Born on March 15, 1937 in the village of Ust-Uda, Irkutsk region. Father - Rasputin Grigory Nikitich (1913–1974). Mother - Rasputina Nina Ivanovna (1911–1995). Wife – Rasputina Svetlana Ivanovna (born 1939), pensioner. Son – Sergey Valentinovich Rasputin (born 1961), English teacher. Daughter – Rasputina Maria Valentinovna (born 1971), art critic. Granddaughter - Antonina (born 1986).

In March 1937, the family of a young employee of the regional consumer union from the regional village of Ust-Uda, lost on the taiga bank of the Angara almost halfway between Irkutsk and Bratsk, had a son, Valentin, who later glorified this wonderful region throughout the world. Soon the parents moved to their father’s family nest - the village of Atalanka. The beauty of the nature of the Angara region overwhelmed the impressionable boy from the very first years of his life, settling forever in the hidden depths of his heart, soul, consciousness and memory, sprouted in his works as grains of fertile shoots that nourished more than one generation of Russians with their spirituality.

A place from the banks of the beautiful Angara became the center of the universe for a talented boy. No one doubted that he was like that - in the village, after all, anyone from birth is visible in full view. Valentin learned to read and write from an early age - he was very greedy for knowledge. The smart boy read everything he could find: books, magazines, scraps of newspapers. His father, having returned from the war as a hero, was in charge of the post office, his mother worked in a savings bank. His carefree childhood was cut short at once - his father’s bag with government money was cut off on the ship, for which he ended up in Kolyma, leaving his wife and three young children to fend for themselves.

In Atalanka there was only a four-year school. For further studies, Valentin was sent to the Ust-Udinsk secondary school. The boy grew up from his own hungry and bitter experience, but an ineradicable thirst for knowledge and serious responsibility that was not childish helped him to survive. Rasputin would later write about this difficult period of his life in the story “French Lessons,” which is surprisingly reverent and truthful.

Valentin's matriculation certificate showed only A's. A couple of months later, in the summer of 1954, having brilliantly passed the entrance exams, he became a student at the Faculty of Philology at Irkutsk University, and was interested in Remarque, Hemingway, and Proust. I haven’t thought about writing—apparently, the time hasn’t come yet.

Life was not easy. I thought about my mother and the younger ones. Valentin felt responsible for them. Earning money for a living wherever possible, he began to bring his articles to the editorial offices of radio and youth newspapers. Even before defending his thesis, he was accepted into the staff of the Irkutsk newspaper “Soviet Youth,” where the future playwright Alexander Vampilov also came. The genre of journalism sometimes did not fit into the framework of classical literature, but it allowed us to gain life experience and stand stronger on our feet. After Stalin’s death, my father was granted amnesty, returned home disabled and barely reached the age of 60...

In 1962, Valentin moved to Krasnoyarsk, the topics of his publications became larger - the construction of the Abakan-Taishet railway, the Sayano-Shushenskaya and Krasnoyarsk hydroelectric power stations, the shock work and heroism of youth, etc. New meetings and impressions no longer fit into the framework of newspaper publications. His first story, “I forgot to ask L?shka,” is imperfect in form, piercing in content, and sincere to the point of tears. At a logging site, a falling pine tree hit a 17-year-old boy. The bruised area began to turn black. Friends agreed to accompany the victim to the hospital, which was a 50-kilometer walk. At first they argued about a communist future, but Leshka was getting worse. He didn't make it to the hospital. But the friends never asked the boy if happy humanity would remember the names of simple hard workers, like him and L?shka...

At the same time, Valentin’s essays began to appear in the Angara almanac, which became the basis of his first book, “The Land Near the Sky” (1966) about the Tafalars, a small people living in the Sayan Mountains.

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However, the most significant event in the life of the writer Rasputin happened a year earlier, when at once, one after another, his stories “Rudolfio”, “Vasily and Vasilisa”, “Meeting” and others appeared, which the author now includes in published collections. With them he went to the Chita meeting of young writers, among the leaders of which were V. Astafiev, A. Ivanov, A. Koptyaeva, V. Lipatov, S. Narovchatov, V. Chivilikhin. The latter became the “godfather” of the young writer, whose works were published in the capital’s publications (“Ogonyok”, “Komsomolskaya Pravda”) and attracted the interest of a wide range of readers “from Moscow to the very outskirts.” Rasputin still continues to publish essays, but most of his creative energy is devoted to stories. They are expected to appear and people show interest in them. At the beginning of 1967, the story “Vasily and Vasilisa” appeared in the weekly “Literary Russia” and became the tuning fork of Rasputin’s prose, in which the depth of the characters’ characters is defined with jeweler precision by the state of nature. It is an integral component of almost all of the writer’s works.

Vasilisa did not forgive her long-standing resentment to her husband, who once, while drunk, took up an ax and became the culprit in the death of their unborn child. They lived side by side for forty years, but not together. She is in the house, he is in the barn. From there he went to war, and returned there. Vasily looked for himself in the mines, in the city, in the taiga, he remained with his wife, and brought the lame-legged Alexandra here. Vasily's partner awakens in her a waterfall of feelings - jealousy, resentment, anger, and later - acceptance, pity and even understanding. After Alexandra left to look for her son, from whom they were separated by the war, Vasily still remained in his barn, and only before Vasily’s death Vasilisa forgives him. Vasily both saw and felt it. No, she did not forget anything, she forgave, removed this stone from her soul, but remained firm and proud. And this is the power of the Russian character, which neither our enemies nor ourselves are destined to know!

In 1967, after the publication of the story “Money for Maria,” Rasputin was admitted to the Writers' Union. Fame and fame came. People started talking about the author seriously - his new works are becoming the subject of discussion. Being an extremely critical and demanding person, Valentin Grigorievich decided to engage only in literary activities. Respecting the reader, he could not afford to combine even such closely related genres as journalism and literature.

In 1970, his story “The Deadline” was published in the magazine “Our Contemporary”. It became a mirror of the spirituality of our contemporaries, that fire by which we wanted to warm ourselves so as not to freeze in the bustle of city life. What is it about? About all of us. We are all children of our mothers. And we also have children. And as long as we remember our roots, we have the right to be called People. The connection between mother and children is the most important on earth. It is she who gives us strength and love, it is she who leads us through life. Everything else is less important. Work, success, connections, in essence, cannot be decisive if you have lost the thread of generations, if you have forgotten where your roots are. So in this story, the Mother waits and remembers, she loves each of her children, regardless of whether it is alive or not. Her memory, her love do not allow her to die without seeing her children. Following an alarming telegram, they come to their home. The mother no longer sees, does not hear, and does not get up. But some unknown force awakens her consciousness as soon as the children arrive. They have long since matured, life has scattered them across the country, but they have no idea that it was the words of their mother’s prayer that spread the wings of angels over them. The meeting of close people who had not lived together for a long time, almost breaking the thin thread of connection, their conversations, disputes, memories, like water in a dry desert, revived the mother, giving her several happy moments before her death. Without this meeting, she could not leave for another world. But most of all, they needed this meeting, already hardened in life, losing family ties in separation from each other. The story “The Deadline” brought Rasputin worldwide fame and was translated into dozens of foreign languages.

The year 1976 gave fans of V. Rasputin new joy. In “Farewell to Matra,” the writer continued to depict the dramatic life of the Siberian hinterland, revealing to us dozens of brightest characters, among whom the amazing and unique Rasputin old women continued to dominate. It would seem, what are these uneducated Siberian women famous for, who over the long years of their lives either did not manage or did not want to see the big world? But their worldly wisdom and years of experience are sometimes worth more than the knowledge of professors and academicians. Rasputin's old women are special. Strong in spirit and strong in health, these Russian women are from the breed of those who “will stop a galloping horse and enter a burning hut.” It is they who give birth to Russian heroes and their faithful girlfriends. It is their love, hatred, anger, joy that our mother earth is strong. They know how to love and create, argue with fate and win over it. Even when offended and despised, they create and do not destroy. But then new times have come, which the old people are unable to resist.

Consists of many islands that shelter people on the mighty Angara, the island of Mat?ra. The ancestors of the old people lived on it, plowed the land, gave it strength and fertility. Their children and grandchildren were born here, and life either boiled or flowed smoothly. Here characters were forged and destinies were tested. And the island village would stand for centuries. But the construction of a large hydroelectric power station, so necessary for the people and the country, but leading to the flooding of hundreds of thousands of hectares of land, the flooding of all former life along with arable land, fields and meadows, for young people this may have been a happy exit into a great life, for old people it was death . But in essence, it is the fate of the country. These people don’t protest, they don’t make noise. They're just grieving. And my heart breaks from this aching melancholy. And nature echoes them with its pain. In this, the stories and stories of Valentin Rasputin continue the best traditions of Russian classics - Tolstoy, Dostoevsky, Bunin, Leskov, Tyutchev, Fet.

Rasputin does not break into accusations and criticism, does not become a tribune and herald calling for rebellion. He is not against progress, he is for a reasonable continuation of life. His spirit rebels against the trampling of traditions, against the loss of memory, against apostasy from the past, its lessons, its history. The roots of the Russian national character lie precisely in continuity. The thread of generations cannot and should not be interrupted by “Ivans who do not remember their kinship.” The richest Russian culture is based on traditions and foundations.

In Rasputin's works, human versatility is intertwined with subtle psychologism. The state of mind of his heroes is a special world, the depth of which is subject only to the talent of the Master. Following the author, we are immersed in the whirlpool of life events of his characters, imbued with their thoughts, and follow the logic of their actions. We can argue with them and disagree, but we cannot remain indifferent. This harsh truth of life touches the soul so much. Among the writer’s heroes there are quiet pools, there are almost blissful people, but at their core they are powerful Russian characters who are akin to the freedom-loving Angara with its rapids, zigzags, smooth expanse and dashing agility.

The year 1977 is a landmark year for the writer. For the story “Live and Remember” he was awarded the USSR State Prize. The story of Nastena, the wife of a deserter, is a topic about which it was not customary to write. In our literature there were heroes and heroines who performed real feats. Whether on the front line, deep in the rear, surrounded or in a besieged city, in a partisan detachment, at the plow or at the machine. People with strong characters, suffering and loving. They forged Victory, bringing it closer step by step. They might have doubts, but they still made the only right decision. Such images fostered the heroic qualities of our contemporaries and served as examples to follow.

Nastya's husband returned from the front. Not as a hero - during the day and throughout the village with honor, but at night, quietly and stealthily. He is a deserter. The end of the war is already in sight. After the third, very difficult wound, he broke down. Come back to life and suddenly die? He could not overcome this fear. From Nastena herself, the war took away her best years, love, affection, and did not allow her to become a mother. If something happens to her husband, the door to the future will slam in her face. Hiding from people, from her husband’s parents, she understands and accepts her husband, does everything to save him, rushes into the winter cold, making her way into his lair, hiding her fear, hiding from people. She loves and is loved, perhaps for the first time, like this, deeply, without looking back. The result of this love is a future child. Long-awaited happiness. No, it’s a shame! It is believed that the husband is at war, and the wife is walking. Her husband's parents and fellow villagers turned their backs on Nastena. The authorities suspect her of having a connection with the deserter and are keeping an eye on her. Go to your husband - indicate the place where he is hiding. If you don't go, you'll starve him to death. The circle closes. Nastena rushes into the Angara in despair.

The soul is torn to pieces from pain for her. It seems that the whole world is going under water along with this woman. There is no more beauty and joy. The sun will not rise, the grass will not rise in the field. The forest bird will not trill, the children's laughter will not sound. Nothing alive will remain in nature. Life ends on the most tragic note. She, of course, will be reborn, but without Nastena and her unborn child. It would seem that the fate of one family, and the grief is all-encompassing. So, there is such a truth. And most importantly, you have the right to display it. To remain silent, no doubt, would be easier. But no better. This is the depth and drama of Rasputin’s philosophy.

He could write multi-volume novels - they would be read with delight and filmed. Because the images of his heroes are excitingly interesting, because the plots attract with the truth of life. Rasputin preferred convincing brevity. But how rich and unique is the speech of his heroes (“some kind of hidden girl, quiet”), the poetry of nature (“the hard snow playing sparklingly, taking in the crust, the first icicles rang, the air was lit up by the first melting”). The language of Rasputin’s works flows like a river, replete with wonderful-sounding words. Every line is a treasure trove of Russian literature, speech lace. If only Rasputin’s works reach descendants in the next centuries, they will be delighted with the richness of the Russian language, its power and uniqueness.

The writer manages to convey the intensity of human passions. His heroes are woven from the traits of national character - wise, flexible, sometimes rebellious, from hard work, from being itself. They are popular, recognizable, live next to us, and therefore are so close and understandable. At the genetic level, with their mother’s milk, they pass on their accumulated experience, spiritual generosity and perseverance to the next generations. Such wealth is richer than bank accounts, more prestigious than positions and mansions.

A simple Russian house is a fortress behind whose walls human values ​​rest. Their bearers are not afraid of defaults and privatization; they do not replace conscience with well-being. The main standards of their actions remain goodness, honor, conscience, and justice. It is not easy for Rasputin's heroes to fit into the modern world. But they are not strangers to it. These are the people who define existence.

Years of perestroika, market relations and timelessness have shifted the threshold of moral values. This is what the stories “In the Hospital” and “Fire” are about. People search and evaluate themselves in the difficult modern world. Valentin Grigorievich also found himself at a crossroads. He writes little, because there are times when the artist’s silence is more disturbing and more creative than words. This is what Rasputin is all about, because he is still extremely demanding of himself. Especially at a time when new Russian bourgeois, brothers and oligarchs emerged as “heroes”.

In 1987, the writer was awarded the title of Hero of Socialist Labor. He was awarded the Order of Lenin, the Red Banner of Labor, the Badge of Honor, and the Order of Merit for the Fatherland, IV degree (2004), and became an honorary citizen of Irkutsk. In 1989, Valentin Rasputin was elected to the Union Parliament, under M.S. Gorbachev became a member of the Presidential Council. But this work did not bring moral satisfaction to the writer - politics is not his destiny.

Valentin Grigorievich writes essays and articles in defense of desecrated Baikal, working in numerous commissions for the benefit of people. The time has come to pass on experience to the young, and Valentin Grigorievich became the initiator of the annual autumn festival “Radiance of Russia” held in Irkutsk, which brings together the most honest and talented writers to the Siberian city. He has something to tell his students.

Many of our famous contemporaries in literature, cinema, on stage and in sports come from Siberia. They absorbed their strength and sparkling talent from this land. Rasputin lives in Irkutsk for a long time, every year he visits his village, where his relatives and family graves are. Next to him are family and congenial people. This is a wife - a faithful companion and closest friend, a reliable assistant and simply a loving person. These are children, granddaughter, friends and like-minded people.

Valentin Grigorievich is a faithful son of the Russian land, defender of its honor. His talent is akin to a holy spring, capable of quenching the thirst of millions of Russians. Having tasted the books of Valentin Rasputin, having known the taste of his truth, you no longer want to be content with surrogates of literature. His bread is bitter, without any frills. It is always freshly baked and without any flavor. It is not capable of becoming stale, because it has no statute of limitations. From time immemorial, such a product was baked in Siberia, and it was called eternal bread. Likewise, the works of Valentin Rasputin are unshakable, eternal values. Spiritual and moral baggage, the burden of which not only does not weigh you down, but also gives you strength.

Living in unity with nature, the writer still discreetly, but deeply and sincerely loves Russia and believes that its strength is enough for the spiritual revival of the nation.

March 15, 1937, Ust-Uda village, East Siberian region, RSFSR, USSR - March 14, 2015, Moscow, Russian Federation.

Russian prose writer, representative of the so-called. "village prose".
Hero of Socialist Labor (03/14/1987).

After graduating from primary school, he was forced to move alone fifty kilometers from home, where the secondary school was located (the famous story “French Lessons” - 1973) would later be created about this period. After school, he entered the Faculty of History and Philology of Irkutsk State University. During his student years, he became a freelance correspondent for a youth newspaper. One of his essays caught the editor's attention. Later, this essay under the title “I forgot to ask Lyoshka” was published in the anthology “Angara” (1961).
After graduating from the university in 1959, Rasputin worked for several years in newspapers in Irkutsk and Krasnoyarsk, and often visited the construction of the Krasnoyarsk hydroelectric power station and the Abakan-Taishet highway. Essays and stories about what he saw were later included in his collections “Bonfires of New Cities” and “The Land Near the Sky.”
In 1965, he showed several new stories to V. Chivilikhin, who came to Chita for a meeting of young writers of Siberia, who became the “godfather” of the aspiring prose writer. Among Russian classics, V. Rasputin considers Dostoevsky and Bunin to be his teachers.

Since 1966 - professional writer. Since 1967 - member of the Union of Writers of the USSR.

Valentin Rasputin's first book, “The Edge Near the Sky,” was published in Irkutsk in 1966. In 1967, the book “A Man from This World” was published in Krasnoyarsk. In the same year, the story “Money for Maria” was published in the Irkutsk almanac “Angara” (No. 4), and in 1968 it was published as a separate book in Moscow by the publishing house “Young Guard”.
The writer’s talent was revealed in full force in the story “The Deadline” (1970), declaring the maturity and originality of the author.
This was followed by the story “French Lessons” (1973), the story “Live and Remember” (1974) and “Farewell to Matera” (1976).
In 1979, he joined the editorial board of the book series “Literary Monuments of Siberia” of the East Siberian Book Publishing House (Irkutsk). In the 1980s, he was a member of the editorial board of the Roman-Gazeta magazine.
In 1981, new stories were published: “Natasha”, “What to convey to the crow”, “Live a century - love a century”.
The appearance of the story “Fire” in 1985, characterized by the severity and modernity of the problem, aroused great interest among the reader.
In recent years, the writer has devoted a lot of time and effort to social and journalistic activities, without interrupting his creativity. In 1995, his story “To the Same Land” was published; essays "Down the Lena River". Throughout the 1990s, he published a number of stories from the “Cycle of Stories about Senya Pozdnyakov”: Senya Rides (1994), Memorial Day (1996), In the Evening (1997), Unexpectedly (1997), Like a Neighbor (1998).
In 2004 he published the book “Ivan’s Daughter, Ivan’s Mother.”
In 2006, the third edition of the album of essays by the writer “Siberia, Siberia” was published (previous editions 1991, 2000).
In Irkutsk, works are included in the regional school curriculum for extracurricular reading.

prizes and awards

Order of Alexander Nevsky (September 1, 2011).
Order of Merit for the Fatherland, III degree (March 8, 2007).
Order of Merit for the Fatherland, IV degree (October 28, 2002).
Two Orders of Lenin (1984, 03/14/1987).
Order of the Red Banner of Labor (1981).
Order of the Badge of Honor (1971).

Laureate of the State Prize of the Russian Federation for outstanding achievements in the field of humanitarian activities in 2012 (2013).
Laureate of the Presidential Prize of the Russian Federation in the field of literature and art (2003).
Laureate of the Russian Government Prize for outstanding achievements in the field of culture (2010).
Laureate of the USSR State Prize (1977) - for the story “Live and Remember” (1974).
Laureate of the USSR State Prize (1987) - for the story “Fire” (1985).
Laureate of the Irkutsk Komsomol Prize named after. Joseph Utkin (1968).
Winner of the award named after. L. N. Tolstoy (1992).
Laureate of the Prize of the Foundation for the Development of Culture and Art under the Committee of Culture of the Irkutsk Region (1994).
Winner of the award named after. St. Innocent of Irkutsk (1995).
Laureate of the Siberia magazine award named after. A. V. Zvereva.
Winner of the Alexander Solzhenitsyn Prize (2000).
Laureate of the Literary Prize named after. F. M. Dostoevsky (2001).
Winner of the award named after. Alexander Nevsky “Russia's Faithful Sons” (2004).
Winner of the Best Foreign Novel of the Year award. XXI century" (China, 2005).
Laureate of the All-Russian Literary Prize named after Sergei Aksakov (2005).
Laureate of the International Foundation for the Unity of Orthodox Peoples Award (2011).
Winner of the Yasnaya Polyana Prize (2012).
Honorary citizen of Irkutsk (1986).
Honorary citizen of the Irkutsk region (1998).

The chronological table of Rasputin will tell about the life and work of the famous Russian writer, public figure, and publicist.

The material will introduce you to the dates of graduation, studies at Irkutsk University, places of work and residence of the writer. Using the table, you can find out about the first publications of Valentin Grigorievich, the dates of publication of his novels and short stories. The story “Live and Remember” received the State Prize. At the beginning of the 2000s, a collection of the writer’s essays was published. In 2010, he was nominated for the Nobel Prize. It so happened that the date of birth and death of Rasputin coincided, this is March 15. The writer was buried in his homeland, in the city of Irkutsk.

The main dates in the life and work of Rasputin Valentin Grigorievich will help you independently consolidate the material you have covered and prepare for the test.

1937, March 15– was born in the regional village of Ust-Uda, Irkutsk region. The writer’s father was a peasant, worked in a timber industry enterprise, his mother was a housewife.

1954 – graduates from school and enters the first year of the Faculty of History and Philology at Irkutsk University.

1955 – acquaintance with Alexander Vampilov, who entered the first year of the Faculty of History and Philology at ISU.

1957 – Rasputin begins working as a freelance correspondent for the newspaper “Soviet Youth”.

1958 – in the newspaper “Soviet Youth” Rasputin publishes articles, sketches, reports, critical correspondence about student life, about the activities of pioneer squads, about the work of the police, about the life of the school;
published in collaboration with R. Grad, M. Voronin, under the pseudonym R. Valentinov, but most often under his own name - V. Rasputin.

1959 – completes the fifth year of the Faculty of History and Philology of ISU;
works for the newspaper “Soviet Youth”. The pseudonym V. Kairsky appears under newspaper publications.

1961 – Rasputin’s story (“I forgot to ask Leshka…”) was published for the first time in the Angara almanac;
Rasputin leaves the editorial office of the newspaper “Soviet Youth” and takes the position of editor of literary and dramatic programs at the Irkutsk television studio;
in the newspaper “Soviet Youth” (February 12, September 17), in the anthology “Angara” the publication of stories and essays of the future book “The Land Near the Sky” begins.

1962 – Rasputin quits the Irkutsk television studio and works in the editorial offices of various newspapers (“Soviet Youth”, “Krasnoyarsky Komsomolets”, “Krasnoyarsky Rabochiy”, etc.)

1962, August– Rasputin was hired as a literary employee of the newspaper “Krasnoyarsk Worker” in Krasnoyarsk.

1964 – the newspaper “East Siberian Truth” published the story “A Man from This World.”

1965 – the story “A Man from This World” was published in the anthology “Angara”;
Rasputin takes part in the Chita zonal seminar of aspiring writers, meets with V. Chivilikhin, who noted the talent of the aspiring author;
the newspaper “Komsomolskaya Pravda” published the story “The Wind is Looking for You”;
The magazine “Ogonyok” published the essay “Departure of Stofato”.

1966 – a book of essays “Bonfires of New Cities” is published in Krasnoyarsk.

1967 – the story “Money for Maria” is published, which brought fame to the writer;
Rasputin was admitted to the USSR Writers' Union.

1968 – the writer was awarded the Komsomol Prize named after I. Utkin.

1969 – beginning of work on the story “The Deadline”.

1971 – trip to Bulgaria as part of the club of Soviet-Bulgarian youth creative intelligentsia. In Novosibirsk (West Siberian Book Publishing House), in the series “Young Prose of Siberia,” the book “The Last Term” is published with an afterword by S. Vikulov, which brought Rasputin worldwide fame.

1974 - the story “Live and Remember” is published (State Prize, 1977).

1976 - the story “Farewell to Matera” is published;
Rasputin travels to Finland with the prose writer V. Krupyan at the invitation of the Swedish seminar on literature and culture;
travels to the Federal Republic of Germany together with Yu. Trifonov to the book fair in Frankfurt am Main.

1977 - at the Moscow Theater named after. M.N. Ermolova is staging the play “Money for Maria” based on the story of the same name;
The Moscow Art Theater staged the play “The Deadline” based on the play by V. Rasputin.

1978 – Rasputin is baptized in Yelets;
A television film by K. Tashkov “French Lessons” based on the story of the same name by Rasputin is released on the screens of the country.

1979 - trip to France.

1981 – Rasputin was awarded the Order of the Red Banner of Labor.

1983 – a trip to Germany to a meeting organized by the Interlit-82 club.

1984 – trip to Mexico at the invitation of the Institute of Fine Arts.

1985 – trip to Kansas City (USA) at the invitation of the university. Lectures on modern prose.

1986 – trip to Bulgaria, Japan, Sweden.

1987 – stay in West Berlin and Germany as part of a delegation studying environmental and cultural issues.

1994 – speech at the World Russian Council “The Path of Salvation.”

1995 – by decision of the Irkutsk City Duma, Rasputin was awarded the title “Honorary Citizen of the City of Irkutsk.”

1997 – V. Rasputin and G. Galaziy were awarded the Prize of the Foundation of the Holy All-Praised Apostle Andrew the First-Called “For Faith and Fidelity”;
A two-volume volume of selected works by V. Rasputin is published.

1999 – there will be a performance “Farewell to the Gone Away?” in Italy at the International Conference on Problems of the Modern World and Forecasts for the Future.

2000 – awarded the Solzhenitsyn Foundation “Brotherhood of Conservatives” prize.

2002 – the publishing house “Yantarny Skaz” (Kaliningrad) publishes a two-volume edition of Rasputin’s collected works;
at the celebration of the First International Days of F. Dostoevsky in Estonia, V. Rasputin was awarded the first F. Dostoevsky Prize;
Rasputin takes part in the World Russian People's Council.

Soviet literature

Grigory Efimovich Rasputin

Biography

RASPUTIN Valentin Grigorievich (b. 03/15/1937), Russian writer and public figure.

Born on March 15 in the village of Ust-Uda, Irkutsk region, into a peasant family. After school, he entered the Faculty of History and Philology of Irkutsk University. During his student years, he became a freelance correspondent for a youth newspaper. One of his essays caught the editor's attention. Later, this essay under the title “I forgot to ask Leshka” was published in the anthology “Angara” (1961).

After graduating from university in 1959, Rasputin worked for several years in newspapers in Irkutsk and Krasnoyarsk, and often visited construction sites. Krasnoyarsk hydroelectric power station and the Abakan - Taishet highway. Essays and stories about what he saw were later included in his collections “Bonfires of New Cities” and “The Land Near the Sky.”

In 1965, Rasputin showed several new stories to V. Chivilikhin, who came to Chita for a meeting of young writers of Siberia, who became the “godfather” of the aspiring prose writer.

Rasputin's first book of stories, “A Man from This World,” was published in 1967 in Krasnoyarsk. In the same year, the story “Money for Maria” was published.

The writer’s talent was revealed in full force in the story “The Deadline” (1970), declaring the maturity and originality of the author.

This was followed by the stories “Live and Remember” (1974) and “Farewell to Matera” (1976), which placed their author among the best modern Russian writers.

In 1981, new stories were published: “Natasha”, “What to convey to the crow”, “Live a century - love a century”.

The appearance of Rasputin’s story “Fire” in 1985, distinguished by its acuteness and modernity of the problem, aroused great interest among the reader.

In recent years, the writer has devoted a lot of time and effort to social and journalistic activities, without interrupting his creativity. In 1995, his story “To the Same Land” was published; essays “Down the Lenerek”; in 1996 - the stories “Memorial Day”; in 1997 - “Unexpectedly”; “Father's Limits” (“Vision” and “In the Evening”). Lives and works in Irkutsk.

A native Siberian from the village. Ust-Uda on the Angara, now flooded by the reservoir of the Bratsk hydroelectric power station. He graduated from Irkutsk University in 1959. He began publishing in the local press with essays and stories marked by undoubted talent, but at the level of Siberian-taiga romance. Rasputin's major success, which brought him literary fame, was the story “Money for Maria” (1967), which expressed the main idea of ​​the writer - the triumph of goodness and justice over the world of self-interest and self-will. Rasputin was then ranked by the capital's evaluators as one of the writers of “village prose,” although even in terms of plot he was never limited to descriptions of rural life. Rasputin’s literary success was further developed by the subsequent novels and short stories (“The Deadline”, 1970, “Live and Remember”, 1974, “Farewell to Matera”, 1976, etc.). The images of his heroes express the enormous spiritual wealth of the Russian person - kindness, conscientiousness, love for the Motherland, responsiveness, compassion, mutual assistance, cordiality, spiritual generosity, non-covetousness.

A person can live fully only with love for the Motherland, preserving in his soul the centuries-old traditions of his people. In the story “Farewell to Matera,” Rasputin shows how the Russian people feel about the destruction of their national world “in the name of progress.” By order from above, one of the many Russian villages must disappear from the face of the earth and be flooded. The peasants are forcibly resettled to another place - to a “promising” village, built by mediocre “specialists” alien to the Russian people, without love for the people who live here." A simple Russian woman, Daria, has been resisting for five years, defending her old house and the entire village from a pogrom. For her, Matera and her house are the embodiment of the Motherland. Daria defends not the old hut, but the Motherland, where her grandfathers and great-grandfathers lived, and every log not only of hers, but also of her ancestors. Her Russian heart hurts - “like it’s on fire, Christ’s , burns and burns, aches and aches." As the critic Yu. Seleznev accurately noted: "The name of the island and the village - Matera - is not accidental in Rasputin. Matera, of course, is ideologically figuratively connected with such generic concepts as mother (mother - Earth, mother - Motherland), the mainland is a land surrounded on all sides by the ocean (the island of Matera is like a “small continent”). The cosmopolitan offensive of the so-called world progress, the transformation of man into a soulless cog of the consumer world destroys spiritual civilization, undermines the foundations of the Orthodox worldview, which Daria defends so steadfastly. By betraying his small homeland, a person loses the origins of the most important thing in life, degrades as a person, his life becomes gray and aimless. An event in the ideological life of society was Rasputin’s story “Fire” (1985). This is a stern artistic warning about the impending national misfortune: spiritual decline, followed by social decline. With the beginning of “perestroika,” Rasputin, who had previously avoided the bustle of the meeting, became involved in a broad socio-political struggle. He was one of the most active opponents of the destructive “turn of the northern rivers” (Berger’s project was canceled in July 1987). In 1989−91 - deputy of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR, gave passionate patriotic speeches, for the first time quoted the words of P. A. Stolypin about “great Russia” (“You need great upheavals, we need a great Russia”). He was a member of the leadership of the Russian National Council and the National Salvation Front. Then he publicly declared that “politics is a dirty business.”

Grigory Efimovich Rasputin (01/21/1869 - 12/30/1916), real name of the Novykhs. Rasputin G.E. born in the Tyumen province in the village of Pokrovskoye. Grigory Efimovich was recognized as a healer, although he had no education. Grigory received the nickname “Rasputin,” which later became his surname, for his dissolute lifestyle in the village.

In 1890, he married fellow villager Praskovya Fedorovna, whose marriage led to the birth of three children.

In 1892, Rasputin made his first pilgrimage to the Perm monastery on Verkhotur. After Rasputin reaches Athos - a Greek monastery, and then reaches Jerusalem. When Gregory returned to Pokrovskoye, he declared himself chosen by God, possessing a healing and miraculous gift.

In 1900, Rasputin went to Kyiv, where he met with Archimandrite Chrysanthus. The Archimandrite sends him to St. Petersburg to the Theological Academy to Father Theophan, where he arrives in 1903.

In 1905, rumors about the healer reached the imperial court. And in 1907, when Tsarevich Alexei, who suffered from hemophilia, had another attack, the Empress found Rasputin. Grigory Rasputin becomes close to the emperor's family, treats Alexei and gradually begins to influence the country's politics.

In 1915 - 1916, when four officials of the Prime Minister were changed in a short period of time, the entire court began to discuss Rasputin's favoritism. Then a conspiracy began to mature against Rasputin.

12/30/1916 - Yusupov, Dmitry Romanov and Purishkevich plan an assassination attempt on Rasputin. Having invited him, they try to poison Gregory by adding potassium cyanide to the treat. But the poison had no effect on him, and then Yusupov wounded the healer with a shot. Dmitry and Vladimir kill Rasputin, after which they throw the body into the hole.

After picking up the body, it is revealed that Rasputin was still alive when he was dropped, but ended up choking to death. Grigory Rasputin was buried in Tsarskoe Selo near the chapel of the imperial palace, but in 1917 his body was exhumed and burned.

Valentin Grigorievich Rasputin (1937-2015) - Russian writer, laureate of numerous USSR state awards, publicist and public figure. He was born on March 15, 1937 in the village of Ust-Uda, East Siberian (Irkutsk) region of the Russian Federation. He has the title of Hero of Socialist Labor. The writer was often called the “singer of the village”; in his works he glorified Rus'.

Difficult childhood

Valentin's parents were ordinary peasants. Shortly after the birth of their son, the family moved to the village of Atalanka. Subsequently, this area was flooded after the construction of the Bratsk hydroelectric power station. The father of the future prose writer participated in the Great Patriotic War; after demobilization, he got a job as a postmaster. Once, during a business trip, a bag containing public money was taken from him.

After this situation, Gregory was arrested, and over the next seven years he worked in the mines of Magadan. Rasputin was released only after Stalin's death, so his wife, a simple employee of the savings bank, had to raise three children alone. Since childhood, the future writer admired the beauty of Siberian nature; he repeatedly described it in his stories. The boy loved to read; neighbors generously shared books and magazines with him.

Education of a prose writer

Rasputin studied at the elementary school in the village of Atalanka. To graduate from high school, he had to move 50 kilometers from home. Later, the young man described this period of his life in his story “French Lessons.” After graduating from school, he decided to enter the philological faculty of Irkutsk University. Thanks to his excellent certificate, the young man easily managed to become a student.

Since childhood, Valentin has been aware of how difficult it is for his mother. He tried to help her in everything, worked part-time and sent money. During his student life, Rasputin began to write short notes for a youth newspaper. His work was influenced by his passion for the works of Remarque, Proust and Hemingway. From 1957 to 1958 the guy becomes a freelance correspondent for the publication “Soviet Youth”. In 1959, Rasputin was admitted to the staff, and in the same year he defended his diploma.

Life after university

For some time after graduation, the prose writer worked at a television studio and in a newspaper in Irkutsk. The newspaper editor paid special attention to the story entitled “I forgot to ask Lyoshka.” Later, in 1961, this essay was published in the Angara almanac.

In 1962, the young man moved to Krasnoyarsk and received the position of literary employee in the newspaper “Krasnoyarsk Worker”. He often visited the construction sites of the local hydroelectric power station and the Abakan-Tayshet highway. The writer drew inspiration even from such seemingly unsightly landscapes. Stories about the construction were later included in the collections “The Land Near the Sky” and “Bonfires of New Cities.”

From 1963 to 1966 Valentin works as a special correspondent for the Krasnoyarsky Komsomolets newspaper. In 1965, he participated in the Chita seminar together with other aspiring writers. There the young man is noticed by the writer Vladimir Chivilikhin; later it was he who helped publish Valentin’s works in the publication “Komsomolskaya Pravda”.

The prose writer's first serious publication was the story “The Wind is Looking for You.” After some time, the essay “Stofato’s Departure” was published and published in the magazine “Ogonyok”. Rasputin gained his first fans, and soon more than a million Soviet residents read him. In 1966, the writer’s first collection, entitled “The Land Near the Sky,” was published in Irkutsk. It includes old and new works written in different periods of life.

A year later, a second book of stories was published in Krasnoyarsk, it was called “A Man from This World.” At the same time, the Angara almanac published Valentin Grigorievich’s story “Money for Maria.” A little later, this work is published as a separate book. After publication, the prose writer becomes a member of the Writers' Union and finally stops practicing journalism. He decided to devote his future life exclusively to creativity.

In 1967, the weekly magazine Literary Russia published the following essay by Rasputin entitled “Vasily and Vasilisa.” In this story one can already trace the writer’s original style. He managed to reveal the characters' characters with very laconic phrases, and the storyline was always supplemented with descriptions of landscapes. All the characters in the prose writer’s works were strong in spirit.

Peak of creativity

In 1970, the story “The Deadline” was published. This particular work is considered one of the key works in the author’s work; people all over the world read the book with pleasure. It was translated into 10 languages; critics called this work “a fire around which you can warm your soul.” The prose writer emphasized simple human values ​​that everyone should remember. He raised questions in his books that his colleagues did not dare to talk about.

Valentin Grigorievich did not stop there; in 1974 his story “Live and Remember” was published, and in 1976 - “Farewell to Matera”. After these two works, Rasputin was recognized as one of the best modern writers. In 1977 he received the USSR State Prize. In 1979, Valentin became a member of the editorial board of the “Literary Monuments of Siberia” series.

In 1981, the stories “Live a Century, Love a Century,” “Natasha,” and “What to Tell a Crow” were published. In 1985, the writer published the story “Fire,” which touched readers to the depths of their souls thanks to its acute and modern issues. Over the next years, the essays “Unexpectedly”, “Down the Lena River” and “Father’s Limits” were published. In 1986, the prose writer was elected secretary of the board of the Writers' Union, and later he managed to become a co-chairman.

last years of life

Rasputin spent most of his life in Irkutsk. In 2004, the prose writer presented his book “Ivan’s Daughter, Ivan’s Mother.” Two years later, the third edition of the collection “Siberia, Siberia” appeared on sale.

Valentin Grigorievich was the winner of many prestigious awards. He was awarded the title of Hero of Socialist Labor. The prose writer was a holder of the Order of Lenin and the Red Banner of Labor. In 2008 he received a prize for his contribution to Russian literature. In 2010, the writer was nominated for the Nobel Prize in Literature. At the same time, his stories were included in the school curriculum for extracurricular reading.

In adulthood, Rasputin began to actively participate in journalistic and social activities. The prose writer had a negative attitude towards the period of perestroika; he did not accept liberal values, remaining with his conservative views. The writer fully supported Stalin’s position, considered it the only correct one, and did not recognize other worldview options.

From 1989 to 1990 he was a member of the Presidential Council during the reign of Mikhail Gorbachev, but his colleagues did not listen to Valentin’s opinion. Later, the writer stated that he considered politics too dirty an activity; he reluctantly recalled this period of his life. In the summer of 2010, Rasputin was elected a member of the Patriarchal Council for Culture, representing the Orthodox Church.

On July 30, 2012, the writer joined the ranks of the persecutors of the feminist group Pussy Riot. He calls for capital punishment for the girls, and also criticizes everyone who supported them. Rasputin published his statement under the title “Conscience does not allow silence.”

In 2013, a joint book by Rasputin and Viktor Kozhemyako entitled “These Twenty Murderous Years” appeared on store shelves. In this work, the authors criticize any changes, deny progress, arguing that in recent years the people have degraded. In the spring of 2014, the prose writer became one of the Russian residents who supported the annexation of Crimea.

Personal life and family

Valentin was married to Svetlana Ivanovna Rasputina. The woman was the daughter of the writer Ivan Molchanov-Sibirsky, she always supported her husband. The prose writer repeatedly called his wife his muse and like-minded person; they had an excellent relationship.

The couple had two children: a son, Sergei, was born in 1961, and a daughter was born ten years later. On July 9, 2006, she died in a plane crash. At that time, Maria was only 35 years old, she successfully studied music and played the organ. The tragedy ruined the health of the writer and his wife. Svetlana Ivanovna died on May 1, 2012 at the age of 72. The death of the prose writer occurred three years later. On March 14, 2015, he died in Moscow, a few hours before his birthday.