  • "God willing"(Raymond Pauls) - Spanish. A. Malinin
  • “Dolphins” (Yu. Saulsky) - Spanish. VIA "Watercolors"
  • “Child is a villain” (group “Dialogue”) - Spanish. Kim Breitburg (gr. "Dialogue")
  • “Envy” (V. Makhlyankin) - Spanish. Valentin Nikulin
  • “Ingratiation” (I. Talkov) - Spanish. Igor Talkov; (group “Dialogue”) - Spanish. Kim Breitburg (gr. "Dialogue")
  • “Spell” (I. Luchenok) - Spanish. Victor Vujacic
  • “Spell” (E. Horovets) - Spanish. Emil Horovets
  • “Will the clover field make noise” (E. Krylatov) - Spanish. Eduard Khil, Lyudmila Gurchenko
  • “Like a hollow ear” (V. Makhlyankin) - Spanish. Valentin Nikulin
  • “Recording kiosk” (group “Dialogue”) - Spanish. Kim Breitburg (gr. "Dialogue")
  • “When the bells ring” (V. Pleshak) - Spanish. Eduard Khil
  • "When Your Face Came Up" (Brandon Stone)
  • “When a man is forty years old” (I. Nikolaev) - Spanish. Alexander Kalyanov
  • “When a person comes to Russia” (Al. Karelin) - Spanish. Nat. Moskvina
  • “When a man betrays a man” (E. Krylatov) - Spanish. Gennady Trofimov
  • “I understood something in this life” (E. Horovets) - Spanish. Emil Horovets
  • “Bell” (Al. Karelin) - Spanish. Nat. Moskvina
  • "Wallet" (Brandon Stone)
  • “Darling, sleep” (D. Tukhmanov) - Spanish. Valery Obodzinsky, Leonid Berger (VIA “Jolly Fellows”), A. Gradsky
  • “Love is a child of the planet” (D. Tukhmanov) - Spanish. VIA "Jolly Guys"
  • “There are no uninteresting people in the world” (V. Makhlyankin) - Spanish. Shaft. Nikulin
  • “Metamorphoses” (Al. Karelin) - Spanish. M. Zadornov and Nat. Moskvina
  • "Our difficult soviet man"(A. Babajanyan) - Spanish. Georg Ots, Muslim Magomaev
  • “No need to be afraid” (E. Krylatov) - Spanish. Gennady Trofimov
  • “Don't rush” (A. Babajanyan) - Spanish. Muslim Magomaev, Anna German
  • “No years” (Sergei Nikitin)
  • “Am I really mortal” (S. Nikitin, P. I. Tchaikovsky)
  • “Nobody’s” (Yu. Saulsky) - Spanish. Zaur Tutov, A. Gradsky
  • “Russian Songs” (Al. Karelin) - Spanish. Nat. Moskvina
  • “My Song” (E. Krylatov) - Spanish. Gene. Trofimov
  • “Crying for a brother” (S. Nikitin)
  • “Crying for a communal apartment” (Louise Khmelnitskaya) - Spanish. Gelena Velikanova, Joseph Kobzon
  • “Under the creaking, weeping willow (“How to make your beloved happy”)” (G. Movsesyan) - Spanish. Georgy Movsesyan, Joseph Kobzon
  • “Let me hope” (A. Babajanyan) - Spanish. Vladimir Popkov
  • “Confession” (Yu. Saulsky) - Spanish. Sofia Rotaru, Ksenia Georgiadi
  • “The Princess and the Pea” (Al. Karelin) - Spanish. Nat. Moskvina
  • “A simple song of Bulat” (Al. Karelin) - Spanish. Nat. Moskvina
  • “Professor” (group “Dialogue”) - Spanish. Kim Breitburg (gr. "Dialogue")
  • “Child” (Al. Karelin) - Spanish. M. Zadornov and Nat. Moskvina
  • “Motherland” (B. Terentyev) - Spanish. VIA "Blue Bird"
  • “Spring” (Al. Karelin) - Spanish. Nat. Moskvina
  • “Romance” (E. Horovets) - Spanish. Emil Horovets
  • “The fresh smell of linden trees” (I. Nikolaev) - Spanish. A. Kalyanov
  • “Save and preserve” (E. Krylatov) - Spanish. Valentina Tolkunova
  • “Old Friend” (I. Nikolaev) - Spanish. A. Kalyanov
  • “Your traces” (Arno Babajanyan) - Spanish. People Zykina, Sofia Rotaru
  • “Til” (A. Petrov) - Spanish. Ed. Gil
  • “You are leaving like a train” (M. Tariverdiev) - Spanish. VIA "Singing Guitars"
  • “By the Sea” (B. Emelyanov) - Spanish. Vakhtang Kikabidze
  • “My beloved is leaving” (V. Makhlyankin) - Spanish. Shaft. Nikulin
  • “The Church must be prayed for” (Al. Karelin) - Spanish. Nat. Moskvina
  • “Ferris Wheel” (Arno Babajanyan) - Spanish. Muslim Magomaev
  • “What does love know about love” (A. Eshpai) - Spanish. Lyudmila Gurchenko
  • “I am a citizen of the Soviet Union” (D. Tukhmanov) - Spanish. Muslim Magomaev
  • “I love you more than nature” (R. Pauls) - Spanish. Irina Dubtsova
  • “I stopped loving you” (V. Makhlyankin) - Spanish. Shaft. Nikulin
  • “I want to bring it” (E. Krylatov) - Spanish. Gennady Trofimov

to music by Eduard Kolmanovsky

  • “The river runs” - Spanish. People Zykina, Lyudmila Senchina, Maria Pakhomenko
  • “Waltz about Waltz” - Spanish. Klavdiya Shulzhenko, Maya Kristalinskaya, Georg Ots
  • “Long farewell” - Spanish. Lev Leshchenko
  • “White snow is falling” - Spanish. Gelena Velikanova, V. Troshin, Joseph Kobzon
  • “Sooner or later” - Spanish. V. Troshin
  • “My Motherland” - Spanish. People Zykina
  • "Ancient Tango" - Spanish. Vit. Markov, Joseph Kobzon
  • “Comrade Guitar” - Spanish. Klavdiya Shulzhenko
  • “Murderers walk the earth” - Spanish. Arthur Eisen, Mark Bernes, Alexandrov Ensemble
  • “Do Russians want war?” (dedicated to Mark Bernes) - Spanish. Yuri Gulyaev, Mark Bernes, Vad. Ruslanov, Georg Ots, Arthur Eisen

Cinema

In cinema, E. Yevtushenko is known as an actor, stage director, screenwriter, and also as a songwriter.

Filmography

Actor

  • 1965 - “Ilyich’s Outpost” (Yevtushenko appears in a documentary insert about a poetry evening at the Polytechnic Museum)
  • 1967 - “I am curious - a film in yellow” - speaks at a poetry evening in Sweden
  • 1979 - “Take Off” - K. E. Tsiolkovsky
  • 1983 - “Kindergarten” - chess player
  • 1990 - “Stalin’s Funeral” - sculptor

Director

  • 1983 - “Kindergarten”
  • 1990 - “Stalin’s Funeral”

Screenwriter

  • 1964 - “I am Cuba” (with Enrique Pineda Barnet)
  • 1990 - “Stalin’s Funeral”

Songs

  • 1961 - “Career of Dima Gorin.” Song "Snow is falling"(Andrey Eshpai) - Spanish. Maya Kristalinskaya. The song was also performed by Zhanna Aguzarova and Anzhelika Varum.
  • 1975 - “The Irony of Fate, or Enjoy Your Bath!”, directed by Eldar Ryazanov. Song “This is what’s happening to me...”(Mikael Tariverdiev - performed by S. Nikitin)
  • 1977 - “Office Romance”, director Eldar Ryazanov. The song “We are chatting in crowded trams...” Andrei Petrov
  • 1977-1978 - songs from the series “And It’s All About Him” (based on the novel by Vil Lipatov). Music by E. Krylatov:
    • “Alder earring” - Spanish. Gennady Trofimov, Eduard Khil, Joseph Kobzon
    • “No need to be afraid” - Spanish. A. Kavalerov
    • "Steps" - Spanish. Gene. Trofimov
  • 1981 - “There are “night witches” in the sky.” Song “When you sing songs on Earth...”(E. Krylatov) - Spanish Elena Kamburova

One of the greatest personalities who lived in the past and in this century, undoubtedly, is Yevgeny Yevtushenko. His multifaceted talent led to the fact that Yevgeny Yevtushenko himself, his biography, personal life, wives, children and photos became of interest to admirers of his work.

The real name of the hero is Evgeniy Gangnus. He was born in 1932 on July 18 in a Siberian village. From early childhood, the boy was haunted by drastic changes. It started with the fact that his mother Zinaida changed the surname she received in marriage to her maiden name and gave it to her son.

Evgeniy Yevtushenko

The surname Gangnus belonged to the child's father. He was a Baltic with German roots. After this, the year of birth of little Zhenya was changed in the children’s metric to 1933. In this way, the child’s mother tried to minimize the difficulties that arose with documents for evacuation to the Second World War.

The boy's fate was determined by his birth into a family of artists. Zhenya’s mother was an honored cultural figure and actress. My father composed poetry at an amateur level. Therefore, the love of reading and history was instilled in the child from childhood. Already at the age of six, the child learned the basics of literacy. The boy's favorite books were not at all for children: Flaubert, Dumas, Cervantes, Guy de Maupassant.

In 1944, Zhenya faced new challenges: his move to Moscow was marked by his father leaving the family for his mistress. Alexander Rudolfovich did not stop taking Active participation in the cultural growth of the son. He also tried to give the child more in-depth knowledge in the field of literature.

The great writer and poet Evgeny Yevtushenko

By that time, Yevtushenko was already studying in a poetry club at the House of Pioneers. The father often took the boy to poetry meetings at the Moscow State University. Evgeny had the opportunity to attend creative performances by A. Akhmatova, B. Pasternak, A. Tvardovsky and other masters of words.

People of art also often gathered at Evgeniy’s house. The boy's mother invited actors, poets and writers to visit. V. Sokolov, B. Akhmadulina, E. Vinokurov, M. Roshchin and others visited here.

Such an environment led to the fact that the young talent began to compose himself at an early age. The results of his work were first published in the publication “Soviet Sport” in 1949.

The young man began studying at the Literary University in 1951, but was soon expelled due to systematic absences from classes. This was the official version. In fact, Eugene was inclined to publicly express his point of view, which was at odds with the ideology of that era. Already at that time it was clear that as the years passed, Yevgeny Yevtushenko, his biography, personal life, wives and children would become curious to the general public. The hero still received his education document, but this happened much later in 2001.

Yevgeny Yevtushenko in childhood

Despite the lack of education, the young man showed remarkable talent and quickly gained popularity among his community. In 1952, the debut collection of poems entitled “Scouts of the Future” went into print. It consisted of bravura appeals and pathetic poems. Real poetry saw the light a little later in the form of the poems “Wagon” and “Before the Meeting”. After this, the young poet was accepted into the Writers' Union. At twenty years old, he was the youngest member of the community.

Yevgeny Yevtushenko in his youth

Already at such an early age, Evgeniy was honored to read poetry together with Bella Akhmadulina, Bulat Okudzhava and Robert Rozhdestvensky.

At this time, his best creations were:

  • "Poems of different years";
  • "The Third Snow"
  • "Apple".

Yevgeny Yevtushenko in his youth

Other types of creative activity of the poet

The range of areas where Evgeny Yevtushenko’s talents can be used is wide. He showed himself in music, prose, and cinema. Among the works in prose there are many masterpieces that readers immediately fell in love with. The author’s very first such work was “The Fourth Meshchanskaya”. It was published in 1959 on the pages of the regular publication “Youth”. The next story was “The Chicken God.” The first novel, entitled “Berry Places,” was published in 1982. Eleven years passed between the first major works. The second novel is called "Don't Die Before You Die."

Evgeny Yevtushenko on stage

The beginning of the nineties was marked by a move to the United States. At this time, Yevgeny Yevtushenko, his biography, personal life, wives, children and photos were already entertaining information for fans of his talent. In America, the hero gave lectures on Russian poetry. In addition, he released several other works.

In 2012, the work “Happiness and Reckoning” was published, followed by “I Can’t Say Goodbye.” If you fail brief summary, then he wrote more than thirteen dozen books, many of which were translated into seventy languages.

Evgeny Yevtushenko took part in poetry evenings

Thanks to his talent and hard work, Yevtushenko received a number of awards. The original sign of admiration for the talent of the master Slava was the name of the planet, which she received in honor of Yevgeny Yevtushenko.

Also, the talent of the great man received a lot of symbols of recognition of his activities abroad from foreign organizations.

Yevtushenko's creativity in music and cinema

The work of Evgeniy Alexandrovich became inspiring for some representatives of other creative professions. Also thanks to them, Yevgeny Yevtushenko, his biography, personal life, wives and children became even more interesting to the public.

On the basis of one of the poems, composer Dmitry Shostakovich created the famous thirteenth symphony. Among the composers with whom the author also collaborated were Yuliy Saulsky, Evgeny Krylatsky, and Eduard Kolmanovsky. Yevtushenko’s poems, set to music, turned into hits: “And it’s snowing,” “Motherland,” “When the bells ring.” It is worth noting that the rock operas “The Execution of Stepan Razin” and “The White Snows Are Coming” were also created based on the author’s poems.

Evgeny Yevtushenko as scientist Konstantin Tsiolkovsky

In tandem with Enrique Pineda, Barnet Yevtushenko wrote the script for the film “I-Cuba”. The film was released in 1964. The hero adorned the film “Take Off” with his performance in the title role. This film was first shown in 1979.

Evgeniy Aleksandrovich’s credits include the film “Kindergarten,” in which he acted as a screenwriter. There he played a supporting role. His directorial experience was working on the film “Stalin's Funeral” in 1990. He wrote the script for this film himself.

Evgeny Yevtushenko with friends on vacation

Wives and children of Yevgeny Yevtushenko

The family life of Evgeniy Alexandrovich was bright and full of events. He was married four times. The first union with Bella Akhmadulina took place in 1954, but did not last long. According to Yevtushenko himself, he and his wife had different views on many issues. Including poetry. The woman, without further ado, pointed out the already accomplished poet’s shortcomings. Evgeniy Aleksandrovich said that in all his marriages, his wives were the harshest and at the same time the author’s main critics of his works. In the case of Akhmadulina, the poet did not remain in debt and also criticized her work.

Evgeny Yevtushenko with his first wife Bella Akhmedulina

The poet's next wife was Galina Sokol-Lukonina. She also harshly assessed her husband's work. But if she liked his poems, then she did not hide it and sincerely demonstrated her feelings with pleasure. The woman gave birth to Yevtushenko’s first child, son Peter.

Evgeny Yevtushenko and Maria Novikova

The hero's last love was Maria Novikova. She is a doctor and philologist by education. The marriage also produced two sons: Dima and Zhenya. All this made the personal life of Yevgeny Yevtushenko, his biography, wives, children and their photos interesting for fans of the poet.

Yevtushenko was attracted to women with early years. Many of his lines were dedicated specifically to the weaker sex and their experiences of an erotic nature.

Teachers and cultural figures did not know how to react to the bold statements of a fifteen-year-old boy. And friends advised me to use my amazing imagination and choose a different topic for my works.

Evgeny Yevtushenko with his wife and sons

This behavior of Yevtushenko was not only a protest against hypocrisy, but also a demonstration of a kind of fearlessness. They did not publish him, restricted his movements and tried in every possible way to shame him for his unbridled images. This gave a somewhat scandalous glory to everything connected with Yevgeny Yevtushenko: biography, personal life, wives, children.

The great man passed away in the spring of 2017. His death came to him in one of the American hospitals. He left quietly in his sleep. Doctors did everything possible to prolong life famous poet, but the time for the end of the great journey has already come. Yevtushenko’s last wish was to lie near Pasternak in the Moscow region.

Evgeny Yevtushenko in last years own life

The hero lived a long, eventful life, and to this day the biography of Yevgeny Yevtushenko, his personal life, wives and children attract genuine attention from followers of his work.

Evgeny Yevtushenko is a Russian poet and prose writer, director and screenwriter, publicist, reader-speaker and actor. Was nominated for the Nobel Prize in Literature.

His father, Alexander Rudolfovich Gangnus, was half-German and a little-known poet. Mother, Zinaida Ermolaevna Yevtushenko, was a popular actress.

An interesting fact is that initially the boy had the last name Gangnus, but at the beginning the mother gave her son her last name so as not to have problems with documents.

Childhood and youth

At the height of the war, the Yevtushenko family moved to. Interestingly, while studying at school, Evgeniy received poor grades in many subjects.

Soon he began attending a poetry studio in the House of Pioneers. During this period of his biography, he managed to attend poetry evenings of disgraced poets and.

Since Yevgeny Yevtushenko’s mother worked as an actress, various cultural figures often came to their house. Thanks to this, the boy was able to learn many interesting facts and stories from the lives of prominent contemporaries.

Poems by Yevtushenko

In 1949, a significant event occurred in Yevtushenko’s biography. His first poem was published at the Soviet Sport publishing house. Soon Evgeniy successfully passed the exams at the Gorky Literary Institute, but was never able to graduate.

Officially, Yevtushenko was expelled for frequent truancy, but in reality he was expelled due to views that ran counter to the ideology of the time.

An interesting fact is that higher education the poet will receive it only in 2001, when he turns 69 years old.

After being expelled from the institute, Evgeny Yevtushenko began to actively engage in writing. In 1952, a year before his death, he published his first collection of works, Scouts of the Future.

Soon, several serious poems came from Yevtushenko’s pen, among which were “Wagon” and “Depth”. His work was appreciated by critics, as a result of which in the same year he became the youngest member of the Writers' Union.

Feeling confident in own strength, Evgeny Yevtushenko continued to write poetry. Of particular interest to readers were his collections “Promise”, “Tenderness” and “Wave of the Hand”.

They began to talk about Yevtushenko as one of the most talented Soviet poets.

Soon, Evgeny Alexandrovich read his poems at creative evenings, being on the same stage with Robert Rozhdestvensky, Bella Akhmadulina and.

Then he wrote several prose works, after which he published the first novel in his biography, “Berry Places.”

After, Yevtushenko went to America, where he continued his writing. He taught Russian poetry at American universities and was also able to publish several more collections.

An interesting fact is that while in the USA, he periodically came to, because he was always homesick for his homeland.

During the biography period 1993-2013. Evgeny Yevtushenko has published more than 10 collections of his poems. The most popular works were “My very best”, “I will break through into the 21st century...” and “I don’t know how to say goodbye.”

Also at this time he wrote the novel “Don’t Die Before You Die.” The book paid great attention to political events, namely the August 1991 coup.

For his creative success he received a lot of prestigious awards and prizes. In 1963 he was nominated for the Nobel Prize in Literature.

A small planet was named in honor of Evgeny Yevtushenko, called “4234 Evtushenko”. Yevtushenko is also an honorary professor at four American universities.

Music

Yevtushenko began collaborating with composers back in the 60s of the last century. In 1961 he wrote the poem “Babi Yar”.

After reading it, the famous composer Dmitry Shostakovich composed the 13th symphony, which soon became worldwide popular.

Many Russian artists used the poems of Yevgeny Yevtushenko in their work.

Songs based on his poems were performed by Magomayev, Gradsky, Malinin, Talkov, Gurchenko and other artists.

Movies

An interesting fact is that Yevtushenko has proven himself well as a screenwriter. In 1964, he, co-authored with Enrique Pineda Barnet, wrote the script for the two-part drama “I Am Cuba.” It's also worth adding that almost the entire film was shot with a handheld camera.

In 1979, Yevgeny Yevtushenko starred in the film “Take Off,” playing the famous Russian scientist Konstantin Tsiolkovsky. In addition, he had episodic roles in the films “Kindergarten” and “Stalin’s Funeral.”

Personal life

There were 4 women in the biography of Yevgeny Yevtushenko. His first wife was the poetess Bella Akhmadulina, whom he married in 1954. However, their union lasted less than 4 years.

The poet's next wife was Galina Sokol-Lukonina, with whom he married in 1961. From Galina he had a son, Peter.

For the third time, Yevtushenko married his Irish admirer Jen Butler. In this marriage they had 2 boys - Alexander and Anton.

The last wife in the poet’s biography was doctor Maria Novikova. Yevtushenko lived with her for 26 years. During this time, the couple had two sons - Dmitry and Evgeny.


Evgeny Yevtushenko with his family

An interesting fact is that Yevtushenko was often reproached for pretentious rhetoric and hidden self-praise. The outstanding Russian poet and Nobel Prize winner in literature in 1972 said the following about Yevtushenko in one of his interviews:

Yevtushenko? You know - it's not that simple. He is, of course, a very bad poet. And he is an even worse person. This is such a huge factory for reproducing itself. By self-reproduction...

He has poems that, in general, you can even remember, love, and like. I just don’t like the general level of this whole thing.

Death

Shortly before his death, Yevtushenko was hospitalized in one of the American clinics. He had cancer in the last fourth stage, which had returned after surgical removal of a kidney about six years ago.

According to the poet's last will, he was buried near Moscow at the Peredelkinskoye cemetery next to the grave of Boris Pasternak.

Evgeniy Aleksandrovich (surname at birth - Gangnus; July 18, 1932, RSFSR - April 1, 2017, Tulsa, Oklahoma, USA) - poet, novelist, director, screenwriter, publicist.

Biography

Born into the family of geologist and amateur poet Alexander Rudolfovich Gangnus (Baltic German by origin) (1910-1976). In 1944, upon returning from evacuation from the station to Moscow, the poet’s mother, Zinaida Ermolaevna Yevtushenko (1910-2002), geologist, actress, Honored Cultural Worker of the RSFSR, changed her son’s surname to her maiden name (about this in the poem “Mom and the Neutron Bomb”) "), - when filling out the documents to change the surname, a mistake was deliberately made in the date of birth: they wrote down 1933 so as not to receive a pass, which they were supposed to have at the age of 12. He began publishing in 1949, his first poem was published in the newspaper “Soviet Sport”. From 1952 to 1957 he studied at the Literary Institute. M. Gorky. Expelled for “disciplinary sanctions”, as well as for supporting Dudintsev’s novel “Not by Bread Alone.” In 1952, the first book of poems, “Scouts of the Future,” was published; the author subsequently assessed it as youthful and immature. In 1952 he became the youngest member of the Union of Writers of the USSR, bypassing the stage of candidate member of the joint venture.

“I was accepted into the Literary Institute without a matriculation certificate and almost simultaneously into the Writers' Union, in both cases considering my book to be sufficient grounds. But I knew her worth. And I wanted to write differently." (E. Yevtushenko, “Premature autobiography”).

In subsequent years, he published several collections that became very popular (“The Third Snow” (1955), “Highway of Enthusiasts” (1956), “Promise” (1957), “Poems of Different Years” (1959), “Apple” (1960) , “Tenderness” (1962), “Wave of the Hand” (1962)).

The appearance of the young poet on the literary scene coincided with the Khrushchev thaw and the partial liberalization of Soviet society. Yevtushenko’s fresh and bright poems resonated with the positive sentiments of young people.

One of the symbols of the thaw were the evenings in the Great Auditorium of the Polytechnic Museum, in which Yevtushenko also took part, along with Robert Rozhdestvensky, Bella Akhmadulina, Bulat Okudzhava and other poets of the wave of the 1960s. At poetry evenings at the Polytechnic, three authors were treated differently: Yevtushenko, Voznesensky, and Akhmadulina.

One of the first public speaking E. Yevtushenko before a large audience took place at the Central Lecture Hall in Kharkov in 1961. The organizer of this speech was the Kharkov literary critic L. Ya. Livshits.

His works are distinguished by a wide range of moods and genre diversity. The first lines from the pathetic introduction to the poem “Bratsk Hydroelectric Power Plant” (1965): “A poet in Russia is more than a poet,” is a manifesto of Yevtushenko’s own creativity and a catchphrase that has steadily come into use. The poet is no stranger to subtle and intimate lyrics: the poem “A dog used to sleep at my feet” (1955). In the poem “Northern Surcharge” (1977), he composes a real ode to beer - the favorite folk drink, which was then so lacking in the Far North. The poet touches on a variety of topics, including overtly political ones.

Yevtushenko traveled throughout the Soviet Union and the entire globe in search of his themes and heroes. He also writes about working people - hunters, builders, geologists... (“Northern Surcharge”, “Communication Boat”). Several poems and cycles of poems are devoted to foreign and anti-war themes: “Under the Skin of the Statue of Liberty”, “Bullfight”, “Italian Cycle”, “Dove in Santiago”, “Mom and the Neutron Bomb”.

“Yevtushenko’s extreme success was facilitated by the simplicity and accessibility of his poems, as well as the scandals that often arose from criticism around his name. Counting on the journalistic effect, Yevtushenko alternately chose topics of current party politics for his poems (for example, “Stalin’s Heirs,” “Truth,” 1962, 21.10. or "Bratskaya GES", 1965), then addressed them to a critical public (for example, "Babi Yar", 1961, or "The Ballad of Poaching", 1965).His poems are mostly narrative and rich in figurative details. Many suffer from lengthiness, are declamatory and superficial. His poetic talent rarely manifests itself in deep and meaningful statements. He writes easily, loves the play of words and sounds, which often, however, reaches the point of pretentiousness. Yevtushenko’s ambitious desire to become, continuing the tradition of V. Mayakovsky, tribune of the post-Stalin period led to the fact that his talent, as clearly demonstrated, for example, in the poem “For the Berries,” seemed to be weakening.”

Wolfgang Kazak

Yevtushenko’s stage performances have become famous: he successfully reads his own works. He has released several discs and audiobooks in his own performance: “Berry Places”, “Dove in Santiago” and others. From 1986 to 1991 he was secretary of the board of the USSR Writers' Union. Since December 1991 - Secretary of the Board of the Commonwealth of Writers' Unions. Since 1989 - co-chairman of the April writers' association. Since 1988 - member of the Memorial Society. On May 14, 1989, with a huge margin, having received 19 times more votes than the nearest candidate, he was elected as a people's deputy of the USSR from the Dzerzhinsky territorial electoral district of the city of Kharkov and remained so until the end of the existence of the USSR. In 1991, having signed a contract with an American university in Tulsa, Oklahoma, he and his family left to teach in the USA. In 2007, the Olimpiysky sports complex hosted the premiere of the rock opera “The White Snows Are Coming,” based on the poems of Yevgeny Yevtushenko by composer Gleb May. Yevtushenko is also known as a director, actor, playwright, and screenwriter. His photographs are known; he exhibited his photo exhibition “Invisible Threads”.

Criticism

Yevtushenko's literary style and manner provided a wide field of activity for criticism. He was often reproached for glorification, pompous rhetoric and hidden self-praise. Thus, literary critic Nikolai Gladkikh wrote about the poem “Fuku!”:

“Self-glorification cannot take the form of calm, self-confident narcissism, nor can it be an expression of an authentic personality. Ambitions are exceptionally great and have long surpassed the scale of talent. The genre turns out to be fiercely polemical in every word, in every statement, and most importantly, the speaker cannot stop for a minute; having entered into a dispute with time and the world, he is forced to continuously manifest.”

civil position

Political opponents and impartial observers noted that the poet knew how to find mutual language with the authorities under any regime.

The first collection of poems included the following heartfelt lines about Stalin:

...In the sleepless silence of the night
He thinks about the country, about the world,
He thinks about me.
Goes to the window. Admiring the sun,
He smiles warmly.
And I fall asleep and I dream
The best dream.

One chapter of the poem “Kazan University” is dedicated to V.I. Lenin and was written just in time for Lenin’s 100th anniversary. According to the poet himself, all this (as well as his other sincere propaganda poems of the Soviet era: “Party Cards”, “Communards will not be slaves”, etc.) is a consequence of the influence of propaganda.

In 1962, the Pravda newspaper published the widely known poem “Stalin’s Heirs,” timed to coincide with the removal of Stalin’s body from the mausoleum. His other works also caused great resonance: “Babi Yar” (1961), “Letter to Yesenin” (1965), “Tanks are moving through Prague” (1968). Despite such an open challenge to the then authorities, the poet continued to publish and travel throughout the country and abroad. In 1969 he was awarded the Order of the Badge of Honor.

Yevgeny Yevtushenko is published in the magazines Yunost, which were reputed to be oppositional in Soviet times (he was also on the editorial board of this magazine), “ New world", "Banner".

His speeches in support of Soviet dissidents Brodsky, Solzhenitsyn, and Daniel became famous. Despite this, Joseph Brodsky did not like Yevtushenko (according to Sergei Dovlatov, his catchphrase “If Yevtushenko is against collective farms, then I am for it”) is known and sharply criticized Yevtushenko’s election as an honorary member of the American Academy of Arts and Letters in 1987.

In 1990 he became co-chairman of the All-Union Association of Writers in Support of Perestroika “April”.

Personal life

Yevgeny Yevtushenko was officially married 4 times. His wives:

  1. Bella Akhmadulina, famous poetess (1954);
  2. Galina Sokol-Lukonina (1961), son Peter;
  3. Jan Butler, Irish, his passionate admirer (1978), sons Alexander and Anton;
  4. Maria Vladimirovna Novikova (1987), sons Evgeny and Dmitry.

In total, Yevtushenko has 5 sons.

  1. He spoke English, Spanish, Italian and French.
  2. Favorite poet and writer - Alexander Sergeevich Pushkin.
  3. American columnist Robert Shelton, in the October 28, 1963 issue of the New York Times, compares the young Bob Dylan with Yevtushenko “... perhaps an American Yevtushenko (the Russian poet)
  4. The poem “Bow Tie,” written in 1976, was dedicated to Yevtushenko’s meeting with Vasily Shukshin at Akhmadulina’s reception: Shukshin, having drunk, caustically remarked: “You grew up in Siberia, at the Zima station, and you wear a bow tie like the last dude.” !”, - to which Yevtushenko retorted: “Are your tarpaulins not foppery?” Yevtushenko agreed to take off his bow tie if Shukshin took off his boots.
  5. Some sources, in particular P. A. Sudoplatov, report that E. A. Yevtushenko collaborated with the KGB, playing the role of an “agent of influence.”
  6. Yevtushenko opened a museum-gallery in Peredelkino near Moscow, timed to coincide with his birthday on July 18, 2010. The museum presents a personal collection of paintings donated to Yevtushenko by famous artists - Chagall, Picasso. There is a rare painting by Ernst, one of the founders of surrealism. The museum operates in a specially built building next to the poet’s dacha.
  7. The super microbook with the poem “Volga” has a size of 0.5 × 0.45 mm, and is one of the 10 smallest books in the world.

Cinema

In cinema, Yevtushenko is known as an actor, director, screenwriter, and also as the author of poems for songs set to film music.

1964 - “I am Cuba”, director Mikhail Kalatozov). Yevtushenko is the author of the script.

1965 - “Ilyich’s Outpost”, director Marlen Khutsiev. Yevtushenko appears in a documentary insert about a poetry evening at the Polytechnic Museum

1970 - “Literary Concert”, director Alexander Belinsky, “Lentelefilm”), episode “The Fourth Bourgeois”, based on the story by Yevtushenko, - actors Zoya Sokolova and Alexander Semyonov.

1975 - “The Irony of Fate, or Enjoy Your Bath!”, directed by Eldar Ryazanov. Yevtushenko is the author of the lyrics of M. Tariverdiev’s song “This is what’s happening to me...” performed by Sergei Nikitin.

1977 - “Office Romance”, director Eldar Ryazanov. Yevtushenko is the author of the lyrics to the song “We are chatting in crowded trams...”, music by Andrey Petrov

1979 - “Take Off”, directed by Savva Kulish. Yevtushenko is an actor. In this film he played the main role, the role of K. E. Tsiolkovsky.

1983 - “Kindergarten”. In this film, Yevtushenko is the director and actor.

Documentary

1979 - Our Pushkin, “Lentelefilm”, dir. Vladislav Vinogradov

1984 - My contemporaries, “Lentelefilm”, dir. Vladislav Vinogradov

1990 - Prophets in their fatherland, “Lentelefilm”, dir. Oleg Ryabokon, - chronicle: Yevtushenko reads poetry at the funeral of A.D. Sakharov

Awards and recognition

1969 - Order of the Badge of Honor

1983 - Order of the Red Banner of Labor

1984 - USSR State Prize - for the poem “Mom and the Neutron Bomb”

1993 - Order of Friendship of Peoples - Yevtushenko refused to receive it in protest against the war in Chechnya

1993 - Medal “Defender of Free Russia”

2003 - Tsarskoye Selo Art Prize

2006 - Honorable Sir city ​​of Petrozavodsk

2004 - Order of Merit for the Fatherland, III degree

2007 - Honorary Doctor of Petrozavodsk State University

2009 - Commander of the Chilean Order of Bernardo O'Higgins.

2010 - State Prize of Russia.

Honorary Member Russian Academy arts

2011 - awarded the “Golden Chain of the Commonwealth” - the highest award of the ROO “Russian-speaking Commonwealth of Creative Workers” Also awarded:

Literary awards: “Frugeno-81” (Italy), “SIMBA Academy” in 1984 (Italy), International Golden Lion Award (Venice), etc.

On January 22, 2005, in Turin, Yevtushenko was awarded an Italian literary prize Grinzane Cavour - “for the ability to convey eternal themes through the means of literature, especially to the younger generation.”

In 2007, on the initiative of the World Congress of Russian-Speaking Jews (WKRE), he was nominated for the 2008 Nobel Prize in Literature for the poem “Babi Yar”.

He is an honorary member of the Spanish and American Academies, a professor at the University of Pittsburgh and the University of Santo Domingo.

In 1994, a minor planet of the solar system, discovered on May 6, 1978 at the Crimean Astrophysical Observatory (4234 Evtushenko), was named after the poet.