Monument
«Venichka Yerofeyev and his beloved»
Venedikt Vasilyevich Yerofeyev (1938-1990) is one of the most prominent representatives of Russian literature of the 20th century, the author of the famous poem “Moscow – Petushki”. This work, which became a cult, forever changed the perception of literature and art in Russia. The monument to the poem “Moscow – Petushki”, installed in Moscow, was unveiled on May 11, 2000 in the park in the Square of Struggle, on the day of the tenth anniversary of the death of the writer. This monument is a tribute to the work of Yerofeyev and those heroes who were depicted in his work. The bronze sculpture embodies one of the main characters of the poem, Venichka, who is waiting for a train heading to Petushki, to his beloved. The man is depicted holding a sign with the inscription “Moscow” in one hand, and clutching a suitcase with gifts for his son in the other. A famous quote from the work is stamped on the monument’s pedestal: “… You can’t trust the opinion of a man who hasn’t had a hangover yet!” This statement became a landmark for the entire poem, which exposes the problems of society and life. An important part of the monument is the figure of a red-haired girl, Venichka’s lover, depicted as a slender girl with a long braid, pulling it in her hands. She stands at some distance from the main character. On its pedestal there is also a quote from the work: “In the Cockerels, … the jasmine does not fade and the birdsong does not stop,” symbolizing the eternity and immutability of those places where the main character aspires. Initially, a plaster model of the monument was displayed at the Kursky railway station, and the figure of a girl was placed in Cockerels. However, after some discussions and a request from the administration of the Kursk Railway Station, it was decided to move the bronze monument to another place where it was installed in order to convey the atmosphere of the work as accurately as possible.
Address: Moscow, Bornaya Square
