How was the life of Vasily Shukshin's daughter from her second marriage, and why she did not watch her father's films for a long time

2024 Author: Richard Flannagan | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-15 23:55

He was called a unique phenomenon in Russian culture, noting the multifaceted talent of Vasily Makarovich as an actor, director and writer. A lot has already been written and said about his life, and he himself was often defenseless against circumstances and feelings. In his life, in addition to Lydia Fedoseeva, there were three more women, and a daughter was growing up, born in the second marriage of the writer to Victoria Sofronova. How was the life of Vasily Shukshin's eldest daughter, what memory did she keep about her brilliant father?

Plexus of destinies

Vasily Shukshin and Victoria Sofronova met in the Central House of Writers on the day when a discussion of the story of a then beginning writer was taking place there. Victoria Anatolyevna worked in the criticism department of the Moscow magazine and has already managed to read one of the works of Vasily Shukshin, feeling its depth and sincerity.

But during the discussion, the work of the young author was smashed, as they say, to smithereens. And Victoria Safronova became desperately sorry for this thin, awkward young man. He was so confused and even stunned by the criticism that fell on him that the girl asked her friend Irina Gnezdilova to introduce her to Shukshina. She spoke to him some encouraging words and, it seems, was able to soften the blow.

Soon after that, the same Irina Gnezdilova called her friend and said that Vasily Shukshin was looking for her. Later, the writer invited her to the premiere of the film "There is such a guy," and the romance began …

Victoria Anatolyevna did not even know that Vasily Shukshin had not yet been divorced from his first wife Maria Shumskaya. During a trip with her beloved Vasya "to the bridegroom" in Srostki, Victoria only noted the cold attitude towards herself on the part of the future mother-in-law. But the girl decided not to delve into the reasons for this behavior of Vasily Shukshin's mother, especially since she already had something to think about. Victoria Sofronova at that time was already waiting for the birth of her daughter.

By the way, the girl's father, writer and party functionary Anatoly Sofronov, did not favor the future son-in-law too much, considering him not at all a suitable candidate for the role of the husband of his beloved daughter.

Catherine was born in 1965, and Vasily Shukshin, instead of a bouquet of flowers, sent his wife a bottle of red wine to the hospital. At first Victoria was perplexed, after she was going to be offended and wanted to give wine to the nanny, but she fervently refused, convincing her that a woman in labor who had lost a lot of blood should drink red wine. Victoria Anatolyevna did not know this, but Vasily Shukshin, who grew up in the village, knew that red wine was always given to a woman after the birth of a baby to recuperate.

Paternal love

Catherine was still very young when the relationship between her parents ended, but her father was always present in her life. At first he came often, and also wrote touching and very adult letters to his little daughter, as if "for growth." He wrote from business trips and creative expeditions, but most often from the hospital, where he often went because of his ulcer. He called his daughter Katya and Katyunya, as if trying to convey to his daughter all his love in his messages.

And at a personal meeting, he was clearly shy to show tender feelings, was rather restrained and completely defenseless. He did not know how to be strict or demanding of his daughter at all.

When Victoria Anatolyevna married the writer Vyacheslav Marchenko, Vasily Makarovich began to visit his ex-wife's house only on holidays. Katya was already seven years old then, and her father was clearly proud that he now had such an adult and independent daughter.

Shortly before September 1, Shukshin took his ex-wife and daughter shopping, buying several school aprons at once. It was as if he had not heard his wife's assurances that all this was there. Vasily Makarovich admired the bright pencils, and Victoria Sofronova only sighed: her daughter did not need pencils, but a winter coat. By the way, he immediately bought a coat. And on the day of the first call I sent Katya a postcard with a wish to study well.

Until the age of seven, Catherine bore her mother's surname, but after her parents decided that at school she should already have her father's surname. But she had to achieve everything in life on her own. True, when, after graduating from school, Ekaterina Shukshina decided to enter the philological faculty of Moscow State University, her surname definitely helped her, because the competition for the most prestigious university in the country was huge.

Katya will forever remember how her mother cried on the day when Vasily Makarovich was gone. And the girl could not understand in any way that her father would no longer be in her life. On the same day, a portrait of her father appeared in her room above the bed. Victoria Anatolyevna's friends dissuaded, they say, it is impossible to keep a portrait of the ex-husband at home with her husband alive. But my mother then cut off: the daughter must remember her own father.

Memory of the heart

To read the works written by her father, as well as to watch his films, Catherine began late. She was simply afraid of her perception of his work. She always loved her father and could not come to terms with the rejection of his prose or directorial work. But from the very first lines, the writer's daughter realized that Vasily Shukshin simply could not help but like him. Since then, she rereads her father's books constantly, over and over again discovering something new in his work.

Ekaterina Shukshina has been translating from German, and also from English and French for many years, she avoids publicity and rarely gives interviews. She fully inherited from her father natural modesty and a sensitive attitude towards people.

Ekaterina Vasilievna worked in Literaturnaya Gazeta and in various publishing houses, she is happily married to Jens Siegert, a German who has been living in Moscow for more than twenty years and runs the Moscow office of the. Heinrich Belle.

Her memory retained not so many episodes of her father's presence in her life, because by the time of his departure she was only 9 years old. But the heart today keeps all the tenderness that he managed to give her.

Today, no one speaks of Catherine's sister, Maria Shukshina, only as the daughter of famous parents - Vasily Shukshin and Lydia Fedoseeva-Shukshina. The range of roles played by her is very wide, but almost all of her heroines are strong and strong-willed women. She is united with them not only by an iron will, but also by many trials, about which Maria prefers to remain silent …