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Yury Vasilievich Bondarev

ユーリー・ヴァシリエヴィチ・ボンダレフ

Yury Vasilievich Bondarev

Profile

Gender
Male
Born
1924-03-15 （Orsk, Orenburg Governorate, RSFSR, USSR）
Died
2020-03-29 （Moscow, Russia） age 96
Nationality
Soviet Union, Russia
Languages
Russian
Residence History
Orsk (birthplace) → Moscow (Zamoskvorechye)

Career

Occupations
novelist, screenwriter, public figure
Active Years
1945-2020
Affiliations
Union of Soviet Writers, Union of Writers of Russia, Union of Cinematographers of the USSR, Academy of Russian Literature (member)
Memberships
Member of the VKP(b)/Communist Party of the Soviet Union (since 1944), Union of Soviet Writers (later Union of Writers of Russia), Union of Cinematographers of the USSR (member), Academy of Russian Literature (academic member, 1996)
Influenced By
Konstantin Paustovsky (mentor)
Influenced
Vasily Bykov (contemporary writer who acknowledged Bondarev's influence), Authors of the 'lieutenant prose' generation

Education

Orenburg Higher Anti-Aircraft Rocket School (military institute)
Period: 1945年
Year of Graduation: 1945
Country: Soviet Union
Military education (completed 1945)
Literary Institute named after A. M. Gorky (Maxim Gorky Literary Institute)
Paustovsky seminar / Literature
Period: 1945–1951
Year of Graduation: 1951
Country: Soviet Union
Studied in Paustovsky's seminar

Awards

Lenin Prize
1972
Work: Film 'Liberation' (screenplay, co-author)
Organization: Soviet Union
Result: 受賞
USSR State Prize
1977
Work: Novel 'The Shore'
Organization: Soviet Union
Result: 受賞
USSR State Prize
1983
Work: Novel 'The Choice'
Organization: Soviet Union
Result: 受賞
RSFSR State Prize named after the Vasilyev Brothers
1975
Work: Screenplay for the film 'Hot Snow'
Organization: RSFSR
Result: 受賞
Hero of Socialist Labour
1984
Organization: Soviet Union
Result: 受賞（名誉称号）
Order of Lenin
1971
Organization: Soviet Union
Result: 受賞
Order of Lenin
1984
Organization: Soviet Union
Result: 受賞
Order of the October Revolution
1981
Organization: Soviet Union
Result: 受賞
Order of the Patriotic War, 1st class
1985
Organization: Soviet Union
Result: 受賞
Order of the Red Banner of Labour
1974
Organization: Soviet Union
Result: 受賞
Order of the Badge of Honour
1967
Organization: Soviet Union
Result: 受賞
Medal 'For Courage'
1943
Organization: Soviet Union
Result: 受賞
Medal 'For Courage'
1944
Organization: Soviet Union
Result: 受賞
Medal 'For the Defence of Stalingrad'
1943
Organization: Soviet Union
Result: 受賞
Medal 'For the Victory over Germany in the Great Patriotic War 1941–1945'
1945
Organization: Soviet Union
Result: 受賞
State Prize of the Russian Federation named after Marshal G. K. Zhukov
2014
Work: Series of books on the Great Patriotic War (WWII)
Organization: Russian Federation
Result: 受賞
Honorary Citizen of the Hero City Volgograd
2004
Organization: Volgograd city administration
Result: 授与
Order of Friendship of Peoples (declined)
1994
Organization: President of the Russian Federation / State
Result: 辞退（受賞を拒否）
Yasnaya Polyana Literary Prize
2013
Organization: Yasnaya Polyana Prize Committee
Result: 受賞
Big Literary Prize of Russia
2012
Organization: Organizers of the Big Literary Prize of Russia
Result: 受賞

Awards & Nominations

Works

Major Works

Batallions Ask for Fire

1957 Novella / War fiction (lieutenant prose)

A novella depicting soldiers' struggles and human conscience during World War II; focuses on difficult moral choices and integrity on the battlefield.

warhuman consciencemoral choicecourage
Adaptations
  • [TV/Film adaptations (various)] Battalions Ask for Fire / Владимир Чеботарёв / Александр Боголюбов (1985)
Translations
  • English translation exists (title example: 'Battalions Ask for Fire')

Silence (Tishina)

1962 Novel/Novella (war / human drama)

Explores postwar relationships and the impact of war; contrasts personal conscience with societal pressure.

post-warmoralitymemory
Adaptations
  • [Film] Silence / ウラジーミル・バソフ (1964)
  • [Television (series)] Silence (TV series) / オルゲルド・ヴォロンツォフ (1992)
Translations
  • English translations exist (details vary)

Hot Snow

1970 Novel (war fiction)

A novel depicting the brutality of war and the fate of soldiers; deals with combat intensity and human issues.

battlefatecomradeship
Adaptations
  • [Film] Hot Snow / ガブリエル・エギアザロフ (1972)
Translations
  • English translation exists (title example: 'Hot Snow')

The Shore

1975 Novel (war / social novel)

Addresses war experiences and individual ethics; portrays Soviet-era human character and values.

ethicsaftermath of warportrayal of people
Adaptations
  • [Film] The Shore / アレクサンドル・アロフ / ウラジーミル・ナウモフ (1983)
Translations
  • English translations exist (details fragmentary)

The Last Salvo

1959 Short/Novella (war)

Depicts moments of combat and soldiers' psychology. It was adapted for film.

battlefield psychologytension
Adaptations
  • [Film] The Last Salvo / レオン・サアコフ (1961)
Translations
  • Has English translations (verification needed)

Bibliography

  • Na bol'shoy reke (On the Big River), 1953
  • Yunost komandirov (Youth of Commanders), 1956
  • Batallions Ask for Fire, 1957
  • The Last Salvo, 1959
  • Silence (Tishina), 1962
  • Two (Dvoe), 1964
  • Relatives (Rodstvenniki), 1969
  • Hot Snow (Goryachiy sneg), 1970
  • The Shore (Bereh), 1975
  • The Choice (Vybor), 1981
  • The Game (Igra), 1985
  • Temptation (Iskushenie), 1992
  • Non-resistance (Neprotivlenie), 1996
  • Bermuda Triangle, 1999
  • Without Mercy (Bez miloserdia), 2004
  • Late in the Evening (Pozdnim vecherom), 1962

Adaptations

  • Film 'The Last Salvo' (1961) — directed by Leon Saakov
  • Film '49 Days' (1962) — directed by Genrikh Gabai
  • Film 'Silence' (1964) — directed by Vladimir Basov
  • Film 'Hot Snow' (1972) — directed by Gavriil Yegiazarov
  • Film 'The Shore' (1983) — directed by Alov & Naumov
  • TV/Film 'Battalions Ask for Fire' (1985) — directed by Chebotaryov & Bogolyubov

Style & Themes

Literary Style
Realistic war depiction associated with 'lieutenant prose'Influence of socialist realismCalm and persuasive narrative voice
Recurring Motifs
war and humanitymoral choice and consciencepersonal responsibility and integrity

Legacy

Yury Bondarev is regarded as one of the representatives of 'lieutenant prose', praised for deep portrayals of human character and moral themes based on wartime experience. He received numerous state and literary awards; many works were adapted for film. He was honored as an honorary citizen of Volgograd and featured on commemorative postage, leaving an important legacy in war literature.

Academic Societies

  • Academy of Russian Literature

In Popular Culture

  • Many works were adapted into films and TV dramas, contributing to cinematic representations of war literature

Quotes

  • "We all came out of Bondarev's 'Battalions'."
    Source: Vasily Bykov (writer), remark

Trivia

  • In 1994 he declined the Order of Friendship of Peoples awarded by the Russian president.
  • He was named an Honorary Citizen of Volgograd in 2004.
  • Many of his works were adapted to film; he was actively involved with Soviet/Russian cinema (also as a screenwriter).
  • A commemorative postage stamp featuring him was issued in Russia in 2024 as part of a 'Writers–Frontline' series.
  • In 2009 he publicly supported the Moscow mayor's decision to ban a gay parade.