Golyavkin Victor Vladimirovich

   Writer, artist. Born on August 31, 1929 in Baku in a family of music teachers. Graduated from Dushanbe Art School and Leningrad Academy of Fine Arts with a major in theatrical design. In 1968 he became the member of the Writers' Union of USSR, and in 1973 entered the department of graphic arts at the Artists' Union.
   In 1958 the "Kostyor" magazine published his first short story - "How a Difficult Question Was Solved." In 1959 "Detgiz" publishing house came out with his collection of short stories for children, entitled "Heavy Notebook", which was followed in 1968 by the collection "Hello, Birds." His later stories and novels were published by well-known periodicals and publishing houses of Moscow and Leningrad. The writer himself illustrated many of them. Some famous children's films, such as "Val'ka - Ruslan and his friend San'ka", "My kind father", "Boba and the elephant", were based on the novels and screenplays of V. V. Golyavkin. From 1957 on he participated in numerous group and private shows and some of his works were acquired by the Russian State Museum.
   The short humorous story remains his favorite genre. "He has written hundreds of short stories, marked by his bright and gifted literate wit. He belongs to the category of writers who can be recognized by an original phrase, by unique intonation, and by a characteristic rhythm of the writing. However, the most notable victory of the writer is his complete understanding of the world of childhood, and his inexhaustible dreamlike vision. Paradoxical logic, fast reaction, purity of motivation and slyness are organic for the writer and are integral parts of his creations."
(I. Kuz'michev)

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