Sergey Vladimirovich
Mikhalkov
1913-2009
Sergey Vladimirovich Mikhalkov was a writer, poet, playwright, fable writer, chairman of the Union of Writers of Russia, author of the text of two anthems of the Soviet Union and the anthem of the Russian Federation, chairman of the Union of Writers of the RSFSR, political figure. S.V. Mikhalkov was born on 13 March 1913 in Moscow. On his father’s side he came from the ancient noble family of Mikhalkovs. In addition to Sergey, the family brought up two more boys: Michael and Alexander. Sergey began to write poetry at the age of 9. His early work was highly appreciated by the poet Alexander Bezymensky. Then Sergey moved with his parents to the Stavropol Territory (Krai). It was there, in 1928, that S.V. Mikhalkov’s first poem was published. After finishing school, the young poet returned to the capital. He worked in several places until he finally became a freelancer for the newspaper “Izvestia”. Even then his poems were published in the most famous newspapers and magazines of the country, for example, in “Ogonyok”, “Pravda”, “Komsomolskaya Pravda”, “Izvestia”, but after the printing in 1935 of the poem “Uncle Stepa” S.V. Mikhalkov really became famous. In the year of publication of the poem Segrei Mikhalkov began his studies at the Literary Institute, and in 1937 he became a member of the Union of Writers of the USSR. In 1939 he received the highest award of the USSR – the Order of Lenin. When the Great Patriotic War began, S.V. Mikhalkov worked as a war correspondent. He developed the script of the film “Frontline Girlfriends” (for which he received the State Prize). In 1944, after the government decided to change the anthem, S.V. Mikhalkov became one of the authors of the text of the new version. After the war S.V. Mikhalkov created children’s plays, wrote scripts for cartoons. At that time S.V. Mikhalkov also worked on the script of films that became very popular – “Three Plus Two” and “The Great Space Journey”. In 2000 he composed the anthem of the Russian Federation. S.V. Mikhalkov became secretary of the Union of Writers, secretary of the SP RSFSR, and later its chairman. He was a deputy of the Supreme Soviet. S.V. Mikhalkov’s books were so popular that by 2008, according to general estimates, their circulation totalled 300 million. In 2008 he was awarded the Order of St Andrew the Apostle for outstanding literary merits. There is a memorial plaque on the house where S.V. Mikhalkov lived.
Address: Moscow, Novinsky Boulevard, 28/35, building 1
