Olga Bergholz facts for kids
Olga Fyodorovna Bergholz (born May 16, 1910 – died November 13, 1975) was a Soviet poet, writer, and journalist. She is best known for her work on the Leningrad radio during the city's blockade in World War II. She became a symbol of the city's strength and hope during this very difficult time.
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Early Life and Family
Olga Berggolts was born in 1910 in a working-class area near Saint Petersburg. Her father, Fyodor Berggolts, was a surgeon. He had both Russian and Latvian family roots. Her mother, Maria Berggolts, was Russian. Olga also had a younger sister named Maria, who later became an actress.
When the Russian Civil War began in 1918, Olga's family moved to Uglich for safety. They lived there until 1921. After returning to Petrograd (which is now Saint Petersburg), Olga finished school in 1926.
Starting Her Career
Olga's first poems were published in 1924. In 1925, she joined a young writers' group called 'The Shift'. There, she met Boris Kornilov. Olga and Boris started studying at the State Institute of Art History in 1927 and got married that same year. Their daughter, Irina, was born in 1928.
The institute later closed, and Olga continued her studies at Leningrad University. In 1930, she graduated and moved to Kazakhstan. There, she worked as a journalist for a newspaper called Soviet Steppe. During this time, Olga and Boris divorced. She then married Nikolay Molchanov, who was also a student. Olga also published her first children's book, Winter-Summer-Parrot, in 1930.
Writing and Personal Challenges
After returning to Leningrad in 1931, Olga worked as a journalist for the Electric Power newspaper. In 1932, she had another daughter, Maya, but sadly, Maya passed away when she was only one year old. Olga wrote about her feelings during this period in books like The Out-of-the-way Place (1932) and Night (1935).
Her poems, such as those in the book Poems (1934), were praised by the famous writer Maxim Gorky. In 1934, Olga joined the Union of Soviet Writers, a group for professional writers.
The late 1930s were very hard for Olga. Her first daughter, Irina, died in 1936 at age seven. In 1937, she lost another child during pregnancy. Her former husband, Boris Kornilov, was arrested and passed away in 1938. Olga herself was arrested in December 1938. She spent seven months in prison, but she always said she was innocent. During this difficult time, she wrote poems that were later published as Trial in the 1960s. She was released and cleared of all charges in 1939.
In 1940, Olga joined the Communist Party. After a quiet period, her novel Dream and a book of stories called Vitya Mamanin were published and became very popular.
War Years in Leningrad
When World War II began in June 1941, Olga Berggolts started working at the Leningrad Radio House. She stayed in Leningrad almost every day during the terrible Siege of Leningrad. The city was surrounded, and people faced extreme hunger and cold. Olga worked at the radio station, using her speeches and poems to encourage the city's hungry and sad citizens. She became a voice of hope and strength for them.
Her experiences and feelings during this time can be found in her works like February Diary (1942) and Leningrad Poem (1942).
Life During the Siege
In January 1942, Olga faced another personal tragedy when her second husband, Nikolay Molchanov, died from hunger. Olga later wrote a poem called 29 January 1942 and a book, The Knot (1965), dedicated to him.
In March 1942, Olga was very ill from hunger. Her friends insisted she leave Leningrad for Moscow using the Road of Life, a dangerous ice road across a lake. Despite her protests, they sent her away to save her life. However, she returned to Leningrad on April 20 and continued her important work at the Radio House. After her return, she married Georgy Makogonenko, who was also a literary critic and radio host during the siege. In 1943, she received the Medal "For the Defence of Leningrad" for her bravery.
Olga and her husband wrote a play called Born in Leningrad and a special poem called In Memory of Defenders (1944). On January 27, 1945, Olga and her colleagues created a "radio film" called 900 days. It included sounds, voices, and music recorded during the siege, telling the story of those difficult times. She also published a book of memories, Leningrad Is Talking, based on her war experiences.
Later Years and Legacy
Olga Berggolts also wrote about important historical events in Russia. These included Pervorossyisk (1950), a poem about a special community in Altay, and Faithfulness (1954), a play about the defense of Sevastopol during the war.
Her autobiographical novel, The Day Stars (1959), was even made into a movie in 1968. You can also hear Olga's voice reading her poetry in another movie, Introduction to Life (1963).
On May 9, 1960, the Piskaryovskoye Memorial Cemetery was opened in Leningrad to honor the victims of the siege. Words written by Olga Berggolts are carved on a wall there. The last line, "No one is forgotten, nothing is forgotten," has become a famous saying in Russia, often repeated on memorial days.
Olga Berggolts passed away on November 13, 1975. She was buried in the Volkovo Cemetery in Saint Petersburg.
Honors and Recognition
Olga Berggolts received many awards for her work, including:
- Stalin State Prize (1951) for her poem "Pervorossiisk"
- Order of Lenin
- Order of the Red Banner of Labour
- Medal "For the Defence of Leningrad" (1943)
- Medal "For Valiant Labour in the Great Patriotic War 1941–1945"
- She was also made an honorary citizen of St. Petersburg in 1994.
A minor planet discovered in 1971 was named 3093 Bergholz in her honor. A street in Saint Petersburg and a central street in Uglich are also named after her. A monument to Olga Berggolts was opened in Saint Petersburg in May 2015. In June of that year, her complete collection of diaries was published for the first time. There is even a crater on the planet Venus named after her!
In 2009, an American writer named Ivan Fuller wrote a play about Olga Berggolts called Awake in Me.
