Not every witness of historical events leaves their memories of them. Some do not have enough time and energy. Others simply do not know how to express their thoughts on paper. Oleg Volkov is a hereditary Russian nobleman and Soviet writer.
Childhood and youth
At birth, a person does not choose his life path. In the surrounding reality, there is already a certain predetermination that affects his fate. Oleg Vasilievich Volkov was born on January 21, 1900 in a noble family. Parents at that time lived in St. Petersburg. My father served as the manager of the joint-stock company "Russian-Baltic plants". Mother, the granddaughter of the famous Admiral Lazorev, was engaged in housekeeping and raising children. As was customary in noble houses, the boy was prepared from an early age for public service.
Oleg spoke French earlier than Russian. Legends and myths were read to him in Greek and then translated into Russian. From an early age, Volkov was taught to serve himself. In the morning wash, dress and make the bed. Idleness and empty pastime in the house was not welcomed. The future writer spent summer time at his father's estate, in nature. Oleg oversaw the agricultural work and willingly helped the local peasants in the haymaking. He knew how and loved to ride a horse. He spent a lot of time in the forest, observing the habits of birds and animals.
Volkov received his secondary education at the gymnasium and at the same time attended the Tenishevsky School, where he mastered the wisdom of folk crafts. In 1917, after graduating from the gymnasium, he entered the Petrograd University. By this time, revolutionary transformations began in the country. On the advice of his friend, who joined the Bolshevik Party, Oleg went to his family estate and spent several years there. Then, having moved to Moscow, for some time he was interrupted by odd jobs. When representative offices of foreign states began to open in the capital, Volkov was received as an interpreter at the Greek embassy.
Since Oleg was fluent in the main European languages, he was able to find a job without much difficulty. Since there were not many such specialists in Moscow, they already knew about him in certain circles. He worked as an interpreter for business meetings between foreign concessionaires and representatives of the Soviet government. Accompanying foreign correspondents on trips around the city and the Moscow region. For several years he was listed as a staff translator in the humanitarian mission of the Norwegian scientist Fridtjof Nansen.
On the trail of trials
The translator Volkov, due to the specifics of his work, formed a wide circle of acquaintances from various fields of activity. Among them were both Soviet citizens and foreign guests. This feature could not be ignored by special services. In 1928, Oleg Vasilyevich received an unequivocal offer to become a full-time informant. All work should be paid - such employees receive decent fees. Volkov politely but categorically refused from the "seductive" offer. A couple of weeks later he was arrested and sentenced to three years in the camps for counter-revolutionary agitation.
Since that time, Oleg Volkov's dramatic odyssey began in prisons, camps and exiles. The mere listing of arrests, interrogations, trials and sentences makes a depressing impression. The repressive machine was gaining momentum, and the future writer could not escape from its sphere of influence. Volkov was tried five times and was always sentenced to camps or exile. The last trip was to the Krasnoyarsk Territory. For almost six years he lived in the taiga village of Yartsevo on the banks of the Yenisei. He worked as a carpenter, water carrier, was engaged in commercial hunting.
Literature and social activities
It should be noted that throughout all his wanderings in camps and transit prisons, Volkov wrote down his impressions of what he saw and experienced. Returning to ordinary life after his release in 1955, Oleg Vasilievich first of all put his notes and archives in order. Stories and stories began to be published in "thick" magazines. In 1957, at the suggestion of Sergei Mikhalkov, he was admitted to the Union of Writers of the USSR. In the same period, the first books by Oleg Volkov were published - "Young Hunters", "In a Quiet Land", "Treasure of Kudeyar".
Without stopping from literary creativity, the writer spent a lot of time and energy fighting for the preservation of nature and ancient monuments. Volkov was elected to the council of the All-Union Society for the Conservation of Nature. For almost fifteen years he worked in the editorial office of the almanac "Hunting Spaces". While busy, Oleg Vasilyevich continued to work on his main book, which is called "Immersion in darkness." This sad story can be called the biography of the writer. It was first published in France. At home, the book was published in the early 90s.
Essays on personal life
Oleg Volkov considered the best rest to be in the forest. He was a good hunter. He had several guns in his house. Each for its own special occasion. Oleg Vasilievich loved dogs and knew how to bring them up and train them for game. Several hounds always lived at the Volkovs' dacha near Moscow.
The personal life of the writer has developed dramatically. He officially registered the marriage twice. Volkov lived with his first wife for forty years. They raised and raised their daughter Maria and the Son of Vsevolod. In 1968, the family broke up. Oleg Vasilievich lived with his second wife for almost thirty. They had a daughter, Olga. The writer died in the winter of 1996. Buried at the Troekurovsky cemetery in Moscow.
