In 1995, a sculpture was installed in Pskov depicting the heroes of the most famous adventure work from those created in the Soviet era. The monument "Two Captains" is located next to the regional library. In this building there is also a small museum dedicated to the book of Kaverin.
The exhibition, located in the building of the youth library, is unique. Here is a rather impressive collection. Impressive, given that it is dedicated to only one literary work. What inspired the library staff to create such an unusual museum?
Book of Pskov celebrity
All over the world there are no more than ten exhibitions dedicated not to the work of any writer as a whole, but to just one book. In such museums, as a rule, information about the greatest works is collected. The novel "Two Captains", a monument which has been meeting young library visitors for more than twenty years, is not one of them. Moreover, few children and adolescents are aware of the contents of the book.
The idea of creating a museum and the monument “Two Captains” belongs to Pskov enthusiasts, for whom the Stalin Prize winner’s novel is the most significant in Soviet literature. And it is no coincidence. After all, the author of the book about the brave Sanya Grigoriev was originally from this ancient glorious city, which served for more than a century as an outpost of the northwestern borders of the country.
Benjamin Caverin
The writer, in honor of the heroes of the book whose sculptors Ananyev and Belov created the monument "Two Captains", was born in 1902 in Pskov. The real name of the writer is Zilber. He borrowed a pseudonym from Pushkin - in one of the chapters of Eugene Onegin. Kaverin graduated from the local gymnasium, and then entered the Leningrad University - he studied the language and culture of eastern countries. From childhood, he was attracted to distant lands, which it was rather difficult to visit for an ordinary Soviet person. The writer had to limit his travels to the endless Union, which is also not bad.
The novel, whose characters are recreated in the monument "Two Captains", was written during the war years. During this period, the writer, behind whose back there were already about ten publications, worked in the Northern Fleet. There he collected material for the book.
Kaverin's work was published in 1945. For him, as already mentioned, the prose writer received the Stalin Prize. It is worth saying that Veniamin Aleksandrovich, being the author of the novel, which pleased both Soviet criticism and the main censor, did not fool the authorities. He was a decent man, supported colleagues who were in disgrace, and never participated in general persecution. So, Kaverin in the fifties became almost the only writer who refused groundless criticism of Pasternak's novel.
According to the writer's biographers, he was the way he created the main character of his work. The sculptural composition, which is discussed in today's article, is devoted, perhaps, not so much to a fictional character, but to the bright image of the writer.
The most popular Soviet book
A lot of interesting monuments in Pskov. “Two captains”, however, attract the attention of many citizens, especially those whose youth fell on the Soviet years. Half a century ago, in the house of every reading person in our country, there was a book of Veniamin Kaverin. Sometimes she just dusted on a shelf. Nevertheless, it was an invariable component of the Soviet citizen’s home library. Recall the plot of the book.
The book is about a boy who fought and looked
The main character - Sasha Grigoryev - was born in a small provincial town. As a child, he once found a messenger bag, and in it are letters from the head of the polar expedition. The boy lost his parents early, a good neighbor looked after him. A woman, probably due to the lack of books in her modest home, read an unknown person letters to Sasha and his comrade every evening. Ultimately, the boy learned the messages by heart. And a little later, with a friend, he fled to Moscow. So Sanya became a homeless child.
Find and not give up!
In Moscow, the main character met the Tatarinov family, and later found out that they are close relatives of the author of the letters, which the boy listened to for several years and then read so selflessly.
Hero Kaverina is a surprisingly stubborn and truthful young man. Sasha finds out that Tatarinov died. He thinks and speaks only of the captain, as if that is his close relative. Sometimes Katya also breaks into the hero’s thoughts, probably only because she is the daughter of the leader of the missing expedition.
Grigoryev conducts an independent investigation and finds out that his brother is guilty of the death of the captain. He immediately informs the Tatarinov about his discovery, which causes discord in a noble family. But at the end of this story, he nevertheless proves his point. "Find and not give up!" - this is the motto of the Kaverinsky hero.
Description of the monument "Two Captains"
In the eighties, Benjamin Kaverin actively collaborated with the library. He donated many of his manuscripts and books to the institution. In 1986, a prose writer visited his hometown for the last time. He came to celebrate the anniversary of the gymnasium, which he once graduated from. And these days he met with the authors of the future sculptural composition.
In the photo of the monument "Two Captains" we see Alexander Grigoriev, depicted in motion. Behind the hero Kaverin is Captain Tatarinov. This composition perfectly illustrates the idea of the book. The main character is in continuous search, movement. The image of Tatarinov, a man who has long been dead, is invariably present next to Alexander, thereby serving as a kind of moral guide.
Ananyev and Belov provided the writer with several sketches in 1986. Kaverin chose the one on which the monument "Two Captains" was created. Library address: 7A Oktyabrsky Avenue. Here, near this building, at the very entrance there is a sculpture dedicated to the famous literary hero.
The writer passed away in 1989. The monument was unveiled six years after his death. Unfortunately, he didn’t see the sculpture. But Kaverin’s book was filmed twice during his lifetime. The most successful version was released in 1976.
Sasha Grigoriev, portrayed by Ananyev and Belov, is completely different from the actor Boris Tokarev, who played the main role in the series "Two Captains". This suggests that, plunging into the creative process, the sculptors were able to abstract from the famous movie hero. And maybe they had their own idea of the Kaverinsky character.