Yevgeny Yevtushenko began to write as a child - his first poems were dedicated to sports and holidays. Works about the problems and experiences of Soviet man began to be published only in the thaw years. In 1961 the poet became famous for the resonant poem "Babi Yar", Dmitry Shostakovich wrote a symphony on its verses. After the collapse of the USSR, Yevtushenko moved to the United States and published a collection of Russian poetry.
Valentin Pikul wrote multi-volume epics and miniatures, combined fiction with documentary prose and most of all loved the motherland, history and the sea. He kept records of all his characters - more than a thousand cards were kept in the writer's card index.
The future writer was born in Leningrad in 1928. As a child, Valentin Pikul dreamed of becoming a sailor. When the family moved from Leningrad to Molotovsk (now Severodvinsk) under construction, the boy joined the "Young Sailor" club at the local Pioneer House.