"Wait for Me" as a cultural code: marking the 110th anniversary of Konstantin Simonov

On 28 November, 110 years are celebrated since the birth of Konstantin Simonov — a man of his era, a poet whose famous line "Wait for me, and I will return" became a national prayer that united generations. His work, inseparably linked with the key events of Russia’s 20th-century history, has become part of the national cultural code that the National Centre RUSSIA preserves and presents with great care.

Konstantin Simonov was born in Saint Petersburg, a city rightly considered one of Russia’s cultural capitals. In the Northwestern Federal District zone of the exposition "Journey Across Russia", a collective image of the country’s theatres is presented on the stage of the Saint Petersburg Mariinsky Theatre. This connection is no coincidence, for Simonov’s creative legacy is closely bound to the art of theatre.

Konstantin Simonov is the author of the plays "A Lad from Our Town", "Russian People", "So It Will Be" and many others that were successfully staged at the Moscow State Theatre "Lenkom Mark Zakharov" and other venues. The poet’s personal life was also closely interwoven with theatre. His muse, and later his wife, was Lenkom actress Valentina Serova. It was to her that Simonov dedicated one of his most poignant poems, "Wait for Me". During the Great Patriotic War, its lines became a symbol of hope and belief in the life-giving power of love for millions of soldiers and their families.

The creative legacy of Konstantin Simonov is a bridge connecting eras, which is why it holds a special place at the National Centre RUSSIA. It is not only a story of military duty but also an embodiment of the strength of the country’s cultural code, of love for family and homeland as key values, and, of course, of the significant role of art, which even in difficult times reminds us how important it is to dream and believe in the future.