Sergey Ostrovoy

Sergey Grigorievich Ostrovoy (Сергей Григорьевич Островой; b. September 6, 1911 - d. December 3, 2005) was a Soviet poet, known for writing the lyrics to the various popular songs during the Soviet period.

Early life

Sergey Ostrovoy was born on September 6, 1911, in Novonikolaevsk, later renamed Novosibirsk, in a Jewish family.

After finishing 9th grade in school in 1929, Ostrovoy moved to Tomsk, where he worked as a reporter for the newspaper "Krasnoe Znamya" ("Red Banner"). Two years later he moved to Moscow. In Moscow he became a correspondent for the newspaper "Gudok" ("Horn") and traveled widely around the country.

Literary career While in Moscow, Ostrovoy participated in a competition for a military komsomol song where his poem "Nalivalis' topoli" ("Poplars were pouring") was picked by two composers and received two prizes.

After the competition, Ostrovoy was sent on a military journalistic assignment to the Far Eastern Military District of Russia, commanded by Vasily Blyukher. There Ostrovoy wrote a song "We won't give up the Soviet Primoriye" that caught the attention of Blyukher. At Blyukher's suggestion, Ostrovoy toured the Russian Far East as far as Sakhalin and wrote 12 songs in the process.

Ostrovoy's first essay was published in 1931, and his literary work was regularly published from 1934 onwards. Ostrovoy's first song lyrics collection "Na strazhe granitz" ("Guarding the borders") appeared in 1935. A year later he became a correspondent for the newspaper of the 31st Army "Na vraga" ("Against the enemy"). He was wounded near Staritsa and spent some time recovering in a hospital. a noted harpist. The marriage, Ostrovoy's second, lasted over half a century; his wife Nadezhda was the only person to whom Ostrovoy ever dedicated his poetry.