Robert Ivanovich
Rozhdestvensky
1932-1994
Robert Ivanovich Rozhdestvensky was a Soviet poet, songwriter, and translator, known for his work during the “Sixties” era and enjoyed by multiple generations of Soviet people. His biography was eventful and full of interesting encounters and creative discoveries. Rozhdestvensky was born on June 20th, 1932, in the village of Kosikha, Altai, to Polish parents Stanislav Petkevich and his wife. At birth, he was named Robert Stanislavovich Petkevich. However, when he was five years old, his parents divorced and the family eventually parted due to the outbreak of World War II. His father joined the army and his mother became a frontline medic, leaving Robert in the care of his grandmother. The war and the separation from his parents had a great impact on the young Robert. At the age of nine, he wrote his first poem about his father’s departure to the front. In 1945, his mother took him away and married an officer called Ivan Rozhdestvensky, who became like a father to the boy. Since then, Robert’s name became Robert Ivanovich Rozhdestvensky in all documents. Rozhdestvensky started writing poetry in 1950 when some of his poems were published. He became a student at Literary Institute and began to write more. Over the years, he accumulated a lot of poems and published his first collection in 1955, called “Flags of Spring”. Robert Ivanovich became a prominent poet of the Sixties along with Andrei Voznesensky, Bella Akhmadulina, and Yevgeny Yevtushenko. At first, his work was filled with civic pathos, but after a while, it gave way to love lyrics. Rozhdestvensky quickly gained fame as a songwriter, whose poems perfectly fit the music. Many of his songs became hits and were loved by the Soviet public for many years. The poet collaborated closely with renowned composers, who managed to create beautiful music based on his words. Collaborations with Raymond Pauls, Maxim Dunaevsky, and Alexandra Pakhmutova have always been very fruitful, resulting in songs that were sung all over the country. Robert Ivanovich’s poetic talent was versatile: he could write on any topic, from war and love to everyday life. His works appeared in films such as “17 Moments of Spring,” “The Elusive Avengers,” and “Carnival,” among others. He also wrote for children, creating simple yet humorous and playful poems that were easy to remember and popular among kids. Rozhdestvensky was not only a poet, but also a leader of the commission on the literary legacy of such authors as Osip Mandelshtam, Marina Tsvetaeva, and Vladimir Vysotsky. He had only one love in his life, a woman named Alla Kireeva. She was his first and only wife, and all of his love lyrics were written for her. The couple had two daughters, Ksenia and Ekaterina, who later became journalists. In memory of the poet, a memorial plaque was erected in Moscow at the address of Tverskaya 9.
Address: Moscow, Tverskaya St., 9
