Everyone knows songs about a downy shawl from Orenburg, Mamayev Kurgan, a sailor going on leave. They are written on the verses of the talented poet, prose writer and collector of folklore Viktor Bokov. During his long life, he experienced a lot, but he did not lose interest and love for his native language and people.
The biography of Viktor Fedorovich began in a peasant family in the Moscow province in 1914, on September 6 (19). He was born in the village of Yazvitsy. Here, from the very birth, the boy heard a cheerful balalaika, accordions, soulful lyric songs, admired Russian dances, listened to national folklore.
Choosing a life path
The poet's mother had a great voice. The speech of a simple woman amazed with its expressiveness and imagery even of such venerable masters of literature as Sholokhov and Fadeev. Children's hobbies with folk color gave way to a passionate lifelong interest. Already as an adult, Bokov traveled to many villages of the Russian hinterland, collecting the most magnificent folklore material.
All poetic works are permeated with the national living word. Viktor Fedorovich studied at the factory school. Then he was educated at the Zagorsk seven-year school. In 1931 there he became a student at a pedagogical college. During his studies, the young man took part in the activities of the literary association at the newspaper "Vperyod". Then he met Kozhevnikov, Prishvin.
On their recommendation, Bokov entered the capital's literary institute. His fellow students were Vysotskaya, Simonov, Matusovsky. After graduation, the future writer at the All-Union House of Folk Art worked as a consultant. The author's debut poem was published in the Zagorsk newspaper in October 1930.
Five years later, his works were constantly published in various publications. A distinctive feature of Bokov's poetry was sonority, saturation with assonances, alliterations. Viktor Fedorovich also went on numerous expeditions to folklore. Based on the results of his trips, he published articles in magazines. Readers vividly called out to them.
The recognized luminaries of literature Platonov, Bulgakov, Kataev appreciated the work of the novice author. With their support, Bokov was admitted to the Writers' Union of the USSR in 1941. Since the forties, failures haunted the writer. He went to the front in 1942. He served only four months, and ended up in SibLag. After his release in 1947, the poet spent a lot of time in exile.
Literary activity
Bokov began to engage in professional literary creativity in the fifties. In the beginning, the work-collection "Russian Chastushka" became a kind of result of all the folklore-collecting trips made earlier. In 1958, the first poetic editions "Yar-Khmel" and "Zastrugi" were published.
In subsequent years, "Three Herbs", "Alevtina", "Bow to Russia", "Day by Day" were published. Only in 1990 the reader saw the "Siberian seat" and the prefaces to the works of Zamyatin, Bobrov, the essay "Chastushka of the Motherland of Shukshin". After meeting Marina Tsvetaeva, the prose writer left his own memories. He accompanied the poet to Yelabuga in 1941.
Remained his notes and saw in the boy from the village a nugget poet Prishvina, Pasternak, that in 1953 he asked to give his turn to publish works by Bokov, Platonov, with whom he was associated with a strong friendship. He was engaged with enthusiasm Viktor Fedorovich and the processing of poetic works created in other languages. Most residents of the country know Bokov from the repertoire of the popular singer Lyudmila Zykina.
In collaboration with talented composers, he created about one and a half hundred songs. Among them are "Oh, Snow, Snowball" and "I'll Call You Zorenka". But the most popular was the composition "Orenburg downy shawl".
It turned out to be a wonderful song in 1958 literally one day. The writer was invited to the Orenburg region to prepare a repertoire for the local folk choir.
During the trip, Ponomarenko and Bokov created several songs. All the time the poet was dissatisfied with something, it seemed to him that something was missing. Before leaving, he saw local pride, a weightless, warm shawl of goat down. The package with him was sent to his mother, and Viktor Fedorovich wrote down the words that came to mind. Music was quickly picked up at the rehearsal.
The poet has always written. He did not spend a single day without creating new works. Bokov skillfully knew how to perform ditties. He knew at least a thousand of them. It was on the initiative of the poet that the popular TV program "Play, accordion" was created.
Recognition and awards
The writer was happy in his personal life. His wife Evdokia gave him his first child, the son of Constantine. A second heir, Aleksey, appeared behind him. In the fall of 1941, the poet was evacuated with them to Chistopol. He returned to the Bokov family after the camp. The talented author left this life in 2009, in mid-October.
For a long life, the poet has received many awards. He was awarded the medal "For Courage and Love for the Fatherland", seven orders. Viktor Fedorovich was a member of the Presidium of the Writers' Organization of Russia, was a member of the Academy of Security, Defense and Law Enforcement Problems.
He was elected an honorary citizen of Sergiev Posad. Bokov won several national literary awards. The greatest recognition of talent for the writer was the love of numerous fans.
In the homeland of the poet, in Yazvitsy, his house-museum was opened. Every year in the Sergiev-Posad region, the festival "Side Autumn" is held. Once a year in the city of Peresvet a song festival "My Love, Russia" takes place on the verses of Viktor Fedorovich.
