Famous children's poet and writer of Soviet and Russian hymns, Sergey Mikhalkov, has died at the age of 97, the Russian Writers' Union told RIA Novosti.
Sergey Mikhalkov was a writer of Russian children's literature, poet, fabulist, playwright, social activist, author of two hymns, for the Soviet Union and the Russian Federation.
Mikhalkov was born in Moscow on March 13 (February 28 old calendar) 1913. His family moved to Stavropol, the city of Pyatigorsk and then to Georgievsk in 1927. Sergey Mikhalkov finished school and moved to Moscow in 1930.
His literary career was launched in 1928. His poem "Road" was published in the "Na pdyome" magazine (Rostov-on-Don). He became a member of the Moscow Group of Writers in 1933. His poems were published in the magazines "Ogonyok", "Pioneer" and "Prozhektor" and in the "Komsomolskaya Pravda", "Izvestia", "Vechernyaya Moskva" and "Pravda" newspapers.
Mikhalkov's legendary poem, "Uncle Stepa", was published in 1935.
Sergey Mikhalkov joined the Union of Soviet Writers and entered the A.M. Gorky Institute of Literature in 1937.
Mikhalkov was drafted into the army in autumn 1939. During the Great Patriotic War, he served as a military correspondent in "For Glory of the Motherland" and "The Stalin Falcon". During this time, he wrote the screenplay for the film "Girlfriends on the Front".
He organized and headed satirical cinema magazine "Fitil" in 1962.
Sergey Mikhalkov, wrote a text to the state hymn of the USSR in 1943, jointly with military journalist Georgy El-Registan (Gabriel Arkadievich Ureklyan). It was performed for the first time on New Year's Eve, 1944. Mihalkov wrote the second edition of the state anthem of the USSR in 1977.
Writer Sergey Mikhalkov joined the Commission's Board in 1993 to write the national anthem upon the decree from the Russian government. He became author of the text of the Russian Federation's national anthem for the third time in 2001.
Sergey Mikhalkov wrote the plays "A Special Task" (1945), "The Red Tie" (1946), "I Want to Go Home" (1949), "Sombrero" (1957), the fables and satirical comedies "Kings Can Do Anything ..." (1983), "Written by the Quill ..." (1984) and others. He also wrote scenarios for feature films "A Big Space Journey" (in collaboration with Valentin Selivanov, based on Mikhalkov's play "The Top Three, or Year 2001", 1974), "Three Plus Two"(based on Mikhalkov's play "Savages", 1962) and "The New Adventures of Puss in Boots" (1958) and other animated films.
Sergey Mikhalkov did not just spend time on his creative work. He contributed much to public life. He headed the Moscow Writers' Organization (1965-1970). He was Chairman of the Writers' Union of the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic and the Secretary of the Union of Soviet Writers (1970-1992). He was Co-Chairman of the Executive Committee of the Community of Writers' Unions (1992-1999), Honorary Chairman of the Executive Committee of the International Community of Writers' Union (1999-2000).
Sergey Mikhalkov is a Hero of Socialist Labor (1973), winner of State Prizes (1941, 1942, 1950, 1978) and the Lenin Prize (1970). He was awarded with two military orders and six medals, four Orders of Lenin (1939, 1963, 1973, 1983), the Order of the October Revolution (1971), the Order of Patriotic War 'I degree' (1985), two Orders of Red Banner of Labor (1967, 1988), the Order of Friendship of the People (1993), the Order of Honor (1998), the Order of St. Sergius of Radonezh (1993), the Order of Saint Blessed Prince Dmitry (1998), the Order of Merit to the Fatherland 'II degree' (2003), the Order of St. Andrew (2008) and orders and medals of socialist countries.