One of the most important and at the same time contradictory figures in Soviet literature was A.T. Twardovsky, whose verses and poems distinguish his proximity to folk speech and folklore, a special individuality and originality. Family values and the Great Patriotic War, the memory of the soldiers who fell in the battles for their homeland - these are perhaps the most important aspects of the poet's work. He witnessed the dispossession, the establishment and debunking of the totalitarian system of Stalin, a participant in the Finnish and World War II. The rich life experience and reliance on reality make the works of Alexander Trifonovich extremely popular with readers.
Lyrics Features
When working on works, Twardowski relied on the best folk traditions, took into account the peculiarities of the Russian character. That is why his poems are simple and understandable to every reader. And the lyrical hero, as a rule, is a native of the people, initially evoking respect and love from the author. The poet himself believed that the main theme in his work was the theme of memory, which was relevant at all times. In the lyrics of Twardowski, it is reflected in thoughts about his own family, dispossessed and deported when the future poet was still very young. For example, in the poem “Brothers” we hear notes of suffering and longing for loved ones with whom he was forced to live apart. But the theme of memory is especially vividly embodied in Tvardovsky’s lyrics about the war.
Frontline Chronicle
Everyone knows that the poet participated in the Finnish campaign of the late 30s. And after the start of World War II he went to the front as a correspondent, but he was always at the forefront. The poet fully understood all the difficulties of the field soldier's life and told his readers about it.
The military lyrics of Twardowski are diverse. These are journalistic poems, which are calls to fight against the hated enemy (“To the Fighter of the Southern Front”, “To the Partisans of the Smolensk Region”). And small story poems reminiscent of "short stories" about heroic deeds ("The Story of a Tankman") or soldier's life ("Army Shoemaker"). Finally, meditation poems imbued with pain for the fate of the people and the whole country (“Two lines”). But the main thing that unites them is the author’s awareness of personal responsibility for preserving the memory of those who gave their lives for the liberation of the Motherland. This thought never left Alexander Trifonovich as a person, and became the main motto of the poet-Twardowski.
“I am killed under Rzhev”: lyrical hero and main idea
The poem, written a few months after the end of the war, was first called the "Testament of the Warrior." This is not accidental, since the narration is conducted on behalf of a soldier who died in the battles for Rzhev. The lyrical hero is a generalized image of a liberating warrior who, addressing all the survivors, notes: “You should have stood, brothers,” so, even after the death of a Russian soldier, the fate of his comrades and the country is worried. And in no line is there a reproach for the fact that he died, while others survived. After all, this sacrifice is not in vain.
Such is the military lyrics of Twardowski. In the face of tremendous misfortune, the concrete erodes and becomes common. And such opposite values as death and eternal immortality, loss and unforgettable feat are intertwined so much that they are inseparable from each other.
“The book about the fighter”
The most famous work of A. T. Twardowski was the poem "Vasily Terkin", created during the war. It presents the image of a brave soldier, who, along with the author, walked the entire battle path from the 42nd to the 45th years and embodied the best qualities of a Russian person. Terkin always finds himself in the center of events, gets into various troubles, but never fails, does not lose hope and faith, finds a way out of the most difficult situation. Moreover, the hero often experiences pain and bitterness, and may even cry, Tvardovsky emphasizes.
The poems of the poem also sound merrily and briskly, sometimes filled with bitterness and inexpressible feeling of loss, as in the chapter “Crossing”: “People are warm, alive / went to the bottom ...” And the theme of memory of those who remained forever runs through the whole poem lie on the battlefields. Therefore, it is the duty of every person to never forget the great price that the Soviet people paid for a peaceful future.
Poems by A. T. Twardowski
Collectivization and dispossession (“The Country of Ants”), the Great Patriotic War and the heroism of the people (“Vasily Terkin”), the “thaw” under Khrushchev (“Far beyond”), debunking the cult of personality and totalitarianism (“By right of memory”) - the main stages of the country's historical development in the 20-60s of the XX century became part of the fate of Twardowski himself and was reflected in his poems. The author recreates the past on the pages of works to once again remind contemporaries: each of us is responsible for what happens to the people and the country. Most clearly this idea was embodied in his last poem.
“By the right of memory”
The work has long been banned. His composition, consisting of 3 parts, introduces the reader to the life of the poet himself, his youthful dreams and hopes. And most importantly, Alexander Trifonovich openly talks about the tragedy that befell the village in the 30s. It was then that his hard working father was dispossessed and exiled. So the theme of memory in the lyrics of Twardowski partly turns into filial repentance not only to his family, but to the whole Russian peasantry. Like a verdict, the words addressed to the “leader of the peoples” and the so-called “silent people” sound in the poem: “... they tell me to forget silently ... But it was a clear pain / For those whose age was torn off”. The author recalls people whom he personally knew, which makes the work reliable.
The poem is primarily dedicated to youth and sounds like an eternal reminder that history cannot be divided into segments. That everything is interconnected in it, and the past can be repeated in the present or future. That is why the title of the poem is declared as the main theme of memory.
Thus, in the lyrics of Twardowski, the problem that is relevant at all times is of great importance: it is necessary to know and love your family and your homeland and you must always remember what you have experienced. This is the only way to move forward, avoiding the repetition of the terrible mistakes of the past.