Viktor Astafiyev
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Viktor Petrovich Astafiyev also spelled Astafiev or Astaf'ev (Russian: Виктор Петрович Астафьев) (May 1, 1924 - November 29, 2001), was a Russian writer of short stories and novels.
Viktor Astafiyev was born in a village of Ovsyanka near Krasnoyarsk on the bank of the Yenisei river and spent much of his childhood in an orphanage. He was conscripted into the Soviet Army in 1942. He was seriously wounded fighting the Germans during the Great Patriotic War and after his de-mobilization in 1945 lived in different regions of Russia including Urals, Chusovoy near Perm and Vologda doing various jobs such as locksmith and smelter.
In 1953 Astafiyev published first collection of his stories dedicated mostly to Second World War experience of Russian soldiers and civilians. After 1962 he became a professional writer and his realistic often critical of the Soviet regime novels about the war and the Stalin era became highly popular.
His most acclaimed works include:
- The Snow is Melting ("Тают снега" - Tayut snega, 1958)
- Theft ("Кража" - Krazha, 1966)
- The Last Tribute ("Последний поклон" - Posledniy poklon, 1968)
- Sheppard and His Wife ("Пастух и пастушка" - Pastukh i pastushka, 1971)
- Czar Fish ("Царь-рыба" - Czar ryba, 1975)
- Sad Detective ("Печальный детектив" - Pechalny detektiv, 1986)
- The Cursed and the Slain ("Прокляты и убиты" - Proklyaty i ubity, 1994)
- The Will to be Alive ("Так хочется жить" - Tak khochetsya zhit', 1995)
- The Jolly Soldier ("Веселый солдат" - Veselyi soldat, 1999)
[edit] References
- Dedication to Viktor Astafiyev Russian Culture Navigator
- Marking the 75th anniversary of Viktor Astafiev and Victory Day by Lyubov Kuznetsova.
- excerpt, from The Cursed and the Slain New Russian Writing
