Yury Iosifovich Koval (russian: link=no, Юрий Иосифович Коваль, February 9, 1938 in
Moscow
Moscow ( , US chiefly ; rus, links=no, Москва, r=Moskva, p=mɐskˈva, a=Москва.ogg) is the capital and largest city of Russia. The city stands on the Moskva River in Central Russia, with a population estimated at 13.0 million ...
– August 2, 1995 in Moscow) was a Russian author, artist, and screenplay writer.
Biography
Yury Koval was born in Moscow in 1938. Both of his parents came from peasant families. His
Ukrainian
Ukrainian may refer to:
* Something of, from, or related to Ukraine
* Something relating to Ukrainians, an East Slavic people from Eastern Europe
* Something relating to demographics of Ukraine in terms of demography and population of Ukraine
* So ...
father Iosif Yakovlevich Koval was a criminal investigator, while his mother Olga Dmitrievna Kolybina was a
psychiatrist
A psychiatrist is a physician who specializes in psychiatry, the branch of medicine devoted to the diagnosis, prevention, study, and treatment of mental disorders. Psychiatrists are physicians and evaluate patients to determine whether their sy ...
of
Russian
Russian(s) refers to anything related to Russia, including:
*Russians (, ''russkiye''), an ethnic group of the East Slavic peoples, primarily living in Russia and neighboring countries
*Rossiyane (), Russian language term for all citizens and peo ...
origin.
[Yuri Koval Island – Official Website](_blank)
(in Russian) In 1955 Yuri begun his studies at the
Moscow State Pedagogical Institute
Moscow State Pedagogical University or Moscow State University of Education is an educational and scientific institution in Moscow, Russia, with eighteen faculties and seven branches operational in other Russian cities. The institution had underg ...
, and in 1960, he graduated and started working as a drawing teacher in the countryside in the
Republic of Tatarstan
The Republic of Tatarstan (russian: Республика Татарстан, Respublika Tatarstan, p=rʲɪsˈpublʲɪkə tətɐrˈstan; tt-Cyrl, Татарстан Республикасы), or simply Tatarstan (russian: Татарстан, tt ...
. After a year, he returned to Moscow, working first as a schoolteacher and subsequently as an editor in the ''
Detskaya Literatura
Detskaya Literatura ( rus, Детская литература, r=Detskaja literatura, lit. "Children's Literature"), formerly Detgiz and DETIZDAT, is a Soviet and Russian publishing house for children's literature. It was established on Septembe ...
'' magazine. In 1966, he became a freelance journalist and writer.
Koval published sporadically since he was a student, and in 1967 and 1969 he published two books of verses for children, however, he was first noticed in 1968, when he published ''Aly'', a short story of a dog. He subsequently decided to change topic frequently. He spent considerable periods of time in the north of European Russia, in particular, in
Vologda Oblast
Vologda Oblast ( rus, Вологодская область, p=vəlɐˈɡotskəjə ˈobləsʲtʲ, r=Vologodskaya oblast, ) is a federal subject of Russia (an oblast). Its administrative center is Vologda. The Oblast has a population of 1,202,444 ...
. In
Arkhangelsk
Arkhangelsk (, ; rus, Арха́нгельск, p=ɐrˈxanɡʲɪlʲsk), also known in English as Archangel and Archangelsk, is a types of inhabited localities in Russia, city and the administrative center of Arkhangelsk Oblast, Russia. It lies o ...
, Yury Koval met
Boris Shergin
Boris Viktorovich Shergin (russian: Бори́с Ви́кторович Ше́ргин; 28 July 1896, Arkhangelsk – 31 October 1973, Moscow) was a Russian and Soviet Pomor writer and folklorist.
Biography
Shergin grew up in the Pomor culture in ...
, a Russian
Pomor
Pomors or Pomory ( rus, помо́ры, p=pɐˈmorɨ, ''seasiders'') are an ethnographic group descended from Russian settlers, primarily from Veliky Novgorod, living on the White Sea coasts and the territory whose southern border lies on a wa ...
writer, and became interested in Russian
folklore
Folklore is shared by a particular group of people; it encompasses the traditions common to that culture, subculture or group. This includes oral traditions such as tales, legends, proverbs and jokes. They include material culture, ranging ...
. Later, he invested a lot of time promoting literary works of Shergin and
Stepan Pisakhov Stepan Grigoryevich Pisakhov (russian: Степан Григорьевич Писахов; , Arkhangelsk – 3 May 1960, Arkhangelsk) was a Russian Empire and Soviet artist, writer, oral storyteller, and ethnographer.
Biography
Stepan Pisakhov was ...
, and even wrote a screenplay for animated films ''
The Magic Ring'' (russian: link=no, Волшебное кольцо) and ''
Laughter and Grief by the White Sea
''Laughter and Grief by the White Sea'' (russian: Смех и го́ре у Бе́ла мо́ря; tr.:''Smekh i gore u Bela morya'') is a 1987 Soviet traditionally animated feature film directed by Leonid Nosyrev made at the Soyuzmultfilm studio ...
'', based on Shergin's fairy tales.
In the 1970s, Koval wrote several short stories and novels for children. ''
The Little Silver Fox'' (1975) shows the story of an
Arctic fox
The Arctic fox (''Vulpes lagopus''), also known as the white fox, polar fox, or snow fox, is a small fox native to the Arctic regions of the Northern Hemisphere and common throughout the Arctic tundra biome. It is well adapted to living in co ...
who escaped from a
fur farm
Fur farming is the practice of breeding or raising certain types of animals for their fur.
Most of the world's farmed fur is produced by European farmers. In 2018, there were 5,000 fur farms in the EU, all located across 22 countries; these ...
and wanted to get to the North Pole. In 1984, he published ''
The lightest boat in the world
''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the ...
'', and ''
Suyer-Vyyer'' was published in 1996 posthumously. For ''Suyer-Vyyer'', Koval received the
Strannik Award, which is given for science fiction books. Koval's books were translated to all major European languages, as well as to Chinese and Japanese.
In addition to his writing and screenwriting work, Yuri was also a professional sculptor, artist,
icon
An icon () is a religious work of art, most commonly a painting, in the cultures of the Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox, and Catholic churches. They are not simply artworks; "an icon is a sacred image used in religious devotion". The most ...
painter,
enameller and
woodcarver
Wood carving is a form of woodworking by means of a cutting tool (knife) in one hand or a chisel by two hands or with one hand on a chisel and one hand on a mallet, resulting in a wooden figure or figurine, or in the sculptural ornamentation ...
.
[Yuri Koval. Monologue](_blank)
documentary, January 20, 1991 He mastered a wide range of techniques, mostly traditional national Russian styles. He also wrote songs and played guitar.
Koval died in 1995 at the age of 57 after a serious heart attack. He was buried in the family tomb at the Lianozovskoe Cemetery. He was survived by his second wife Natalia Alexandrovna Koval (''nee'' Degtyar), his children (Yulia from the first marriage and Alexei from the second marriage) and his elder brother Boris.
Koval belonged to the
Russian Orthodox Church
, native_name_lang = ru
, image = Moscow July 2011-7a.jpg
, imagewidth =
, alt =
, caption = Cathedral of Christ the Saviour in Moscow, Russia
, abbreviation = ROC
, type ...
.
Literary works
Koval is the author of several novels, novellas and collections of short stories and fairy-tales, both for children and adults. He has also written poems and songs. His major works in prose include:
* ''Алый'' (''Aly'', titled after the proper name of a dog, 1968), about a border guard dog;
* ''Приключения Васи Куролесова'' (''The Adventures of Vasya Kurolesov'', 1971), a humorous detective story;
* ''Недопёсок'' (''Young Polar Fox'', 1975), about the adventures of an Arctic fox;
* ''Пять похищенных монахов'' (''Five Abducted Monks'', 1977), a humorous detective story;
* ''От Красных Ворот'' (''Starting from Red Gate'', titled after
a Moscow toponym, 1984);
* ''Самая лёгкая лодка в мире'' (''The Lightest Boat in the World'', 1984), the first Koval's major work addressed to adult audience;
* ''Полынные сказки'' (''Wormwood Tales'', 1987);
* ''Промах гражданина Лошакова'' (''Citizen Loshakov's Failure'', 1990), a humorous detective story;
* ''Шамайка'' (''Shamayka'', titled after the name of a cat, 1990), about a stray cat (adaptation of
Ernest Thompson Seton
Ernest Thompson Seton (born Ernest Evan Thompson August 14, 1860 – October 23, 1946) was an English-born Canadian-American author, wildlife artist, founder of the Woodcraft Indians in 1902 (renamed Woodcraft League of America), and one of ...
's story, ''The Slum Cat'');
* ''Суер-Выер'' (''Suyer-Vyyer'', 1998), a fantastic novel about a sea voyage of Captain Suyer-Vyyer striving to find the Island of Verity.
He translated into Russian various children's writers and poets, including
Rainis
Rainis was the pseudonym of Jānis Pliekšāns (September 11, 1865 – September 12, 1929), a Latvian poet, playwright, translator, and politician. Rainis' works include the classic plays ''Uguns un nakts'' (''Fire and Night'', 1905) and ''Ind ...
,
Imants Ziedonis
Imants Ziedonis (3 May 1933 – 27 February 2013) was a Latvian poet and writer who first rose to fame during the Soviet era in Latvia.
Early life and education
Ziedonis was born in the Sloka fisherman's district of Jūrmala, Latvia. He was edu ...
,
Eduardas Mieželaitis Eduardas Mieželaitis (3 October 1919 – 6 June 1997) was a Lithuanian Soviet poet, translator, essayist and public figure. He was awarded the Lenin Prize in 1962.
Biography
He was born to the family of a village teacher. In 1923 he moved with ...
,
Spiridon Vangheli,
Akhmedkhan Abu-Bakar,
Michio Mado
was a Japanese poet. He received the international Hans Christian Andersen Medal in 1994 for his "lasting contribution to children's literature".
Biography
Mado was born as Michio Ishida in Tokuyama, Yamaguchi prefecture. He spent his childhood ...
,
Yoko Sano, etc.
English editions
* Yuri Koval. ''A Pig in a Poke''. London: Abelard-Schuman, 1975. — Illustrated by
Janosch
Janosch (, born as Horst Eckert on 11 March 1931) is a German children's author and illustrator.
Biography
Janosch was born as Horst Eckert in what was then Hindenburg (now Zabrze, Poland) in Upper Silesia to a family of mixed German and Pol ...
. (Translation of ''Priklyucheniya Vasi Kurolesova'', 1971)
* Yuri Koval. ''A purple bird'' / Translated by Fainna Solasko. Moscow: Raduga, 1983. 2nd printing, 1989. — Illustrated by Nikolay Ustinov. (Translation of 14 stories from the collection ''Pozdnim vecherom ranney vesnoy'', 1988)
* Yuri Koval. ''The Little Silver Fox'' / Translation by Nora Seligman Favorov. Chtenia: Readings from Russia. 2008. Vol. 1, no. 1. (01: The Hearts of Dogs). (Excerpt from ''Nedopesok'', 1975)
* Yuri Koval. ''The Lightest Boat in the World'' / Translation by Paul E. Richardson. Chtenia: Readings from Russia. 2008. Vol. 1, no. 3. (03: On the Road). (Excerpt from ''Samaya legkaya lodka v mire'', 1984)
* Yury Koval. ''The Red Gates''. In: Moscow Tales. Stories translated by
Sasha Dugdale
Sasha Dugdale FRSL is a British poet, playwright and translator. She has written five poetry collections and is a translator of Russian literature.
Biography
Sasha Dugdale was born in 1974 in Sussex.
Between 1995 and 2000, Dugdale work ...
; Edited by Helen Constantine. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2013. P. 83-128. (Translation of a novella ''Ot Krasnyx vorot'', 1984)
Cinema and animation
Some of Koval's works were made into feature films:
* ''
Border dog Alyi
''Border dog Alyi'' (russian: Пограничный пёс Алый, Pogranichnyy pyos Alyi) is a 1979 Soviet drama film directed by Yuliy Fait and based on the short story "Alyi" (russian: Алый, Alyy) written by Yury Iosifovich Koval.
Pl ...
'' (1979)
* ''Nedopesok Napoleon III'' (1979) (based on ''Nedopesok'')
* ''Pyat pokhishchennykh monakhov'' (1991) (based on the eponymous novel)
* ''Yavlenie prirody'' (2010) (based on various short stories)
He wrote the screenplays for several short
animation film
Animation is a method by which still figures are manipulated to appear as moving images. In traditional animation, images are drawn or painted by hand on transparent celluloid sheets to be photographed and exhibited on film. Today, most anima ...
s, and many animation films are based on his works, including:
* ''Priklyucheniya Vasi Kurolesova'' (1981)
* ''Tigryonok na podsolnukhe'' (1981)
* ''
Welcome
A welcome is a kind of greeting designed to introduce a person to a new place or situation, and to make them feel at ease. The term can similarly be used to describe the feeling of being accepted on the part of the new person.
In some context ...
'' (1986)
* ''Sunduk'' (1986)
* ''
Laughter and Grief by the White Sea
''Laughter and Grief by the White Sea'' (russian: Смех и го́ре у Бе́ла мо́ря; tr.:''Smekh i gore u Bela morya'') is a 1987 Soviet traditionally animated feature film directed by Leonid Nosyrev made at the Soyuzmultfilm studio ...
'' (1988)
* ''Yevstifeyka-volk'' (2001)
* ''Polynnaya skazka v tri blina dlinoy'' (2003)
* ''Pro barana i kozla'' (2004)
* ''Pro kozla i barana'' (2005)
* ''Glupaya...'' (2008)
* ''Krugly god'' (2010)
* ''Shatalo'' (2010)
Koval also appeared in small
supporting role
A supporting character is a character in a narrative that is not the focus of the primary storyline, but is important to the plot/protagonist, and appears or is mentioned in the story enough to be more than just a minor character or a cameo ap ...
s in two movies (in both cases he sings his songs playing a guitar):
* ''Ulitsa Nyutona, dom 1'' (1963)
* ''Marka strany Gondelupy'' (1978)
References
External links
*
"The Knifer" by Yuri Koval(published in
Moscow News
''The Moscow News'', which began publication in 1930, was Russia's oldest English-language newspaper. Many of its feature articles used to be translated from the Russian language ''Moskovskiye Novosti.''
History Soviet Union
In 1930 ''The Mo ...
, October 1, 2001)
English translations of Yuri Koval
{{DEFAULTSORT:Koval, Yury
1938 births
1995 deaths
Writers from Moscow
Russian writers of Ukrainian descent
Russian male short story writers
Soviet short story writers
Soviet novelists
20th-century Russian short story writers
Soviet screenwriters
Male screenwriters
Russian children's writers
Soviet children's writers
Soviet male writers
20th-century Russian male writers
20th-century screenwriters