Among Soviet writers there were many talented people, however, a special place in the history of literature of this period was assigned to Valentin Savvich Pikul. This man was able to win the hearts of readers with his works, which combined the complexity of historical data set forth by a simple and easy syllable. Without exaggeration, this author was and to this day remains one of the most popular writers. This article will tell about the work of Valentin Pikul, as well as his personal life, which was filled with a considerable amount of interesting facts.
The young years of the writer
Pikul was born on July 13, 1928 in the city of Leningrad. The parents of the future writer came from peasant families and were not particularly different from most people of that time.
The family of Valentin Pikul lived in Leningrad. The boy studied diligently, was fond of art and acrobatics. A year before the start of the war, the Pikuley family had to leave for the working shipbuilding village of Molotovsk (which today is called Severodvinsk), where Valentin continued to study well and began to attend the Young Sailor club. After passing the exams after the fifth grade, Maria Konstantinovna (Valentin Savvich’s mother), taking her son with her, went to visit her relatives in Leningrad, where the war began. They could not return to Molotovsk because of the blockade that had begun.
Having survived the worst period of the blockade, Valentin Savvich and his mother managed to evacuate only along the "Road of Life", which ran through Lake Ladoga and was well shot by the enemy. After a hunger strike, lack of vitamins and lack of treatment, Pikul began to suffer from scurvy and dystrophy.
After evacuation to Arkhangelsk, young Valentin Savvich could not sit out in the rear for a long time and fled to the Jung school on Solovki. They took it from the age of 15, and the prerequisite was the presence of education of grades 6-8. But Pikul had only 5 completed classes behind him, which complicated entry. The commission had to make an exception and enroll Valentine. This decision was made after the boy laid out his essays on the naval subjects in front of the members of the selection committee and amazed everyone with his knowledge. The life experience gained at the Jung school later formed the basis of the autobiographical work of Valentin Savvich “The Boy with Bows”.
By the way, at that moment his father Savva Mikhailovich at that time fought, defending his homeland in the ranks of the Marines. Already in 1943, Valentin Savvich graduated and was sent to serve on the destroyer Grozny. The purpose of this vessel was to escort convoys that delivered food, military equipment and weapons from the allied countries to Arkhangelsk and Murmansk. On the destroyer "Grozny" Pikul rose to the rank of commander of a combat post, and then became a navigator electrician.
When the war ended, Pikul was 17 years old, but even at such a young age, the guy managed to excel. He was described as a person capable of risky and rash acts. It is worth noting that it was precisely this wording that was entered in the official description, which was stored in the personal file of the future writer.
In the biography of Valentin Pikul there is one surprising fact - after the victory he was sent to study at the naval school, but already in 1946 he was expelled “for lack of knowledge”, in other words - for poor performance. Therefore, the formal education of the writer is in the 5th grade of the school, and all other knowledge was obtained by him independently from books. After being expelled, he happily visited the literary circles of Vsevolod Rozhdestvensky, Vera Ketlinskaya, and others.
The personal life of the writer
Valentine Savich was married three times. He met his first wife, Zoya Chudakov, when he stood in line. They met and quickly fell in love with each other. Stormy feelings swept the young people and, despite such a young age (Pikul was then 17 years old), they had to get married, as Zoya became pregnant. So the only daughter of Pikul was born - Irina Valentinovna Pikul. By the way, this girl inherited her father's addiction to marine affairs and became an engineer in the field of shipbuilding. But, despite the fact that Zoya gave Valentina Savvich a daughter, she was not a key woman in his life, and their marriage broke up very quickly.
The second wife of Pikul was Veronika Feliksovna Chugunova. She was ten years older than him, and this very confused her. Valentin Savvich long sought Veronica, but she did not take him seriously. It is worth noting that the friends of Valentin Savvich nicknamed his second wife "Iron Felixovna", as this woman had a strong-willed character and a severe disposition. In the end, she was able to become for Pikul the closest, reliable friend and ally. Veronika Feliksovna had an adult son from her first marriage, but they did not have common children with Pikul either. She supported her husband and gave him the opportunity to creatively develop and grow. Veronika Feliksovna took upon herself all the household hardships and problems. At her insistence, they moved from Leningrad to Riga, while they managed to improve their financial condition and change the communal room to a good two-room apartment. It is important to note that Pikul’s novel “Word and Deed” is dedicated specifically to Veronika Chugunova.
In 1980, Veronica died. The writer continued to live alone, but it was very difficult for him to cope with everything that was previously under the strict guidance of Veronika Feliksovna. At that moment, one of the library employees named Antonina took over the secret sponsorship of Valentin Savvich. She helped him around the house and was often there when he needed the writer. In the end, Pikul made her an offer, which was a complete surprise for everyone. Antonina Ilyinichna had two children from her first marriage, and when Pikul expressed her intentions to marry her, she could not make such an independent decision. To this, Pikul told her that he would take her to the house and wait for half an hour below, if she did not go down by the indicated time, he would take it for refusal. The children of Antonina Ilyinichna were not against their marriage, and she soon moved to live in the house of Valentin Savvich. These relationships have matured directly in marriage. They gradually recognized each other and were not too close, often Antonina turned to her husband by name and patronymic. This went on for about two years.
Antonina Ilinichna was with Valentin Savvich until the end of the days of his life. It is important to note that she became the main biographer of the writer, for which, after his death, she was accepted into the Union of Writers of Russia. Antonina Pikul is considered the main popularizer of her husband's literature. Several books about a talented writer, as well as a creative photo album, came out from under her hand.
Creative way
The biography of Valentin Pikul is filled with events related to the sea, ships and war. That is what prompted him to write. The first published novel by the writer was Ocean Patrol. It was published in 1954 in the publishing house of the Komsomol Central Committee "Young Guard". After the work was replicated, and many found out about it, Pikul was admitted to the Union of Writers of the USSR.
During this period, Valentin Savvich began a friendship with two talented writers who also began their creative career - Viktor Konetsky and Viktor Kurochkin. They became so inseparable that many called them "three musketeers."
Every year, Valentin Savvich’s interest in Russian history became stronger and stronger. He plunged into the work with his head, read and studied a lot. In 1961, he released the novel "Bayazet", which shocked the audience with a story about the times of the Russian-Turkish war. The writer himself claimed that this work was the beginning of his conscious and serious writing. In the same year, the writer began work on the work “On the Outskirts of the Great Empire”. After 1961, Valentin Pikul was published more and more often, and the reader recognized and fell in love with this magnificent author. In 1971, the popular Zvezda magazine published the work “The Feather and the Sword,” which marked the beginning of the most successful creative time of the author under study.
After that, in 1979, Valentin Savvich published the novel "Unclean Force." The public perceived this work very extraordinary. Many criticized Pikul, but at the same time there were those who were delighted with the work of the author. In the form in which this work can be seen now, it appeared only ten years after the first attempt at publication. The novel “Unclean Force” is a description of the times when the tsarist government in Russia was at its sunset, and one of the main characters in political life was the mysterious Grigory Rasputin. Critics began to prove to Pikul that he incorrectly described the environment of the imperial family, political figures and the era as a whole. The release of the novel "Unclean Force," according to some historians, has caused Pikul a lot of trouble. According to some rumors, the writer was beaten because of this work, and on behalf of the state and party leader of the Soviet Union Mikhail Suslov, Valentin Savvich was monitored, as something was seen in the work of the government that did not fit into the framework of generally accepted political opinions and opinions. In the same year, another work of writers was published - the novel "I have the honor."
As friends of the writer later said, he himself partially blamed the editor-in-chief of Our Contemporary, S. Vikulov. At that moment, Valentin Savvich was very depressed due to his dying wife, he had little understanding of what was happening around him. Just at this unfortunate time, Vikulov arbitrarily decided to publish an unfinished, truncated novel, which, as a result, brought a lot of suffering to Valentin Savvich.
For forty years, the writer worked on the creation of his many works. He wrote more than thirty novels and a huge number of miniatures. Valentin Pikul, as the friends of the writer told, could work for days on end. According to colleagues, the writer succumbed to the inspiration so much that he didn’t just write, but acted out scenes from his novels with himself. An amazing fact from the biography of Valentin Pikul - he never started new works on Monday, because he believed that this day was not suitable for starting big things.
In general, the writer was extremely responsible in his work. For each individual hero of his novels, Pikul got a certain information card, in which all official and unofficial data were collected. After the death of the writer, there were more than a thousand such cards. Before starting new novels, the writer carefully studied all the available information, got acquainted with the recollections of eyewitnesses of certain events, tried to look at historical events from not only Russian sources, but also foreign ones. It often happened that the writer could doubt the veracity of the information set forth in Soviet literature. For this, he often received threats from the authorities.
Over the years of his life, Valentin Pikul re-read an incredibly huge number of books. At the time of moving to Riga, the author’s personal library totaled more than 10 thousand books. All this literature inspired him and helped find clues to historical secrets. According to Pikul himself, the author should not just put his hero at the table and give him tea. The historical novel should answer all possible questions of the reader: “Was there a kettle at that time?”, “What tea did the hero drink and how did he make it?”, “Did he put sugar in a cup?” In all these little things there is a story that Pikul tried not only to tell, but to convey to his reader.
The last novel of the writer was Barbarossa, which tells about the historical events of the Second World War. It was assumed that this work will consist of two volumes. In addition, the writer planned to finish the novel “Dogs of God”. Valentin Pikul also wanted to write a work dedicated to the historical events of the eighteenth century, as well as a novel about the famous ballerina Pavlova. However, the plans failed to come true due to the death of an amazing writer.
Bibliography of Valentin Pikul
The writer has published the following works:
- novel "Ocean Patrol";
- the historical novel "Paris for three hours";
- the novel "From the impasse";
- historical novel "Moonzund";
- the novel "Tares";
- novel (especially sensational) “I have the honor”;
- the historical novel “On the Outskirts of the Great Empire”;
- the novel "Bayazet";
- novel "Battle of the Iron Chancellors"
- autobiographical work “Boys with Bows”;
- the historical novel Requiem Caravan PQ-17;
- novel "Feather and Sword";
- the novel “Go and do not sin”;
- the novel "penal servitude";
- the novel "Stars over the Swamp";
- the novel "To Each His Own / To the Rustle of Banners";
- historical novel "Word and deed";
- the historical novel (most often referred to by fans) "Unclean Force";
- historical novel "Favorite";
- the novel "Three ages of Okini-san";
- the novel "Wealth";
- historical novel "Cruiser".
The following are considered to be unfinished works of the writer:
- "Arakcheevschina";
- "Greasy, dirty and corrupt";
- “Dogs of the Lord”;
- "Barbarossa (Square of the Fallen Fighters)."
- "Janissaries."
Screen adaptation of works by Pikul
The writer's work served as an inspiration for many directors. That allowed people not only to read, but also to see the "revived" heroes of novels from their television screens. Based on Pikul's novels, the following beautiful paintings were shot:
- The film of the Soviet director Vladimir Rogovoy "Jung of the Northern Fleet". It is worth noting that the basis of this film was not only the work of Pikul, but also the writer Vitaliy Guzanov.
- The film "Moonsund" directed by Alexander Muratov. The plot of the picture is the work of the same name by Pikul, telling about the participation of the Russian fleet in the First World War.
- The film "Boulevard Romance", directed by Vasily Panin. The film is based on the story of Valentin Savvich, and the picture itself tells about the life of Olga Palem, which was very difficult in life.
- Russian television series Bayazet directed by Andrei Chernykh and Nikolai Istanbul.
- The Russian television series Wealth, directed by Eldor Urazbaev.
- The series of Alexander Cott "Requiem Caravan PQ-17."
- The Russian television series Favorit, filmed by film director Alexei Karelin.
- The series "Feather and Sword" directed by Evgeny Ivanov.
Writer Awards
Valentin Savich was a recognized writer. Which readers loved and recognized by the state. However, Valentin Pikul received his awards not only for his work, but also for his participation in the Great Patriotic War. Over the years of his life he received:
- Two orders of the Red Banner of Labor.
- Medal "For the Defense of Leningrad."
- Order of the Patriotic War II degree.
- Order of Friendship of Peoples.
- Medal "For the victory over Germany in the Great Patriotic War of 1941-1945."
- Medal "For the defense of the Soviet Arctic."
Valentin Savvich Pikul received cash prizes from the state. He donated the first to the victims of the earthquake in Armenia, and the second to the fund of the hospital of the Baltic Military District. The third prize for the novel "Unclean Force" the writer received posthumously.
Criticism of creativity
Pikul’s books have often been criticized during the author’s lifetime and continue to be criticized today. Most often, Valentin Savvich is reproached for the inaccuracy of historical facts and the excessive simplicity of their presentation to the reader. In addition, many consider in his novels a too vulgar style of presentation. Some of the adherents of the left parties and even some researchers to this day say that the works of Valentin Savvich Pikul are opportunistic and were created only to please the Soviet authorities.
Particularly went to Pikul for the novel "Unclean Force." From all sides, the author was accused of distorting the historical data and moral character of the imperial family. The critic, literary critic and publicist Valentin Dmitrievich Oskotsky said that “Unclean Force” is a stream of subject gossip. And the son of Peter Stolypin wrote that Pikul should answer for such base defamation not before literary critics, but before the state court.
Discussions about the works of Valentin Savvich do not cease to this day. We can conclude that this man left his mark in the history of Soviet literature. His ambiguous, resonant and somewhere controversial works delighted some, infuriated others, and still others completely followed the author and suspected him of cases that were harmful to the state. But for sure, only one thing can be said - the works of Pikul left no one indifferent.
The death of a writer
Valentin Savvich Pikul died July 16, 1990. The cause of his sudden death was a heart attack.
The writer was buried in the city of Riga. An amazing fact is that after the funeral of Valentin Savvich’s widow, Antonina Ilinichna, sorting through his things, I found a book with an inscription on the flyleaf indicating the day of death that Pikul had predicted for himself. He was mistaken for only three days. The inscription from the book is given below.
When I die, someone will get this book, and he will think, why was I interested in such subjects? The fact of the matter is that, thanks to the diversity of interests, I became a writer. Although during my life I never called myself that, preferring the more modest word - “writer”. I had only 5 classes [aces], and I fought from the age of 14, and all that I acquired subsequently, I gained from a passionate, almost fantastic love of knowledge. Now I am 31 years old, I have made two novels, four more are planned. Pikul Valentin Savvich wrote this, Russian, was born on July 13, 1928, died on July 13, 19 ...
The memory of Pikul
Whatever critics say, this writer has become a popular favorite. He received recognition from a huge number of readers. To this day, even representatives of the new generation admire the work of Valentin Pikul.
The memory of this writer is stored not only in the hearts of readers, it is immortalized in monuments, courts bearing the name of the writer, malls, libraries and more.
Even the small planet Pikulia is named after the writer. In 2004, the Valentin Pikul Prize was established.
Conclusion
To date, the works of Valentin Savvich Pikul are stored in many home libraries of ordinary people. He was not a man with the simplest destiny, but at the same time he is an example of how a man loved his work and completely found himself in it. From an early age he was passionate about naval affairs, well versed in the courts and quickly learned to manage them. This is all felt well in Pikul's books. He wrote extremely simply about those things that may be completely incomprehensible to people who do not encounter war or naval affairs in their usual lives.
Having learned the biography of Valentin Pikul, we can conclude that he was true to himself, was serious about business and was not afraid of difficulties. This man was a nugget and was able to independently grow a personality. Which contemporaries are proud of.
Over the years of his life, Valentin Pikul wrote a huge number of works around which there are many disputes to this day. This is precisely what indicates that he was able to hurt the living, and that no one can remain indifferent after reading his works. The novel “Honor I Have” touches my hearts especially. Perhaps you should familiarize yourself with it?