Russian poet Alexander Kochetkov: biography, creativity and interesting facts. A short and interesting tale about the real adventures of the poet. Two colored engravings

BALLAD ABOUT THE SMOKE CAR

How painful, dear, how strange
Akin to the earth, intertwined with branches, -
How painful, dear, how strange
Split in two under the saw.
The wound on the heart will not grow,
Shed clean tears
The wound on the heart will not grow -
Spilled with fiery resin.

As long as I'm alive, I'll be with you -
Soul and blood are inseparable, -
As long as I'm alive, I'll be with you -
Love and death are always together.
You will carry with you everywhere -
You will carry with you, my love,
You will carry with you everywhere
Homeland, sweet home.

But if I have nothing to hide
From pity incurable,
But if I have nothing to hide
From cold and darkness?
- After parting there will be a meeting,
Don't forget me darling
After parting there will be a meeting,
We'll both be back - me and you.

But if I vanish without a trace -
Short beam of daylight, -
But if I vanish without a trace
Beyond the star belt, into the milky smoke?
- I will pray for you
So as not to forget the path of the earth,
I will pray for you
May you return unharmed.

He became homeless and humble,
Shaking in a smoky carriage
He half cried, half slept,
Suddenly bent in a terrible roll,
When the train is on a slippery slope
Tore the wheels off the rails.

inhuman strength,
In one winepress, crippling everyone,
superhuman strength
She threw earthly things off the ground.
And didn't protect anyone.
The promised meeting is far away
And didn't protect anyone.
A hand that calls from afar.

Don't part with your loved ones!
Don't part with your loved ones!
Don't part with your loved ones!
Grow in them with all your blood, -
And every time forever say goodbye!
And every time forever say goodbye!
When you leave for a moment!

Here's an article:

Lev Ozerov

Sometimes the reader and listener learn about the poet from one poem, which - by chance or not by chance - is placed at the head of all creativity. Such a poem for Alexander Kochetkov was "The Ballad of a Smoky Carriage". This is really a wonderful poem. Rare luck. But, fortunately, it is far from the only one. The time is coming, the time has already come when the reader and listener ask, or even demand, to tell them about all the work of the poet, to show his works. Now the first test is being made. There were separate publications. But this is essentially the first book showing the selected works of Alexander Kochetkov: lyrics, epic, drama. I'll start with everyone's favorite "Ballad of a Smoky Carriage", which is sometimes called in one line: "Do not part with your loved ones!"
The poet's wife, Nina Grigorievna Prozriteleva, tells about the history of the appearance of the "Ballad" in the notes left after her death and still not published:

“We spent the summer of 1932 in Stavropol with my father. In the autumn, Alexander Sergeevich left earlier, I had to arrive in Moscow later. we delayed as best we could. On the eve of departure, we decided to sell the ticket and postpone the departure for at least three days.
The delay was over, it was necessary to go. A ticket was bought again, and Alexander Sergeevich left. A letter from him from the Kavkazskaya station illustrates the mood in which he was traveling. (In this letter there is an expression "half sad, half asleep." In the poem - "half crying, half asleep".)

In Moscow, among friends whom he informed about the first day of his arrival, his appearance was accepted as a miracle of resurrection, since he was considered dead in a terrible crash that happened to the Sochi train at the Moscow-tovarnaya station. Friends who were returning from the Sochi sanatorium died. Alexander Sergeevich escaped death because he sold a ticket for this train and stayed in Stavropol.

In the very first letter that I received from Alexander Sergeevich from Moscow, there was a poem "Vagon" ("Ballad of a smoky carriage")..."

Saved by fate from the train wreck that happened the day before, the poet could not help but think about the nature of chance in human life, about the meaning of meeting and parting, about the fate of two creatures that love each other.
So we learn the date of writing - 1932 - and the dramatic history of the poem, which was published thirty-four years later. But even unpublished, it in the oral version, transmitted from one person to another, received great publicity. I heard it during the war, and to me (and to many of my friends) it seemed to be written at the front. This poem became my property - I did not part with it. It has become one of the favorites.

The first person who told me the history of the existence of the "Ballad of a Smoky Carriage" was a friend of A. S. Kochetkov, the late writer Viktor Stanislavovich Vitkovich. In the winter of 1942, a participant in the defense of Sevastopol, writer Leonid Solovyov, the author of an excellent book about Khoja Nasreddin, "Troublemaker", came to Tashkent. At that time, in Tashkent, Yakov Protazanov was filming the film "Nasreddin in Bukhara" - according to the script by Solovyov and Vitkovich. Vitkovich brought Solovyov to Kochetkov, who was then living in Tashkent. It was then that Solovyov heard from the lips of the author of "The Ballad of a Smoky Carriage." She liked him very much. Moreover, he fanatically fell in love with this poem and took the text with him. It looked like it had just been written. This is how everyone around him perceived him (and Solovyov, at that time a correspondent for the Red Fleet, read the poem to everyone he met). And it not only fascinated listeners - it became a necessity for them. It was copied and sent in letters as a message, a consolation, a prayer. In the lists, in various versions (even mutilated), it often went along the fronts without the name of the author, as a folk one.

For the first time, "The Ballad of a Smoky Carriage" was published by me (with an introductory note about the poet) in the collection "Day of Poetry" (1966). Then "Ballad" was included in the anthology "Song of Love" (1967), published in "Moskovsky Komsomolets" and since then more and more willingly included in various collections and anthologies. The stanzas of the "Ballad" are taken by the authors as epigraphs: a line from the "Ballad" became the title of A. Volodin's play "Do not part with your loved ones", the readers include the "Ballad" in their repertoire. She also entered the film by Eldar Ryazanov "The Irony of Fate ..." We can say with confidence: it has become a textbook.

It's about the poem.

Now about the author, about Alexander Sergeevich Kochetkov. In 1974, the publishing house "Soviet Writer" published his largest work - a drama in verse "Nicholas Copernicus" as a separate book. Two of his one-act poetic plays were published: "Homer's Head" - about Rembrandt (in "Change") and "Adelaide Grabbe" - about Beethoven (in "Pamir"). Cycles of lyrical poems were published in the "Day of Poetry", "Pamir", "Literary Georgia". That's all for now. The rest (very valuable) part of the heritage (lyrics, poems, dramas in verse, translations) is still the property of the archive...

Alexander Sergeevich Kochetkov is the same age as our century.

After graduating from the Losinoostrovskaya gymnasium in 1917, he entered the philological faculty of Moscow State University. Soon he was mobilized into the Red Army. The years 1918-1919 are the army years of the poet. Then in different time he worked as a librarian in the North Caucasus, then in the MOPR ( international organization assistance to the fighters of the revolution) then as a literary consultant. And always, under all - the most difficult - circumstances of life, work on the verse continued. Kochetkov began to write early - from the age of fourteen.

His masterful translations are well known. As the author of original works, Alexander Kochetkov is little known to our readers. Meanwhile, his play in verse about Copernicus was shown at the Moscow Planetarium Theater (there was such a very popular theater). Meanwhile, in collaboration with Konstantin Lipskerov and Sergei Shervinsky, he wrote two plays in verse, which were staged and enjoyed success. The first - "Nadezhda Durova", staged by Y. Zavadsky long before A. Gladkov's play "A long time ago" - on the same topic. The second - "Free Flemings". Both plays enrich our understanding of the poetic dramaturgy of the pre-war years. At the mention of the name of Alexander Kochetkov, even among ardent lovers of poetry, one will say:

Oh, he translated The Magic Horn by Arnimo and Brentano?!

Allow me, it was he who gave the classic translation of Bruno Frank's story about Cervantes! - adds another.

Oh, he translated Hafiz, Anvari, Farrukhi, Unsari and other creators of the poetic East! - the third will exclaim.

And the translations of the works of Schiller, Corneille, Racine, Beranger, Georgian, Lithuanian, Estonian poets! - A fourth will notice.

Do not forget Antal Gidash and Es-habib Vaf, a whole book of his poems, and participation in the translations of large epic paintings - "David of Sasun", "Alpamysh", "Kalevipoeg"! - will not fail to mention the fifth.

So, interrupting and supplementing each other, connoisseurs of poetry will remember Kochetkov the translator, who gave so much strength and talent to high art poetic translation.

Alexander Kochetkov until his death (1953) enthusiastically worked on poetry. He seemed to me one of the last students of some old school of painting, the keeper of its secrets, ready to pass these secrets on to others. But few people were interested in these secrets, as in the art of inlay, making lionfish, cylinders and phaetons. Stargazer, he adored Copernicus. A music lover, he recreated the image of a deafened Beethoven. A painter in a word, he turned to the experience of the great beggar Rembrandt.

Behind the works of Kochetkov their creator appears - a man of great kindness and honesty. He had the gift of compassion for the misfortune of others. Constantly took care of old women and cats. "Such an eccentric!" others will say. But he was an artist in everything. He did not have any money, and if it did appear, it immediately migrated under the pillows of the sick, into the empty wallets of the needy.

He was helpless in regard to the arrangement of the fate of his writings. I was embarrassed to take them to the editor. And if he did, he was embarrassed to come for an answer. He was afraid of rudeness and tactlessness.

Until now, we are indebted to the memory of Alexander Kochetkov. It has not yet been fully shown to the reading public. It is to be hoped that this will be done in the coming years.

I want to sketch his appearance in the most cursory way. He had long, combed back hair. He was light in his movements, these movements themselves betrayed the character of a person whose actions were guided by internal plasticity. He had a gait that you rarely see now: melodious, helpful, something very ancient was felt in it. He had a cane, and he carried it gallantly, in a secular way, one felt last century, and the cane itself, it seemed, was old, from the time of Griboyedov.

A successor to the classical traditions of Russian verse, Alexander Kochetkov seemed to some poets and critics of the thirties and forties a kind of archaist. What was solid and solid was mistaken for backward and hardened. But he was neither a copyist nor a restorer. He worked in the shadows and at depth. Congenial people appreciated him. This applies, first of all, to Sergei Shervinsky, Pavel Antokolsky, Arseny Tarkovsky, Vladimir Derzhavin, Viktor Vitkovich, Lev Gornung, Nina Zbrueva, Ksenia Nekrasova and some others. He was noticed and noted by Vyacheslav Ivanov. Moreover: it was the friendship of two Russian poets - the older generation and the younger generation. Anna Akhmatova treated Kochetkov with interest and friendly attention.

For the first time I saw and heard Alexander Sergeevich Kochetkov in the Khoromny dead end in the apartment of Vera Zvyagintseva. I remember that Klara Arseneva, Maria Petrovykh, Vladimir Lyubin were with us then. We heard verses which were read softly and sincerely by an author whom I liked very much. That evening he heard many kind words addressed to him, but he looked as if all this was being said not about him, but about some other poet who deserved praise to a greater extent than himself.

He was welcoming and friendly. No matter how sad or tired he was, his interlocutor did not feel it.

The interlocutor saw in front of him, next to him, a sweet, sincere, sensitive person.

Even in a state of illness, lack of sleep, need, even at the time of legitimate resentment at the inattention of editors and publishing houses, Alexander Sergeevich did everything to ensure that this state was not transmitted to his interlocutor or companion, so that it was easy for him. It was with such lightness coming from the soul that he once turned to me and, softly tapping his cane on the asphalt, said:

I have one composition, imagine - a drama in verse. Wouldn't it be difficult for you to get acquainted - even briefly - with this work? Don't be in a hurry when you say and if you can...

So, in 1950, I got a dramatic poem "Nicholas Copernicus".

Starting with the history of one poem ("The Ballad of the Smoky Carriage"), I turned to its author and his story.

From one poem, a thread stretches to other works, to the personality of the poet, who fell in love with him so much and became his close friend and companion.

This book selected works the poet represents different genres of his work: lyrics, dramatic short stories (as A. S. Kochetkov himself called them), poems.

In working on the book, I used the advice and archives of the poet's friends, V. S. Vitkovich and L. V. Gornung, who, among other things, gave me a photograph of Alexander Kochetkov, taken by him, placed in this book. I give them my thanks.

He is best known to readers (and moviegoers) for his poem "Do not part with your loved ones." From this article you can find out the biography of the poet. What other works are remarkable in his work and how did the personal life of Alexander Kochetkov develop?

Biography

Alexander Sergeevich Kochetkov was born on May 12, 1900 in the Moscow region. The literal birthplace of the future poet is nodal, since his father was a railway worker and the family's home was located right behind the station. You can often see the erroneous mention of the poet's patronymic - Stepanovich. However, the incomplete namesake of the poet - Alexander Stepanovich Kochetkov - is a cameraman and a completely different person.

In 1917, Alexander graduated from the gymnasium in Losinoostrovsk. Even then, the young man was fond of poetry, and therefore entered the Faculty of Philology at Moscow State University. During his studies, he met the then-famous poets Vera Merkurieva, who became his poetic mentors and teachers.

Creation

After graduating from the university, Alexander Kochetkov began working as a translator. The works that he translated from Western and Eastern languages ​​were widely published in the twenties. In his translation, poems by Schiller, Beranger, Gidash, Corneille, Racine, as well as Eastern epics and German novels are known. Kochetkov's own lyrics, which included many works, were published only once during the poet's lifetime, in the amount of three poems included in the almanac "Golden Zurna". This collection was printed in Vladikavkaz in 1926. Alexander Kochetkov was the author of adult and children's poetry, as well as several plays in verse, such as Free Flemings, Copernicus,

Personal life

In 1925, Alexander Sergeevich married a native of Stavropol, Inna Grigoryevna Prozriteleva. The couple had no children. Since Alexander's parents died early, his father-in-law and mother-in-law replaced his father and mother. The Kochetkovs often came to visit Stavropol. Inna's father was a scientist, he founded the main local history museum of the Stavropol Territory, which exists to this day. Alexander sincerely loved Grigory Nikolaevich, Inna wrote in her notes that they could talk all night long, since they had a lot of common interests.

Friendship with Tsvetaeva

Kochetkov was a great friend of the poetess Marina Tsvetaeva and her son Georgy, affectionately nicknamed Moore, whom Vera Merkuryeva introduced in 1940. In 1941, Tsvetaeva and Moore stayed at the dacha of the Kochetkovs. Georgy went to swim in the Moscow River and almost drowned, he was saved by Alexander who arrived in time. This strengthened the friendship of the poets. During the evacuation, Marina Tsvetaeva could not decide for a long time whether to go with her son to Turkmenistan with the Kochetkovs or to stay and wait for the evacuation from the Literary Fund. After the death of the poetess, the Kochetkovs moved Moore with them to Tashkent.

Death

Alexander Kochetkov died on May 1, 1953, at the age of 52. There is no information about the cause of his death and future fate his family. Until 2013, the place of his burial remained unknown, however, a group of enthusiasts calling themselves the "Necropolis Society" found an urn with the ashes of the poet in one of the cells of the columbarium at the Donskoy cemetery.

"Don't part with your loved ones..."

Alexander Kochetkov's poem "The Ballad of a Smoky Carriage", better known as "Do not part with your loved ones", was written in 1932. The inspiration was a tragic incident in the poet's life. This year, Alexander and Inna visited her parents in the city of Stavropol. Alexander Sergeevich had to leave, but Inna, who did not want to part with her husband and parents, persuaded him to return the ticket and stay at least a few more days. Yielding to the persuasion of his wife, on the same day the poet was horrified to learn that the train on which he had changed his mind about riding had derailed and crashed. His friends died, and those who were waiting for Alexander in Moscow were sure that he had died. Having safely reached Moscow three days later, Kochetkov sent Inna his "Ballad of a Smoky Carriage" by the very first letter:

How painful, dear, how strange

Akin to the earth, intertwined with branches, -

How painful, dear, how strange

Split in two under the saw.

The wound on the heart will not grow,

Shed clean tears

The wound on the heart will not grow -

Spilled with fiery resin.

As long as I'm alive, I'll be with you

Soul and blood are inseparable,

As long as I'm alive, I'll be with you

Love and death are always together.

You will carry with you everywhere

You will carry with you, my love,

You will carry with you everywhere

Homeland, sweet home.

But if I have nothing to hide

From pity incurable,

But if I have nothing to hide

From cold and darkness?

After parting there will be a meeting,

Don't forget me darling

After parting there will be a meeting,

We'll both be back - me and you.

But if I vanish without a trace

Short beam of daylight

But if I vanish without a trace

Beyond the star belt, into the milky smoke?

I will pray for you

So as not to forget the path of the earth,

I will pray for you

May you return unharmed.

Shaking in a smoky carriage

He became homeless and humble,

Shaking in a smoky carriage

He half cried, half slept,

Suddenly bent in a terrible roll,

When the train is on a slippery slope

Tore the wheels off the rails.

inhuman strength,

In one winepress, crippling everyone,

superhuman strength

She threw earthly things off the ground.

And didn't protect anyone.

The promised meeting is far away

And didn't protect anyone.

A hand that calls from afar.

Don't part with your loved ones!

Don't part with your loved ones!

Don't part with your loved ones!

Grow in them with all your blood,

And every time forever say goodbye!

And every time forever say goodbye!

When you leave for a moment!

Despite the fact that the first publication of the poem took place only in 1966, the ballad was known, having spread through acquaintances. During the war years, this poem became an unspoken folk anthem during evacuations, the poems were retold and rewritten by heart. The literary critic Ilya Kukulin even expressed the opinion that the poet Konstantin Simonov could have written the popular military poem "Wait for me" under the influence of the "Ballad". Above is a photo of Alexander with his wife and her parents, taken in Stavropol on the fateful day of the train crash.

The poem gained particular popularity ten years after its publication, when Eldar Ryazanov included its performance by Andrey Myagkov and Valentina Talyzina in his film The Irony of Fate, or Enjoy Your Bath!

Also, a line from the "Ballad" was named playwright Alexander Volodin's play "Do not part with your loved ones", as well as the film of the same name, based on the play in 1979.

“The gray courtyard is littered with junk. A cloudy-pale bluish day, ”this is how one of the poems begins, describing a spacious and modest rural courtyard. It was written by the famous Soviet-Russian poet and translator Alexander Kochetkov. He passed away in early May 1953, when he was 52 years old. In memory of this wonderful author and simply good person let's remember the most bright facts from his biography. And also talk about his works. Well. Let's hit the road!

The birth of the future poet: childhood, family, dreams

Alexander Kochetkov, whose poems we so often remember, was born on May 12, 1900 in the Losinoostrovskaya junction railway station Yaroslavl direction.

His parents were ordinary hard workers who lacked the pretentious arrogance inherent in wealthy people and aristocrats. They taught their son only good things. Therefore, he grew up a worthy son of his time. As a child, he dreamed of becoming a traveler.

He liked to look at picture books, which depicted nature, the sea, ships. And when I learned to read for a long time studied the same books describing the adventures of seasoned sailors. His favorite pastime at that time was playing boats. He will make a mast from an ordinary stick or reed, fix birch or linden leaves on it and let it go along the river. They are floating. And children's eyes accompany them all ...

First thoughts on creativity

Being in a slight prostration from his dreams, Alexander Kochetkov began to compose poetry. At first, these were simple and naive lines, coming from a pure child's soul. Later, he will be carried away by them seriously and for a very long time. However, our hero did not even think about the career of a poet. Therefore, from time to time I threw my new hobby on the back burner and again returned to viewing books and magazines about entertaining travels.

Studying at school and getting higher education

Having matured a little, Alexander Kochetkov Jr. went to school. There he had to master the basics of humanitarian and exact sciences. During his studies, he leaned specifically towards literature, art, and music. He loved to listen to his first teacher reciting poetry.

Despite the fact that he did not stand out in any way, he was remembered as an intelligent, serious and extremely inquisitive boy beyond his years. This is exactly what former compatriots and close friends who have survived to this day say about him.

After school, Alexander Kochetkov (his biography is described in detail in this article) decides to enter the Losinoostrovsky gymnasium Russian Empire. There he again returned to writing poetry, which he was inspired by a blonde girl sitting next to him. This was his first love, which he wrote about in his author's diary. True, these were only sketches. At that time, the author never reached serious versification.

After graduating from his favorite gymnasium, Kochetkov Alexander Sergeevich successfully passed the exams and entered the Moscow State University. It was the cherished philological faculty, where the author learned a lot of interesting things. For example, he partially took place as a talented translator of famous literary works. And new impressions formed the basis of his first serious poems.

Acquaintance with famous authors and mentors

Yielding to a creative impulse, Alexander Kochetkov (a poet with a capital letter) regularly attended various theme evenings. Many of them were devoted to poetry, authors of the past century, artists, musicians and other creative personalities.

At one of these events, he met the poetess Vera Merkurieva. Despite the fact that his new acquaintance was much older than our hero, they immediately became friends.

And it was to her, one of the first, that Alexander first showed his timid poetic sketches. And she liked them so much that she even took them with her to read at her leisure. Having made several corrections and comments, the professional poetess was able to discern the talent of our author. She brought back all the poems of Alexander Kochetkov and took him under her personal care. So, the future famous poet became a student of the poetess, who has long been publishing her works in popular magazines and almanacs.

And since Merkuryeva was closely acquainted with the symbolist poet, philosopher, playwright and critic Vyacheslav Ivanovich Ivanov, he also became one of our hero's close friends. After a while, Ivanov will write about their acquaintance that he was lucky to meet amazing person whose talent is just beginning to emerge.

Pen trials and invaluable work

Despite the extraordinary desire of our author to become famous, the poems of Alexander Sergeevich Kochetkov were never appreciated during his lifetime. There are many reasons for this. Perhaps one of them is the lack of elementary luck. And, of course, at that time there were no modern managers and advertisers who could notice the star in time and seriously engage in its promotion.

The only lifetime publication that Alexander Kochetkov adequately withstood (his biography confirms given fact), became the printing of one of the author's poems in the "Golden Zurna" (an almanac of 1926).

Few people know that at that time the hero already had a solid collection of plays written by him in his spare time. For example, he became one of the few authors who dedicated a poetic work to Copernicus. The poet wrote a real ballad in verse about him. With the assistance of Sergei Shervinsky and Konstantin Lipskerov, the author rewrote his "Nadezhda Durov" and the play "Free Flemings". However, even these famous works were not published during the lifetime of the poet.

Working as a translator: the most famous sketches of the author

Kochetkov Alexander Sergeevich easily combined writing poems of his own composition and translations of famous foreign authors. So, our author began to publish in various magazines, newspapers and collections, but only as a translator. He worked on prose and poetry written by Eastern and Western authors. For example, Alexander translated famous work Bruno Franck, who wrote about Cervantes. He worked on poems by the following authors: Hafiz, Schiller, Anvari, Farrukhi. He took part in the translation of "David of Sasun" and described the features of poems by Estonian, Georgian and Lithuanian authors.

The most famous poem by Alexander Kochetkov

As you can see, Kochetkov was a very talented and inquisitive person. He read a lot, studied and loved to learn something new. However, he did not manage to bathe in the rays of glory during his lifetime. But his gift was still appreciated, however, a lot of time has passed since that moment.

The reason for popular recognition was the work of Kochetkov, which was called "The Ballad of a Smoky Carriage". Poems from this work first appeared in the comedy The Irony of Fate or Enjoy Your Bath. So, the song “Do not part with your loved ones!” absolutely everyone who managed to watch this film began to sing. And then our author woke up famous for the first time. However, few people know that the creation of this poem, which was included in the popular film, has its own interesting story...

A short and interesting tale about the real adventures of the poet

This amazing story the wife of the author Prozriteleva Nina Grigorievna told. It was her that she described in detail and colors in one of her diaries, dedicated to the poet. So, the story began back in 1932, when the couple were resting in the house of their relatives.

For certain reasons, Alexander had to leave, and Nina planned to stay a little longer. Our author purchased a ticket, according to which he had to go to the Kavkazskaya station. And from there he needed to jump onto an express train that followed the route Sochi - Moscow. The day of departure has come. Kochetkov's wife, of course, went to see him off. However, she did not want to part with him so much that she literally removed her beloved from the train and persuaded him to return the ticket.

As a result, Alexander Kochetkov (his poems describe this case a little veiled) decided to stay with his wife for another three days and again try his luck at railway station. After this time, he boarded a train and left for Moscow. But what was his surprise when he was told about own death. As it turned out, the train on which the author was supposed to travel fell into terrible accident that claimed the lives of many people. As a result, the poet's friends have long mourned Kochetkov, thinking that it was he who died in this crash. So it turns out that the love of his wife saved the life of the poet.

After this incident, our author thought about how fleeting and unpredictable life is. He poured out his feelings and thoughts on paper. And so the famous poem "The Ballad of a Smoky Carriage" appeared. The first person who was honored to see her was the wife of the author. He sent it in a letter to Nina after his arrival in the capital.

Recognition, but with a long delay

As we have already said, the signature poem of the author about the incredible will of chance was written in 1932. However, it didn't hit the press right away. As it turned out, it was put aside on a dusty shelf and pulled out after 34 years. At that moment, it was first published in a well-known Russian collection called Poetry Day. But the very next day after the publication of "The Ballad of a Smoky Carriage" became a real domestic hit.

Russian Soviet poet, translator.

In 1917 he graduated from the Losinoostrovskaya gymnasium. Studied at the Faculty of Philology of Moscow State University. Even in his youth he began to write poetry. Author of a play in verse about Copernicus (Moscow Planetarium Theatre). In collaboration with Konstantin Lipskerov and Sergei Shervinsky, he wrote two plays in verse, which were successful

om ("Nadezhda Durova" and "Free Flemings").

Translations include: The Magic Horn of the Youth by Arnim and Brentano (unpublished in full), Bruno Franck's novel about Cervantes; poems by Hafiz, Anvari, Farrukhi, Unsari, Es-khabib Vafa, Antal Gidash, Schiller, Corneille, Racine, Beranger, Georgian, Lithuanian, Estonians

some poets; participated in the translations of "David of Sasun", "Alpamysh", "Kalevipoeg".

The poetic work of Alexander Kochetkov is little known, but national glory he was brought the poem "The Ballad of a Smoky Carriage", better known for the line "Do not part with your loved ones." It is literally

In a sense, it became a popular hit at the end of the 20th century thanks to what sounded in the film by Eldar Ryazanov “The Irony of Fate or Enjoy Your Bath”. A line from the "Ballad" is the name of the play by Alexander Volodin, based on which the film of the same name was made.

Bibliography

The Ballad of the Smoky Carriage was first published

written by Lev Ozerov (with an introductory note about Kochetkov) in the collection Day of Poetry (1966)

Later, "Ballad" was included in the anthology "Song of Love" (1967)

Published in Moskovsky Komsomolets and in various collections and anthologies.

In 1974, the publishing house "Soviet Writer" published a drama in verse