Vasily Shukshin did not invent the heroes of his works. He was familiar with many of them, or even was in a family relationship. These were simple Soviet people with complex personalities who got into conflict situations.
Childhood and youth
In the folk environment, legends still live about people who unexpectedly demonstrated their abilities and found themselves in the spotlight. Among his fellow villagers, peers and adults, Vasily Makarovich Shukshin did not stand out for the time being. He lived like everyone else. He was not eager to become a leader, but he was not listed as a laggard either. The future writer and director was born on July 25, 1929 in an ordinary peasant family. Parents lived in the village of Srostki in the Altai Territory. My father was engaged in arable farming and ran his own small but strong farm.
When the boy was only four years old, his father was arrested and charged with some fantastic crimes. And according to the verdict of the emergency tribunal, he was shot three days later. The mother was left alone with two young children in her arms. After a while, she accepted the offer of Pavel Kuksin, who lived next door, and married him. The stepfather treated Vasily kindly. When the war began, he went to the front and died a heroic death in battles against the fascist invaders. Shukshin kept a good memory of his stepfather for the rest of his life.
On creative roads
At school, Shukshin studied well, but he did not have enough stars from the sky. He loved literature lessons and read all the books that fell into his hands. After graduating from seven classes, Vasily went to work on a collective farm. There was a war and the family needed help. When it became a little easier, he moved to the nearest city of Biysk and entered the automobile technical school. For some reason he could not get a diploma of graduation from an educational institution, and he again got a job. In 1949, Shukshin was drafted into the ranks of the armed forces. It fell to serve the Altai guy in the Black Sea Fleet. Here in the sailor's cabin, he felt a thirst for creativity and began to write his first stories.
Returning home after service, Vasily tried to work as a teacher at a local school. However, this occupation weighed him down. In the end, he made up his mind and went to Moscow to enter the screenwriting department of the famous VGIK. The student with a textured appearance was noticed by the directors and began to be invited to their projects. Shukshin did not even think to refuse. He performed his first cameo role in the cult film Quiet Flows the Don. Then he starred in the film "Two Fedora". Then Shukshin tried his hand at directing. The painting "Kalina Krasnaya" was highly appreciated by audiences and critics.
Recognition and privacy
For his great contribution to the development of Russian culture, Shukshin was awarded the honorary title "Honored Artist of the RSFSR". His literary works were published in separate books and printed in "thick" magazines.
The writer's personal life took shape on the third attempt. In recent years, he lived with actress Lydia Fedoseeva. The husband and wife raised two daughters. Vasily Shukshin died suddenly of a heart attack on the set of the film They Fought for the Motherland. the tragic event took place in October 1974.
