"We are that people, Russia": The guests of the Literary Club discussed how Tvardovsky's poetry unites the epochs

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On June 26, a meeting of the Literature Club "What would you (like to) read?!" at the National Centre RUSSIA has held. There, a discussion of the heritage of the outstanding Russian poet Alexander Tvardovsky took place. Alexander Tvardovsky's 115th birthday was celebrated this year. The audience, along with the speakers, explored his works, which show deep patriotism and love for his homeland, and discussed the importance of Tvardovsky's poetry for the Russian literature, and its role in shaping the national identity. The meeting host was Elizaveta Morskaya, a TV reporter of the "Russia 24" TV channel.

Alexander Tvardovsky is not only an author of the wonderful poetry, but also a man whose life was filled with search for truth and justice. And his work still unites people of different generations, as the participants of the meeting noted.

"From Ivan to Foma, dead or alive, we all are together — this is us, that people, Russia." These lines were written by Alexander Tvardovsky, and said several decades ago, but even now they resound in our hearts. I think that our unity lies precisely in this feeling. Ivans, Fomas, Nikitas and Nikolais — they all make up our united country. And events such as the Literature Club at the National Centre RUSSIA help to make Alexander Tvardovsky's written heritage even closer to people," said Evgeniya Kravchenkova, Associate Professor of Department of World Literature at The Pushkin State Russian Language Institute, Candidate of Philology.

The guests learned how a son of an ordinary blacksmith got into literature, how he went through the entire Great Patriotic War as a special war correspondent, and perpetuated the honor and courage of defenders of the Fatherland in his immortal works, and even headed one of the most respected magazines of his time.

"I believe that the most important thing not only for the media sphere, but also for the society in which we find ourselves, is the art of using words. And you have to work with the word, you have to love the word, you have to cherish it. And the great Russian literature, including Tvardovsky's works, has been, is, and will remain the main source of this very literary knowledge, without which there will be no modern man," said Yaroslav Skvortsov, Dean of School of International Journalism at MGIMO, PhD in Sociology, Editor-in-chief of the "International Communications" Journal, member of the Union of Journalists of Russia, member of the Union of Writers of Russia.

Experts paid special attention to the analysis of the poem "Vasily Terkin", in which the author conveyed the strength of spirit and heroism of ordinary people through a poetic epos and sentimentality. The poem has become a part of history as a true literary monument to the Great Patriotic War, and Terkin's image has largely become a symbol of the Russian national character.

"Vasily Terkin's character combined naivety, which, on the other hand, can be called resoucefulness, and a certain cunning, which can be seen as the ability to survive in the most difficult military conditions. These and many other features made his image incredibly deep, lively and real," said Evgenia Kravchenkova, and Yaroslav Skvortsov added: "Reading Terkin, everyone involuntarily puts themselves in the place of the main character, and it seems to me that since any artist in his works writes about himself, in this or that respect, Terkin also has some of the features of Alexander Tvardovsky himself. In general, we all really miss such a real hero as Vasily Ivanovich right now."

The speakers noted that Tvardovsky's poetry is appealing to the modern generation. Young people find in it what we miss so much in the digital age — sincerity and genuine human emotions.

"One of the most significant facts for me is that now rap artists keep singing poems of Alexander Trifonovich Tvardovsky. For example, in 2014, Andrei Menshikov chanted a wonderful beat using the piece of poetry called "On the day the war ended". And in 2015, he released a great video twhich you can find on the Internet. l'll also mention a wonderful rock band "Satisfaction" from the city of Sevastopol. Ivan Karpov, who plays with this band, composed a rock ballad using Tvardovsky's famous poem "I Was Killed Near Rzhev," and the video for this song is adorned by a fantastic sand animation made by Tory Vorobyova," Evgenia Kravchenkova shared.

Yaroslav Skvortsov noted that literature is not a museum exhibit, but a living organism that breathes, changes and speaks to each generation in the familiar language. And Tvardovsky's poems also have this amazing ability to remain modern decades later.

"Literature is a living substance that is not only preserved on paper, but also acquires a new sound, a new accent, a new pace of reading classical works. That is why such meetings are a good opportunity not only to talk about literature, but also to voice those lines that are dear to each of us and which, perhaps, some of us have forgotten. And of course, in good poetry, everyone finds themselves," Yaroslav Skvortsov concluded.

The club "What would you (like to) read?!" was established at the National Centre RUSSIA as an intellectual platform for discussing literature, exchanging ideas and developing strategic thinking. The focus here is on developing a reading culture, on the interest in meaningful writing, and on expanding the space for public dialogue.

You can join club events and participate in many other educational and cultural programs at the National Centre RUSSIA free of charge upon pre-registration on the website. russia.ru . Up-to-date information about the events can be found in the "Events" section, as well as on the pages of the National Centre RUSSIA on social networks.