How did the fate of the children of the famous writer Viktor Dragunsky, to whom he dedicated his books?

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

More than one generation of children has grown up on "Denis's Tales" by Viktor Dragunsky, and adults do not stop rereading the fascinating works of the writer. His most famous book was born out of great love for his son Denis. In total, the famous writer had three children: Leonid from his first marriage, Denis and Ksenia from his second. Whether his craving for creativity was passed on to the children of Viktor Dragunsky and how their destinies developed - further in our review.

Leonid Kornilov

Viktor Dragunsky, as you know, did not become a writer at once. He graduated from the "Literary and theatrical workshops" of Alexei Diky and from 1935 served as an actor in the Theater of Transport. It was there that he met his first wife, actress Elena Kornilova. Their marriage was not too long and the couple separated in 1937. In the same year, their son was born, who bore the name of his mother.

Leonid Kornilov grew up with his mother, but his father never left him with his attention. He often visited his father's house, went on vacation with him and his second wife Alla Dragunskaya. Once they spent the whole summer in the village of Palkino on the Volga. And the children of Viktor Dragunsky from his second marriage always speak with respect about Leonid Kornilov, calling him nothing but "elder brother."

Leonid Viktorovich did not aspire to become a writer, like his father, he safely entered Moscow State University and graduated from the Faculty of Economics. However, creativity was not at all alien to him.

As Denis Dragunsky said about him, Leonid Kornilov became an “extraordinary journalist”. He not only wrote articles and interviewed, but was also a very good organizer. Since 1961, Leonid Viktorovich worked in the newspaper "Nedelya" and was able to go from journalist to editor, and later became executive secretary and deputy editor-in-chief.

He vividly and excitingly wrote serious articles on scientific topics, he delved into the essence of the problem, consulted with scientists, found a common language with real luminaries from science. In addition, colleagues recall how Leonid Kornilov was able to turn the issue of a newspaper into a fascinating process of co-creation, elevating each issue of the Week to the rank of a real masterpiece.

In 2007, Leonid Kornilov passed away at the age of 71.

Denis Dragunsky

In the winter of 1946, while visiting Alexander Galich, Viktor Dragunsky met the host of the Birch ensemble, Alla Semichastnova. The girl studied at VGIK on the same course with Valery Ginzburg, brother of Alexander Galich, however, she is an actor, and he is a cameraman. That day Galich called Dragunsky in the evening and told him to go to him immediately, because the company was wonderful, including good girls.

Viktor Dragunsky completely charmed the guests of Galich. Alla later admitted: she had never met such funny and witty people. Two weeks later, Viktor Dragunsky and Alla Semichastnova began to live together, later signed, and in 1950 their son Denis was born. It was he who inspired his father to create Denis's Tales.

Parents from childhood taught the boy to work, in adolescence he could do any male work in the house: fix an outlet or switch, make a key to the front door instead of a broken one, insert a lock, chop wood and light a stove. But Victor and Alla Dragunsky dreamed of seeing their son also educated, while leaning towards the humanitarian specialty. During his school years, Denis Dragunsky studied English, German and Latin.

Denis Dragunsky graduated from the philological faculty of Moscow State University and became the owner of several professions at once. He is a philologist and writer, journalist and playwright, political scientist and a fairly well-known blogger. He taught Greek, was a political analyst, and wrote articles for respected publications. Denis Dragunsky founded the Institute of the National Project "Social Contract", defended his Ph. D. thesis in philosophy and wrote several scripts for films, including the film "The Amazing Adventures of Denis Korablev", released in 1979.

The first story of Denis Dragunsky was published in 1976 in the newspaper "Nedelya", but he began to write seriously only at the age of 59. In 2008, the collection “Free pistol. Twenty Stories”was published in the magazine“Znamya”, and a year later the first separate collection of the writer“There is no such word”was released.

Today Denis Dragunsky is still writing. On his account there are already more than ten collections, two novels and many articles on the topic of political science and culture, and he also writes his own column in one of the well-known publications.

Ksenia Dragunskaya

The daughter of a famous writer was born into the family 15 years after the birth of her older brother. She was not yet seven years old when Viktor Dragunsky passed away. And she will forever remember how her father taught her to juggle with four multi-colored plastic balls and somersault, hiding her head. He was already very ill then, everyone in the house was quiet so as not to bother Viktor Yuzefovich, and she made her way into his room, and they played together.

Later, the girl was entrusted to a nanny, and then she was completely sent to the garden for five days: her father was sick, her mother devoted all her strength and time to him, and the girl was in a round-the-clock kindergarten. Ksenia clearly remembers how she wanted to go home, and then she categorically refused to go to any places that, as it seemed to her, could limit her freedom, be it a children's camp or a hospital.

At school, Ksenia Dragunskaya wrote essays well, and after receiving a certificate she entered the screenwriting department of VGIK. Then she went on an internship at the Mosfilm film studio, got married, gave birth to a son and began to write.

At first, these were children's stories and fairy tales, they began to be printed in children's magazines and newspapers. And then she was suddenly offered to take part in the Lyubimovka festival for young playwrights. For her, it was, rather, an opportunity to relax, but Ksenia took with her the play "The Apple Thief", written in her student years and slightly corrected before the festival itself. Unexpectedly for her, the play was successful. It was published in the magazine "Contemporary Drama", and after being translated into German, it was staged in Germany.

The life of Ksenia Dragunskaya instantly changed: now theater has become her main love. Today she has more than 30 plays on her account, which are shown in theaters throughout Russia and abroad. Her works, including stories and scripts, are published in serious editions, and in 2008 and 2009 they were published in separate collections. Students of the RATI, the Shchukin School, VGIK, the Serbian Academy of Arts and two American universities study on her texts.

Ksenia Viktorovna is a member of the Union of Theater Workers of Russia, where she heads the Drama Commission. And serious critics note the incredible sincerity of the works of Ksenia Dragunskaya, calling them "quivering stories", after the title of her very first collection.

It seems that every child of Viktor Dragunsky took something very important from his father. And the favorite children's writer could be proud of each of them.

Another author of wonderful children's fairy tales, the creator of Cheburashka and the cat Matroskin Eduard Uspensky, lived a bright life full of events and creative meetings. Cartoons based on his works have been watched with delight by more than one generation of children.