Literature Personalities

Sergei Vladimirovich Mikhalkov monument

Sergei Vladimirovich Mikhalkov monument
Sergei Vladimirovich Mikhalkov monument in Moscow. Sculptor Alexander Rukavishnikov

Sergei Vladimirovich Mikhalkov monument

May 28, 2014 Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin personally took part in the opening of the monument to Sergei Vladimirovich Mikhalkov (March 13, 1913 – August 27, 2009). The monument was installed on Povarskaya Street in the square between the houses number 33 and number 35/28: next to the house where he lived a long time, and in front of the International Community of Writers’ Union, which he headed.
The sculpture was created by People’s Artist of Russia Alexander Rukavishnikov, author of Moscow monument to Fyodor Dostoevsky, Mstislav Rostropovich, and Yuri. The members of the family of the writer: Andrei Konchalovsky, Nikita Mikhalkov and Yulia Subbotina attended the opening ceremony.

The monument to Sergei Vladimirovich Mikhalkov
The monument to Sergei Vladimirovich Mikhalkov (March 13, 1913 – August 27, 2009)

The poet is depicted sitting on a bench, his right hand resting on his famous cane, and the left – on the back of the bench. Bench set on a granite pedestal. Next to the monument of a bronze sculpture is a little girl who looks at the writer and holds flowers in hands. The creation of a monument took the author about one and a half years.

“Sergei Mikhalkov was bright, a wonderful man, a true, faithful patriot of our great motherland. His public activity, and his unique creativity is already part of the history of Russia, and part of our great culture”, – Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin said. In addition, he noted that the poet was the author of two hymns of the country. And he added, that the main business of his life always considered service to the fatherland.

Sergei Mikhalkov died in 2009 at the age of 96 years. To the poet belongs the text of the national anthem of the USSR and the Russian Federation. Mikhalkov wrote the classic children’s poem “Uncle Styopa”, “There was a tram number ten,” and “How the old man sold the cow.”

Young Sergei Mikhalkov
Young Sergei Mikhalkov (March 13, 1913 – August 27, 2009)

Mikhalkov published his first publications before the WWII (1941-1945) in the journals “Ogonek”, “Pioneer”, “Spotlight”, and in the newspapers “Komsomolskaya Pravda”, “Izvestia”, “Evening Moscow” and “Pravda.” And his famous poem “Uncle Styopa”, was published in 1935.

During the war, Mikhalkov was a correspondent for newspapers, together with the soldiers, he fought for Stalingrad and was wounded. The writer was awarded military orders and medals.

Sergei Mikhalkov was the author of poems, fables, plays, stories, and pedagogical works. He wrote the epitaph on the grave of the Unknown Soldier near the Kremlin wall – “Your name is unknown, your deed is immortal.” The total circulation of the writer’s books published in the world in different languages – over 300 million copies.

Mikhalkov is known as a public literary figure. He was Secretary of the Union of Soviet Writers, chairman of the Moscow organization of the RSFSR, the deputy of the USSR Supreme Council, member of the Commission on Stalin, Lenin and State Prizes. After the collapse of the Union Mikhalkov became co-chairman of the Executive Committee the Community of Writers ‘Unions, and in 2005 became chairman of the executive committee of the International Community of Writers’ Unions.

Monuments to literary hero “Uncle Styopa” by Sergei Mikhalkov

In total there are four sculptural composition dedicated to Uncle Styopa. The first monument to appeared in Moscow in 2008. The author of the monument – sculptor Alexander Rozhnikov. The three-meter bronze giant, together with a small pedestal was cast in the Khimki plant. Here, as in the eponymous cartoon, guard Stepanov rescues a bird and repairs traffic lights.

The second monument appeared in the city of Prokopyevsk, Kemerovo region in 2011 on the project of the Krasnoyarsk sculptor Konstantin Zinich. The composition is as follows: a policeman Uncle Styopa helps a brood of ducklings cross the road.

The third monument is in Nizhny Novgorod appeared in 2014 in the school yard of school named after SV Mikhalkov 2014. Sculptor SA Melnikov. Tall uncle Stepan (4.5 m), weighing two tons stands near the entrance to the school, accompanied by a slightly faulty traffic lights and salutes the kids, and next to it there is a kid Egorka dreamily pointing finger to the sky.

November 6, 2015 has been set yet another bronze statue height of about six meters in the center of Samara, in the pedestrian zone in the streets of Leningrad. Sculpture created by Zurab Tsereteli, on the money raised by employees and veterans of law-enforcement bodies, as well as other residents of the city. The event coincided with both – the 80th anniversary of “Uncle Stepan,” and the annual Police Day, celebrated on 10 November.

Sergei Vladimirovich Mikhalkov monument

Children's toys - part of sculptural composition
Children’s toys – part of sculptural composition
Detail of monument
Detail of monument
Part of sculptural composition - the girl with flowers
Part of sculptural composition – the girl with flowers
Soviet writer Sergei Mikhalkov
Soviet writer Sergei Mikhalkov
Teddy bear - detail of monument
Teddy bear – detail of monument
The girl with flowers
The girl with flowers
Uncle Styopa with duclkings. Prokopievsk, Kemerovo region, Russia
Uncle Styopa with ducklings. Prokopievsk, Kemerovo region, Russia
Moscow monument to Uncle Styopa
Moscow monument to Uncle Styopa
Nizhny Novgorod, monument to the character of Sergei Mikhalkov's 'Uncle Styopa'
Nizhny Novgorod, monument to the character of Sergei Mikhalkov’s ‘Uncle Styopa’
Samara monument to uncle Styopa
Samara monument to uncle Styopa
Soviet writer Sergei Vladimirovich Mikhalkov
Soviet writer S.V. Mikhalkov

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