Irina Tokmakova facts for kids

Irina Petrovna Tokmakova (born Manukova, March 3, 1929 – April 5, 2018) was a well-known Soviet and Russian writer. She wrote many children's books, poems, and plays. Irina Tokmakova also translated classic children's stories into Russian. Her translations of books by Tove Jansson, Astrid Lindgren, and Kenneth Grahame were very popular. She won important awards for her work, like the State Prize of the Russian Federation for children's literature.

About Irina Tokmakova's Life

Irina Manukova was born in Moscow. Her father, Pyotr Manukov, was an electrical engineer. Her mother, Lidia Diligenskaya, was a children's doctor at an orphanage.

During World War II, Irina and her sister moved to Penza to stay with relatives. For a while, they didn't hear from their parents. Later, their mother's orphanage also moved to Penza, and the family was reunited. They lived in Penza until 1943. Then, they returned to Moscow, where the orphanage reopened.

Irina finished high school in 1948 with top honors. She had written poetry since she was a child. However, she thought she wasn't good enough to be a writer. So, she decided to study languages instead. In 1953, she graduated from Moscow State University. She then studied general and comparative linguistics. This means she learned about different languages and how they are similar. After her studies, she worked as an interpreter, helping people speak across languages.

Irina Manukova married Leo Tokmakov, who was an artist and illustrator. Their son, Vasily Tokmakov, also became a writer of children's books. Irina Tokmakova passed away in Moscow on April 5, 2018.

Her Writing Career

Irina Tokmakova's first translation was a collection of Swedish folk songs for children. A Swedish energy executive named Borgqvist sent them to her. He noticed she loved Swedish songs. At first, she translated them just for her son. But her husband took the translations to a publishing house. A publishing house is a company that prints books and magazines. They printed her translations in magazines like Merry Pictures and Murzilka.

Other famous writers, Samuil Marshak and Agniya Barto, saw her work. They encouraged her to write and publish more of her own stories. Later, Irina's husband, Leo Tokmakov, drew pictures for many of her books.

To join the Union of Soviet Writers, Irina needed recommendations from three members. Samuil Marshak, Boris Zakhoder, and Valentin Berestov supported her.

Her first book of poems was called Trees. It was published in 1962 and had illustrations by Leo Tokmakov. Irina Tokmakova also traveled to other countries. She attended meetings about children's literature. She was even a judge for the Hans Christian Andersen Award, a very important prize for children's authors.