Bella Akhmadulina: short biography, photos and videos, personal life
Akhmadulina Bella Akhatovna (1937-2010) - Russian and Soviet writer and lyric poet, the largest personality in Russian poetry of the second half of the twentieth century. She was a member of the Writers' Union of Russia, was an Honorary Member of the American Academy of Literature and Art. In 1989 she was awarded the State Prize of the USSR, in 2005 the State Prize of the Russian Federation.
Childhood
Bella was born on April 10, 1937 in an elite Soviet family living in Moscow.
Her father, Akhat Valeevich Akhmadulin, was a Tatar by nationality, worked at customs as a big boss, was actively involved in Komsomol and party activities. During the Great Patriotic War, he served with the rank of major of the guard, was assigned to the 31st separate anti-aircraft artillery division as deputy commander for political affairs. After the war, he returned to serve in the State Customs Committee of the USSR, where he held responsible positions (he was a personnel manager, deputy chairman).
Mom, Lazareva Nadezhda Makarovna, had Russian-Italian roots, worked as a translator in the State Security Committee, had the rank of KGB major.
Their maternal grandmother, Nadezhda Mitrofanovna, also lived with them. It was she who came up with the idea to give the born girl the name Isabella. Mom at that time was just obsessed with Spain and asked her grandmother to find a name for the newborn in the Spanish style. But the poetess did not like her own name and shortened it by removing the first three letters, it turned out just Bella.
Parents were constantly busy at work, so Bella was raised by her grandmother. She taught her granddaughter to read, instilled a love for classical Russian literature, taught the girl not only Pushkin's fairy tales, but also his prose, reread Gogol's works to her. And my grandmother adored animals, taught such love and care for our smaller brothers and Bella, together they picked up all the homeless cats and dogs.
Throughout her life, then the animals will be next to the poetess, she will pass on such love and loyalty to them to her daughters. Bella Akhatovna repeatedly repeated: “I fully support Anastasia Tsvetaeva, who said: “I write the word DOG only in capital letters”.
The little girl was sent to a kindergarten near Moscow in Kraskovo. It was round-the-clock, Bella was sent there for the whole week, they were taken home only for the weekend. Of this period, she remembered only one moment when the teacher tried to take away her beloved bear. Kindergarten workers often took away from the pupils the gifts that their parents had put for them for a week. The teachers also had their own children, probably because they wanted to please them. But nothing happened with the bear, Bella clung to her toy so much that the kindergarten workers were even scared.
In this kindergarten, the girl was caught by the war. Dad was called to the front almost immediately, mom was constantly busy at work. When the Germans almost came close to Moscow, Bella and her grandmother left for the evacuation. It was very difficult for them to travel: from Moscow to Samara, from there to Ufa, and, finally, to Kazan, the homeland of the pope, where the second grandmother lived.
Relations with the Tatar grandmother did not work out. Firstly, she did not perceive her granddaughter very much, because at one time she was too unhappy with the departure of her son Akhat to Moscow. Secondly, she did not like that the girl did not speak her native Tatar at all.
Bella remembers that they were given some small corner, and there was also a terrible famine. This knocked the girl down, she became very ill. But in time, my mother arrived from Moscow and in 1944 took her daughter.
Studies
In 1944, Bella became a first grade student at a Moscow school. The educational institution horrified her, over the years of evacuation, the girl got used to loneliness, so she most often skipped classes. She did not like any subjects except literature. Nevertheless, she read better than anyone in the class and wrote very competently, without mistakes at all. This was the merit of the grandmother.
During her school years, Akhmadulina visited the House of Pioneers in the Krasnogvardeisky District, where she studied in a literary circle.
Parents wanted their daughter to enter the Moscow State University for journalism. But the girl failed the entrance exams, failing to tell about the Pravda newspaper, which she had never even held in her hands, let alone read.
In 1956, she was enrolled to study at the Literary Institute.
In 1959, a scandal erupted in the Soviet Union after the Nobel Prize was awarded to the writer Boris Pasternak. In literary circles, they began to collect signatures under a petition where the writer was accused of treason, called a traitor. The collection of signatures also took place at the Literary Institute, but Akhmadulina refused to put her signature, for which she was expelled from the educational institution. Official documents indicated that the student was expelled for failing the exam in Marxism-Leninism.
Later, Bella was restored at the institute for the fourth year and in 1960 received a red diploma of higher education.
Creation
Akhmadulina began to write poetry in her school years. As literary critics noted, she groped for her unique poetic manner somewhere at the age of fifteen. Her poetry was distinguished by unusual rhymes, touching chastity and a special style of writing. The first poems of the young poetess were published in the magazine "October".
When Bella did not enter Moscow State University after school, her mother advised her to go to work at the Metrostroyevets newspaper. Here she published not only her articles, but also poems.
After being expelled from a higher educational institution, Bella was assisted by Smirnov S.S., who at that time worked as the editor-in-chief in Literaturnaya Gazeta.
The girl was sent to Irkutsk as a freelance journalist for the Literaturnaya Gazeta Siberia publishing house. Along with reporting for the newspaper, Akhmadulina wrote poems about the blast furnace and steelworkers. She saw them exhausted leaving after their shift. Then in Irkutsk, Bella wrote a prose work "On the Siberian Roads", where she shared her impressions of this region. The story about the amazing Siberia and the people living in it was published in the Literary Gazette along with Akhmadulina's poems written during this trip.
Soon after receiving the diploma, Bella's first collection of poetry, entitled "String", was published. The poet and playwright Pavel Antokolsky was the first to appreciate her talent, he dedicated a verse to Akhmadulina, in which he said: “Hello, Miracle, named Bella!»
The poetess became famous. At the same time, she began to take part in poetry evenings, which were held in the assembly halls of Moscow University and the Polytechnic Museum in Luzhniki. Huge audiences of people gathered to listen to the poetry of Bella Akhmadulina, Robert Rozhdestvensky, Andrei Voznesensky, Yevgeny Yevtushenko.
Akhmadulina had an artistic gift, and intonation with its penetration and sincerity determined Bella's unique performing style. Her poetry has become easily recognizable.
Akhmadulina was only 22 years old when she wrote her most famous work, “Footsteps sound along my street for many years - my friends are leaving.” After 16 years, the composer Mikael Tariverdiev put music on these verses, and since then every year on December 31 we hear this amazing romance in the film by Eldar Ryazanov “The Irony of Fate, or Enjoy Your Bath!”
After the first published collection, the success of the poetess was resounding, the "String" was followed by new collections of poems:
- in 1968 "Chills";
- in 1970 "Music Lessons";
- in 1975 "Poems";
- in 1977 "Snowstorm" and "Candle";
- in 1983 "Mystery";
- in 1989 "Garden" (for this collection she received the State Prize of the USSR).
In the 70s, Akhmadulina often traveled to Georgia, since that time this country has occupied a large place in the work of the poetess. Bella also translated the poetry of Georgian authors: Abashidze I., Baratashvili N., Tabidze G.
In 1979, the poetess participated in the creation of the uncensored literary anthology "Metropol".
Until the last days, Akhmadulina's talent did not dry out, more and more poetry collections came out from under her pen:
- "Coast" (1991);
- "The Casket and the Key" (1994);
- "The ridge of stones" (1995);
- "Once Upon a December" (1996);
- "The Moment of Being" (1997);
- "Near the Christmas Tree" (1999);
- “My friends have wonderful features” (2000);
- "Cold Hyacinth" (2008);
- "Not a word about love" (2010).
For her creative achievements, Bella Akhatovna has repeatedly become a laureate of many Russian and foreign awards, has received awards: the Order of Friendship of Peoples and the Order of Merit for the Fatherland II and III degrees.
In 2013, Russian President Vladimir Putin spoke during the first Congress of Parents. He made a proposal: be sure to add Akhmadulina's poetry to the school literary curriculum.
Movie
In addition to poetry, Bella's creative talent has found its application in the cinema.
In 1964, the film directed by Vasily Shukshin "Such a guy lives" was released on the screens of the country. It is based on Shukshin's stories about an ordinary boy - a driver Pashka Kolokolnikov, who meets different people on his life path. Bella Akhmadulina starred in the film as a Leningrad journalist. She, in fact, played herself in that life period when she worked as a correspondent for Literaturnaya Gazeta. The film won the Golden Lion at the Venice Film Festival.
Another film in which Akhmadulina starred is Sport, Sport, Sport. He was released in 1970, directed by Helen Klimov.
Bella Akhmadulina's poems are heard in many Soviet films:
- "Zastava Ilyich";
- "Key without the right to transfer";
- "Love affair at work";
- "Old Fashioned Comedy";
- "I came and I say";
- "Cruel romance".
Personal life
Bella's first husband was the poet Yevgeny Yevtushenko, they met while studying at the Literary Institute. Their life was stormy, with loud quarrels and quick reconciliations. They loved each other madly, respected each other's poetry. They could walk the streets of Moscow holding hands all day long. He adored her Bakhchisaray eyes, and called her face the most beautiful in the world. The couple lived in marriage for three years (from 1955 to 1958).
The second husband of Akhmadulina is the famous writer Yuri Nagibin. They were married from 1959 to 1968, Bella was his fifth wife. After a divorce from Yuri, the poetess adopted the girl Anya.
The third husband of Akhmadulina is Eldar Kuliev (the son of the famous Balkarian classic Kaisyn Kuliev). He was 14 years younger than Bella. In 1973, a girl, Liza, was born in marriage.
In 1974, while walking the dogs, Bella met the theater artist and sculptor Boris Messerer. It was love at first sight and the happiest marriage in the life of the poetess.
Both daughters followed in the footsteps of Bella Akhatovna. The eldest Anya graduated from the Polygraphic Institute and designs books as an illustrator. Lisa, like her mother, studied at the Literary Institute.
In recent years, Bella Akhatovna lived with her husband in Peredelkino, was seriously ill, her eyesight almost completely failed, and the poetess moved by touch. On November 29, 2010, a cardiovascular crisis caused the death of Akhmadulina, she was buried at the Novodevichy cemetery in Moscow.
According to her friends: “Bella Akhmadulina has not done a single false deed in her life”.