Nikolai Mikhailovich Rubtsov. Biography: Nikolai Mikhailovich Rubtsov - the hope of Russian poetry N Rubtsov's life

On January 19, 2011, it was forty years since the poet Nikolai Rubtsov passed away. “I will die in the Epiphany frosts,” he predicted.

I will die in the Epiphany frosts
I will die when the birches crack

And so it happened. He prophesied his misfortune...
The life of the poet Nikolai Rubtsov was tragically cut short on January 19, 1971.

Dead winter wanders along the roads,
And the evil blizzard whines pitifully...
I'm leaving before time and time,
As hateful fate tells me.

It is difficult to say which way Rubtsov's poetry would have gone if the poet had not died prematurely. Despite his Soviet upbringing, he was drawn to the eternal, the good, the bright.

From an interview with writer N.M. Konyaev:

— According to the memoirs of contemporaries, Rubtsov often came to the dilapidated temple and thought about something for a long time. He has the following lines: “From the bridge there is a road up the mountain, and on the mountain - what sadness - lie the ruins of the cathedral, as if the former Rus' is sleeping.”
— This poem is not poetic fiction, but an absolutely accurate photographic picture of what you see when driving into Nikola (place where Rubtsov was born - ed.). In any case, this was the case 5 years ago. Indeed, there on the mountain there was an arch that remained from the domed part of the temple, which was turned into a bakery in Soviet times. It turned out to be such a “church bakery”. The impression is not just terrifying, it is heartbreaking! It’s hard to imagine a greater mockery of Russia! Rubtsov's poetry is an attempt to revive that destroyed temple. When you open a book of his poems, walls line up and domes rise. The theme of the temple is present in one way or another in almost every poem of the poet.

The poet was drawn to the light and goodness. But Rubtsov’s life ended early and tragically, when he was only 35 years old. Years later, myths began to be created around the poet’s death.

I re-read some articles about the death of Rubtsov. Some of this is under the cut: firstly, the volume is large, and secondly, it’s just sad and hard to read. If anyone is interested, read it.
For example, I didn’t even know that the Ryazan writer Boris Shishaev had a chance to stand at Rubtsov’s coffin and be horrified by the terrible sight...

It is known that the poet Nikolai Rubtsov died on January 19, 1971 during a quarrel with the woman he was going to marry.
This woman - the poetess Deryabina-Granovskaya - was convicted of murder, served 5 years and 7 months, after which she was amnestied in connection with International Women's Day.
Years later, articles and interviews she gave began to appear. And in them the picture of Rubtsov’s death was already different...

No one killed the poet Rubtsov
Official version
The poet's death is still the source of numerous speculations and completely ridiculous versions. In literary circles, for example, there are people who are sincerely convinced that the murder of the poet was... ritual. The only thing that was never in doubt was who did IT. From the materials of the Vologda City Court:
"...The defendant met N.M. Rubtsov in 1963... In 1969, having divorced her husband, she moved from Voronezh to Vologda and came to N.M. Rubtsov. Having got a job in a rural library, she began dating Rubtsov and soon entered into an intimate relationship with him...
On January 8, 1971, the defendant and Rubtsov filed an application to register their marriage. On January 18, 1971, during the day, Rubtsov drank alcohol, first in the chess club, then in the Sever restaurant, and subsequently in the apartment. At 11 p.m. he and the defendant were left alone. A scandal arose between them, the initiator of which was Rubtsov. At 4 o'clock in the morning, the scandal between Rubtsov and the defendant escalated into a fight, during which both fell to the floor. Rubtsov shouted: “I love you, Luda...”
...These last Rubtsov words were retold in different ways. Many are sure that the poet actually said: “I love you, Luda.” And this added “same” seemed to confirm the conclusion of the investigation that the murder was intentional. Hence the considerable period of 8 years. In the legal practice of those years, in situations similar in circumstances, the accused often received suspended sentences...
"...The defendant grabbed Rubtsov by the neck and strangled him. After Rubtsov died, the defendant tidied up the room and went to the police, where she reported that she had killed N. M. Rubtsov.
...The defendant's guilt has been proven:
An act of forensic medical examination, which established that the death of N. M. Rubtsov was caused by mechanical asphyxia, from compression of the neck organs with hands, and that before his death N. M. Rubtsov was in a state of moderate (close to severe) stage of intoxication.”
The word of the accused
There were no eyewitnesses to this murder, and all evidence was based on the testimony of Lyudmila Derbina and the conclusions of Vologda forensic experts. But, as it turned out many years later, the picture of the murder that the court considered in 1971 was different from the real one...
In 1998, Lyudmila Derbina filed a complaint with the chairman of the Federal Regional Court of Vologda:
“The unfair court decision served as a good platform for various kinds of slanderers, who agreed that I was a KGB agent and was sent to Rubtsov. The persecution escalated when my memoirs about Nikolai Rubtsov were published in 1993, and in 1994 a collection of poems was published "Krushina", which has an undoubted success among readers. I completely deny guilt in the premeditated murder of Rubtsov "...
Derbina asks to reconsider her case, because the court once did not attach importance to the unreal ease with which the woman committed this murder... This is how Lyudmila Derbina herself describes the last terrible minutes of the poet’s life:
“Rubtsov reached out to me with his hand, I intercepted it with mine... With my other hand, or rather, two fingers of my right hand, thumb and forefinger, I began to pull his throat. He shouted to me: “Luda, forgive me! Luda, I love you! Luda, I love you!"... With a strong push, Rubtsov threw me away from him and turned over on his stomach. Thrown by the push, I saw his blue face. Frightened, I jumped to my feet and was dumbfounded on the spot. He fell face down, burying his face in the same the underwear that scattered on the floor as we fell. All this happened in a matter of seconds. But I could not yet think that this was the end. Now I know: my fingers paralyzed the carotid arteries, that his push was agony, that, burying my face in the underwear and not getting air, he suffocated."
You can doubt a woman’s emotions, you can not trust the memories of a person who, many years later, is trying, wittingly or unwittingly, to whitewash his terrible crime... But when, at Derbina’s request, competent St. Petersburg medical experts became interested in the criminal case, after a series of investigative actions, the picture of the murder appeared in a different light ...
30 years later: the experts' word
At the end of 2000, Yuri Molin, professor of the Department of Forensic Medicine, and Alexander Gorshkov, head of the medical and forensic department of the regional bureau of forensic medicine, state forensic expert of the highest category, conducted an investigative experiment with the participation of Lyudmila Derbina. The simulated tragic events were recorded on a video camera. And this is what the poet’s “killer” told the experts:
- Rubtsov’s health in the last months of his life could not be called satisfactory. He complained of pain in his heart. He always had validol in his pocket. Rubtsov’s friend Sergei Chukhin wrote in his memoirs: “Rubtsov was ill. Various sizes of pills were scattered on the table next to the sofa. “You know, my heart is seizing”...
On January 4, 1971 (a few days before the tragedy - author's note) a heart attack occurred right in the Writers' Union. They wanted to call an ambulance, but he refused. Apparently, he got by with his pocket medicine again. On January 5, he walked around the house, bent over, holding his right hand over his heart. His medical record should have been preserved in the clinic at his place of residence, but the investigation did not consider it necessary to familiarize himself with it..."
...Vologda experts also did not pay attention to the fact that the symptoms of Rubtsov’s death were in no way similar to the symptoms of death from mechanical asphyxia: there were no convulsions, no shortness of breath, no discharge of urine or feces. This is confirmed not only by the interested Lyudmila Derbina, but also by objective data - the presence of urine in the corpse, sent by experts for forensic chemical research. The final stage of mechanical asphyxia is characterized by loss of consciousness and complete relaxation. Rubtsov screamed meaningful phrases before his death, this was confirmed by the neighbors, and then turned over on his stomach. When strangulated, bruises and abrasions remain on the skin, corresponding to the pads of the fingers; there were only scratches on Rubtsov’s body...
The conclusion turned out to be unequivocal: Rubtsov died on his own, from a heart attack, which was provoked by chronic alcoholism with heart damage: “... overexertion associated with liberation from the hands of the attacker, and her sharp repulsion were the last factor that could cause the development of acute heart failure, which led to to death."
There are still many questions in the poet’s case: why did the experts not pay attention to the fact that in the picture of the “murder” there are no classical signs of mechanical asphyxia, described in the textbooks of the last century? Why was Lyudmila Derbina convicted?..
Obviously, another competent forensic examination is needed. And the investigation into a case long written off in the archives is too early to consider completed.
Hence: “No one killed the poet Rubtsov”

She also writes books about Rubtsov:

***
However, these articles caused outrage among many. Moreover, there are still quite a lot of people left who remember the tragic story of the death of the poet Rubtsov.

Interfax interviewed investigator Vyacheslav Merkuryev, who was then leading the criminal case into the death of the lyricist.
The investigator said that the murder was of a purely domestic nature and its investigation was not of professional interest: “The case was not at all loud and, one might say, ordinary. A drunken brawl, a drunken fight.”
“Since Lyudmila Derbina (in 1971 - Granovskaya) confessed to the crime and came to the police herself, I met with her, and after that I went to the scene of the incident. And I was the first in the apartment,” Merkuryev said.

Now Merkuryev admits that he violated several instructions when examining the scene of the incident. For example, instead of the six photographs required for the protocol, he took a whole film in Rubtsov’s apartment. “I had no idea that this film was still in the possession of a complete stranger to me. True, even now, from the point of view of forensic science, the case of Rubtsov’s murder is of no interest. Everything in it was and will be clear. It may remain a mystery only the reasons why Derbina did this. Nevertheless, she suffered her punishment according to the law,” the investigator emphasized.

On the night of January 19, Nikolai Rubtsov was strangled by Derbina in his apartment in Vologda. The prosecutor's office investigator on duty around the city that night was 21-year-old Vyacheslav Merkuryev, at that time the youngest senior prosecutor's office investigator in the USSR.
Currently, Merkuryev lives in Vologda, teaches at two higher educational institutions. He tries not to communicate with journalists, as he believes that “including at the suggestion of journalists, several dozen versions of Rubtsov’s death arose.”

According to Merkuryev, now is the time to publish the criminal case against Rubtsov’s murder.
“As a lawyer, I would probably object to this. But as a fan of the work of my famous fellow countryman-poet, I believe that the need for this really exists. I have been contacted more than once by all sorts of “researchers,” “search engines,” “writers,” and "journalists". They tried to extract some details of the criminal case, but I refused an interview on principle. Too much dirt has been spilled on Rubtsov in recent years. The publication of the case materials could dot all the i's," says Merkuryev.
At the beginning of 2006, the materials of the case of the murder of Nikolai Rubtsov were first published in the book of the Vologda historian Mikhail Surov "Rubtsov. Documents, photographs, evidence."
(from here)

So what happened in those distant years?
Rubtsov and D. met in Moscow back in 1963 in the dormitory of the Literary Institute, but the acquaintance was fleeting and had no continuation. In 1968, D. accidentally read Nikolai Rubtsov’s just published book “Star of the Fields” and was shocked by the poet’s poems. In 1969, she specially came from Voronezh, where she lived at that time, to Vologda and herself came to Rubtsov’s apartment in order, as she would later say, to bow to him for his poetic gift. Thus began this disastrous romance. In November 1970, D. settled with Rubtsov in Vologda (apartment No. 66, building No. 3, A. Yashin Street). In January 1971, they submitted an application to the registry office, and on the night of January 18-19, on the Orthodox holiday of Epiphany, after a quarrel, this tragedy happened, which shocked everyone! During a quarrel with a drunken Rubtsov, D. strangled him, then cleaned the apartment and went to the police herself: “I killed a man.” The trial was closed, D. received 8 years. After serving 5 years and 7 months, she was released early. Now lives in Peterhof. It would seem: you have been freed, live, atone for your sins, repent and ask forgiveness for the crime committed from N. Rubtsov’s daughter, bear your heavy cross with dignity! Humble your pride! A Chinese proverb says: “A person always has a place of salvation from all disasters; this place is his soul.” But no! D.’s character is not like that. The demonic wormhole still eats away at her soul and leads her through life. In 1994, a collection of her poems, Krushina, was published. The contents of the book caused alarm among many. And this concern was probably expressed best of all by Viktor Filippov in his article “The death of a poet is literary capital for his killer” (“Izvestia” 11/16/1996) “...judging by the publications about D and her poems, a poetess with a very a painful idea of ​​spiritual values, for which love and murder are cause and effect. A criminal offense is a stepping stone to fame. Sometimes it seems to me that the line between good and evil has been erased..."

In 2003, her “Memories of Rubtsov” were published in the city of Velsk. Even such odious historical figures as the murderers of Pushkin and Lermontov (Dantes and Martynov) cannot be imagined recording memories of how they killed the great Russian poets! They will say that these are different times, different morals. Yes, and, unfortunately, they are far from the best if such books are written and published. And D. is reading “Memoirs”. Interesting! This is what the killer herself writes. The book contains a lot of outright lies and ostentatious theatricality (D.’s inclinations are mentioned in the criminal case). There is also a whole bunch of all sorts of “devilish things”: black magic and hysteria. And all this is blasphemously presented against the backdrop of Orthodoxy. There is no need to present the entire book. Those who need it will find it and read it. I’ll only tell you about the last chapter, where D., having read, in my opinion, Mikhail Bulgakov, tries to be like his Margarita, but maybe D. really met Woland, who knows?! It turns out that some time after leaving prison, the Church imposed penance on D. for three years, and she spent all this time on her knees in prayer. “And then came the fabulous year 1991. It was this year that a transcendental comprehension of many Divine truths occurred in my life,” writes D. Various miracles began to happen to her.

When she needed funds, a wallet with money fell from heaven at her feet in St. Nicholas Cathedral in Peterhof. D. began to hear various voices in churches, and one day she heard a voice from the icon of the Sign of the Mother of God: “Take me in your hands. Press your face to your heart and take it to St. Petersburg.” On June 10, 1991, early in the morning, I took the icon to St. Petersburg. The path was shown to me, not to everyone, but to some people I met, I had to say the following words: “The time of the Antichrist has ended in the Russian land. Will and Glory of the Lord! Back in May, when I was overcome by dark forces and I made a lot of notes under their dictation, a lot of vulgar nonsense, which I later destroyed, I had a burning desire to get in touch with Nikolai Rubtsov. And I left. I received a telegram from him with the following text: “Come and visit the grave with the little green one.” This was shortly before Trinity, which was, as I remember, in 1991 on May 25th. And I got ready to go to Vologda.”

D. is not concerned about the moral and ethical aspects of the so-called “memories”. Her activity is amazing: she found some specialists - professor of the department of forensic medicine Yu.A. Molina, forensic expert A.N. Gorshkov, who fabricated the conclusion that Nikolai Rubtsov was not strangled, but died of heart failure during that quarrel. They made this “sensational conclusion” from the words of D herself and after viewing the court materials, i.e. on papers. They wrote it as if they were an assumption, realizing that a serious paper could lead to prosecution. And so, an assumption and that's it. D. voiced this version in the book. She talked about this on TV. On the last page of his memoirs, D. says: “After 30 years, the truth is finally revealed through the miraculous Providence of God: Rubtsov died a natural death.”

What can I say?! After reading her book, hearing what she says to correspondents, you clearly understand that her appeal to the Church, to God, is not hard-won repentance, not atonement for sins, but only a search for excuses. And in general: from all her behavior it is clear that D. does not consider herself guilty, and she does not really need forgiveness. She needs to achieve only one thing - justification and removal of the burden of murder. To achieve this goal, she uses any, sometimes the dirtiest, methods. But that doesn’t happen in life! What happened cannot be changed! D. ends his memoirs with the phrase: “There is no death, and the life of every person is a secret, known only to the Creator.” It is unthinkable and wild to hear such words from a person who took the life of another!

Of course, there were many writers and readers who came to the defense of N. Rubtsov. Articles were published against D.'s invective, against her violation of human values, and about her blasphemy. But this only provoked D., she began to act even more energetically, even more brazenly. He deliberately stirs up interest in himself by participating in various events, giving interviews, and writing articles. At the same time, everywhere he constantly dodges and tries in every possible way to whitewash himself, inventing more and more new versions of that terrible drama. I am amazed at D.’s dirty lies when she broadcasts to the whole country that she only lightly squeezed the poet’s throat with two (as she herself says) fingers. And he calls the materials and terrible photographs from the criminal case fake.

In a prophetic poem about his death, N. Rubtsov wrote: “I don’t know what this is, / I don’t believe in the eternity of peace!” Poor poet! And here he turned out to be right, there is no peace for him even after leaving for the eternal world.

I will express my opinion about this tragedy at the end. And now, in order to “open the eyes” of my ignorant opponents, I want to give the floor to people who knew both Nikolai Rubtsov and D., and I will also show some extracts from the criminal case about the murder of the poet.

From the interrogation protocol:
Question: When you strangled Rubtsov, did you tear your entire hand off his throat or not?
Answer: I tore my hand off once, and then grabbed him by the throat again. Rubtsov’s throat was somehow flabby. I pressed Rubtsov, then weakening the pressure, then strengthening it.

From the forensic psychiatric examination:
...The very nature of the murder, multiple abrasions on Rubtsov’s throat indicate that the suspect Granovskaya seemed to be tearing Rubtsov’s throat with her hands.

... in conversation he behaves arrogantly, with some overestimation of his own personality. There are elements of theatricality in behavior. Emotionally labile, touchy. He answers questions regarding the murder with undisguised excitement. Tears well up in your eyes, then it turns to a smile. In great detail, with the smallest details, he reproduces all the moments of the committed act.

The denunciation of a prison informer under the nickname Ryzhik is very interesting. This document was preserved in the criminal case:
The source, while on a walk with Granovskaya, had a conversation with her. In the process, the source asked: “Luda, you killed your husband, why, don’t you feel sorry for him now? To this, Granovskaya expressed dissatisfaction: “I would kill him again. He ruined my whole life. Drunkard, worthless person. You see, the poet...taught me. And my poems are not worse, but much better.
But it’s okay, there are people in Leningrad who will stand up for me, and they know it abroad too. They’ll remember another D!”

To the publication in the Literary Bulletin of excerpts from the story of the Leningrad writer N. Konyaev “The Traveler at the Edge of the Field”, where the author reported that “...According to rumors, she wrote good poetry,” D. herself responded with a telephone call to N. Konyaev So:
- Compared to me in poetry, Rubtsov was a boy! 7

And here are the memoirs of an outstanding Russian writer V.P. Astafieva:
... Kolya’s throat was grabbed - blue marks from nails already appeared, the poet’s thin neck was torn, there were even abrasions under the chin, one ear was torn. The wolf-lover, enraged, made fun of the man.
V. Astafiev “Flying Goose” Irkutsk, 2002. (Page 304)

From a letter to me from a poet, prose writer from the Ryazan regionBoris Shishaev , who was friendly with Nikolai Rubtsov while studying at the Literary Institute, and who, together with the poets Boris Primerov and Alexander Sizov, came from Moscow to Vologda for Rubtsov’s funeral:
“...And then in the Vologda House of Political Education they stood on a guard of honor at Rubtsov’s coffin. It was impossible to look at him without shuddering. There were bloody stripes on Kolya’s face, as if drawn by the claws of a tiger, and one ear was barely holding on - it was almost completely torn off.
I also thought then: was it really impossible to somehow organize everything in the morgue, bring it into divine form? And tears choked me. And one thing was clear: Kolya was killed, and killed brutally. And no matter what anyone says, no matter what the killer calls now, I was convinced of this then and will always say only one thing - Rubtsov was brutally killed.

(Full here: Lagerev S. Thou Shalt Not Kill!)

And LiveJournal provides an analysis of Derbina’s poems and draws a conclusion based on those lines that she wrote BEFORE Rubtsov’s death:
Derbina - successor of Dantes' work

Judging by the heated discussion that unfolded on the set, the death of Nikolai Rubtsov still haunts many. Mikhail Surov, author of the book “Rubtsov. Documents, photographs, evidence,” from the television screen he assured that Lyudmila Derbina strangled the poet, “scratching him with her nails in the presence, possibly, of a third person.”
...
He tried to tell why he believed that another person was helping Derbina, but the monologue was interrupted. “The version about the presence of a third person is always curtailed,” says Mikhail Vasilyevich. “That’s why I’m now writing a second book about Rubtsov, which will include a court case, a literary one, the case of lawyer Fedorova, who defended Derbina.”
What seems mysterious to Surov is the presence in the relationship between Rubtsov and Derbina of a certain teacher from the Ivanovo region, Rybolovov, who constantly came to Rubtsov. As eyewitnesses describe, Rubtsov was afraid of this teacher and believed that he was from the KGB.

Viktor Veniaminovich Korotaev, a famous Vologda poet and Rubtsov’s senior brother in the lyric workshop (now deceased), then worked in the newspaper “Vologda Komsomolets”. He was allowed to attend the court hearing on a travel order, prudently issued by the editorial office.
In 1994, “Memories of Nikolai Rubtsov” was published, compiled by Viktor Veniaminovich. The collection also contains his lines, which he could not publish in the “youth” in 1971: “The defendant is sitting behind a barrier, guarded by a serious elderly policeman. Still young, bushy-haired, bulbous eyes, busty, hip, and her voice is soft, pure and deep, like an angel.
And yet, this angel committed a devilish deed - he ruined the rarest Russian talent, deprived us all of a bright friend, orphaned our loved ones. And our entire land too. And if we have not yet spoken aloud the name of this angel-devil, it is only out of pity for his parents, daughter, out of a simple feeling of compassion, and perhaps excessive delicacy...”
...
We have already said that the trial was closed. But the materials of the criminal case themselves were also classified, from which this classification has not yet been removed (and according to some sources, the case mysteriously disappeared from the archive altogether). It was this circumstance, according to some researchers of Rubtsov’s biography, that allowed Derbina to impose only her version of the tragic events on the public, leaving no room for others.

However, in 2005, the materials of the criminal case suddenly appeared in the public domain. The famous Vologda businessman Mikhail Surov published them in his 700-page book “Rubtsov. Documents, photographs, evidence” (one can only guess how the criminal case came to him).
And immediately inconsistencies emerged between Granovskaya’s testimony during the investigation and her later “memoirs,” as she herself calls them. Which?

What, according to Derbina, was Nikolai Rubtsov afraid of?
There are many contradictions. Let’s dwell on the last minutes of Rubtsov’s life, as Derbina described them in her memoirs: “Rubtsov reached out to me with his hand, I intercepted it with mine and bit him hard. With my other hand, or rather, two fingers of my right hand, thumb and index, I began to pull his throat. He shouted to me: “Luda, forgive me! Luda, I love you!” He was probably afraid of me, or rather, of the terrible force that he himself caused in me, and this cry was an attempt to stop me...”

And further: “With a strong push, Rubtsov threw me away from him and turned over on his stomach... I saw his blue face... But I couldn’t yet think that this was the end. Now I know: my fingers paralyzed the carotid arteries, his push was agony. Burying my face in his underwear and without access to air, Nikolai Rubtsov suffocated..."

Before going to the police station, she washed her hands...

This episode sounds somewhat different in her words during the first interrogation: “I began to calm him down, laid him on the bed. He kicked me in the chest and jumped up, dropping the table. We both fell to the floor. I got angry and grabbed him by the hair. Rubtsov tried to grab me by the throat, but I bit his hand, and then grabbed him by the throat and began to crush him. I didn’t care what would happen next. I pressed Rubtsov hard until he turned blue, and after that I let him go. I raised the rags from the floor, washed my hands and went to the police."

Some details disappeared from the testimony, others appeared. But the fingers remained on my throat...

Another 10 days later, during interrogation, she again describes this episode: “I grabbed Rubtsov in my arms and threw him onto the bed... But he kicked me in the chest with his bare foot. I didn’t fall, I just staggered back. Rubtsov... jumped up, overturned the table, rushed to the door from the room, but I grabbed him in my arms and didn’t let him out of the room. Rubtsov resisted. We both fell to the floor, but I grabbed Rubtsov by the hair, somehow ended up on top. Rubtsov pulled his hand to my throat. I grabbed Rubtsov’s hand with mine hand and bit. After that, she grabbed Rubtsov’s throat with her right hand with two fingers and pressed on his throat.

Rubtsov did not wheeze, did not say anything - it lasted several seconds. It seemed to me that Rubtsov said: “Lyuda, I’m sorry. Luda, I love you. Luda, I love you." These were three phrases, he spoke them, not shouted. I looked at Rubtsov and saw that he was turning blue. I unhooked myself from him. Rubtsov immediately turned over on his stomach. He seemed to sigh again, and then fell silent..."

“When you strangled Rubtsov,” the investigator asks, “did you tear your entire hand off his throat or not?” Answer: “I tore my hand off once, and then grabbed him by the throat again. Rubtsov’s throat was somehow flabby. I pressed Rubtsov, either weakening the force of the clamp, then strengthening (as written in the protocol - Ed.) him.”

What was said to the defendant at the trial about Rubtsov’s last minutes

From the protocol of the court hearing: “He lay down on the bed, I stood nearby. Then he kicked me in the chest with both legs, began to look for something with his eyes, grabbed me, and we fell to the floor. He wanted to grab me by the throat, I grabbed his hand bit him hard. Then she took her throat with her fingers and held it... When he turned over on his stomach, air apparently did not penetrate. I didn’t think of turning him over..."

A few decades later, in the credits of one TV show, she will be listed as “the widow of Nikolai Rubtsov”...
(in full here: Alexander Sergeev. “The Hope of Russian Poetry” Nikolai Rubtsov was killed or did he die himself?)

V.I. Belov cited the following facts in response to the arguments of the killer’s lawyers: “In the meantime, I will be the first to tell the prosecutor that with my own eyes (without glasses) I saw the half-torn off ear of the deceased. It was not Rubtsov himself who tore off his own ear; his entire cheek and temple were covered in blood. This is in addition to the so-called asphyxia, that is, strangulation, which all of Vologda knows.
...
Then, in “Vologda Week” dated September 27 - October 4, 2001, Alexander Tsyganov published an article “Personal File,” in which he detailed the circumstances of the convict Derbina-Granovskaya’s stay in a colony in Vologda.
....

And early release would have been possible if not for the impudence of the killer. A. Tsyganov reports on Derbina’s letter from prison to Henrietta Menshikova:

“In this letter, she (Derbina) demanded (this is definitely a defenseless woman here) that she give up everything that belonged to Rubtsov. Here she made it clear that Rubtsov belonged undividedly to her. (We are talking about the literary heritage of Rubtsov, on which Derbina hoped to warm her hands - author's note). The tone of the letter - I still can’t forget - was not only offensive, but it was angry, threatening... And then what could a victim do if he received a letter full of threats? Yes, only one thing: send this message back, but of course not to the addressee, but to the leadership of the colony, in order to somehow protect yourself from possible persecution.”

As a result, for violating the rules of correspondence, L. Derbina was deprived of all the “earned” levels of correction and she was deprived of the right to parole. And Derbina herself (Slovo magazine, 1994, No. 1-6) said to herself: “There was one stubborn, fanatical thing: to remain yourself, to remain yourself!” This means that the convicted woman had no intention of changing her views, her worldview, her attitude towards crime!

The unbridled nature of the “poetess” is evidenced by the fact that Tsyganov cites after a conversation with the head of the colony detachment:

“The convicts stood in line at the laundry, among them was Derbina-Granovskaya. After some time, the latter stepped aside to go about her business, and the empty space was immediately filled by another convict. Derbina-Granovskaya, who returned, saw a stranger in her place, for some reason suddenly became fierce and rushed at the woman, knocking her to the ground. And there she grabbed her by the throat. Two convicts who were nearby with great difficulty took the fallen one from Derbina. And one of these women, named Krylova, also served time for the murder of her husband. It was this Krylova who said then: “Now I know how she killed Rubtsov. Although this incident was not reported to the leadership of the colony, they nevertheless let it slip to the head of the detachment..."
...
In the periodical “Dangerous Bet” No. 7 (11), July 1996, pp. 11, 12 and 13, in an article entitled “Could the bloody moment have understood...” there are photographs of the Poet’s torn neck, a diagram of N.M.’s apartment .Rubtsova after the murder, as well as the following information:

Rubtsov Nikolay Mikhailovich
Born: January 3, 1936.
Died: January 19, 1971 (age 35).

Biography

Nikolai Mikhailovich Rubtsov (January 3, 1936, village of Yemetsk, Northern Territory - January 19, 1971, Vologda) - Russian lyric poet.

Born on January 3, 1936 in the village of Yemetsk, Kholmogory district of the Northern Territory (now Arkhangelsk region). In 1937 he moved with his large family to Nyandoma. In 1939-1940, Rubtsov’s father Mikhail Andrianovich worked as the head of the Nyandoma Gorpo. In January 1941, “Mikhail Rubtsov left Nyandoma for the Vologda City Party Committee. In Vologda, the Rubtsovs were caught up in the war. In the summer of 1942, Rubtsov's mother and younger sister died, their father was at the front, and the children were sent to boarding schools. This summer, 6-year-old Nikolai wrote his first poem.

Nikolai and his brother first ended up in the Krasovsky orphanage, and from October 1943 until June 1950, Nikolai lived and studied in an orphanage in the village of Nikolskoye, Totemsky district, Vologda region, where he graduated from seven classes of school (now the House is located in this building). Museum of N. M. Rubtsov). In the same village, his daughter Elena was subsequently born in a civil marriage with Henrietta Mikhailovna Menshikova.

In his autobiography, written upon entering Tralflot in 1952, Nikolai writes that his father went to the front and died in 1941. But in fact, Mikhail Adrianovich Rubtsov (1900-1962) survived, after being wounded in 1944 he returned to Vologda and in the same year he married again and lived in Vologda. Due to the loss of documents in the Krasovsky orphanage, he could not find Nikolai and met him only in 1955.

From 1950 to 1952, Rubtsov studied at the Totemsky Forestry College. From 1952 to 1953 he worked as a fireman in the Arkhangelsk trawl fleet of the Sevryba trust, from August 1953 to January 1955 he studied at the mine surveying department at the Mining and Chemical College of the Ministry of Chemical Industry in Kirovsk, Murmansk Region. In January 1955, he failed the winter session and was expelled from the technical school. Since March 1955, Rubtsov was a laborer at an experimental military training ground.

From October 1955 to October 1959, he served as a rangefinder on the Northern Fleet destroyer Ostry (with the rank of sailor and senior sailor). On May 1, 1957, his first newspaper publication took place (the poem “May has come”) in the newspaper “On Guard of the Arctic.” After demobilization, he lived in Leningrad, working alternately as a mechanic, fireman and charger at the Kirov plant.

Rubtsov begins to study at the literary association “Narvskaya Zastava”, meets young Leningrad poets Gleb Gorbovsky, Konstantin Kuzminsky, Eduard Shneiderman. In July 1962, with the help of Boris Taigin, he published his first typewritten collection, “Waves and Rocks.”

In August 1962, Rubtsov entered the Literary Institute. M. Gorky in Moscow and met Vladimir Sokolov, Stanislav Kunyaev, Vadim Kozhinov and other writers, whose friendly participation more than once helped him both in his creativity and in the matter of publishing poetry. Problems soon arose with his stay at the institute, but the poet continued to write, and in the mid-1960s his first collections were published.

In 1969, Rubtsov graduated from the Literary Institute and was accepted into the staff of the Vologda Komsomolets newspaper.

In 1968, Rubtsov’s literary merits received official recognition, and in Vologda he was allocated a one-room apartment No. 66 on the fifth floor of a five-story building No. 3 on a street named after another Vologda poet, Alexander Yashin.

Writer Fyodor Abramov called Rubtsov the brilliant hope of Russian poetry.

He died on the night of January 19, 1971 in his apartment, as a result of a domestic quarrel with the aspiring poetess Lyudmila Derbina (Granovskaya) (born 1938), whom he was going to marry (on January 8 they submitted documents to the registry office). The judicial investigation established that the death was of a violent nature and resulted from suffocation - mechanical asphyxia from squeezing the neck organs with hands. Derbina, in her memoirs and interviews, describing the fateful moment, claims that a heart attack occurred - “his heart simply could not stand it when we grappled.” She was found guilty of the murder of Rubtsov, sentenced to 8 years, released early after almost 6 years, as of 2013 she lived in Velsk, did not consider herself guilty and hoped for posthumous rehabilitation. Publicist and deputy editor-in-chief of the newspaper “Zavtra” Vladimir Bondarenko, pointing out in 2000 that Rubtsov’s death somehow resulted from Derbina’s actions, called her memoirs “senseless and vain attempts at justification.”

Biographers mention Rubtsov’s poem “I will die in the Epiphany frosts” as a prediction of the date of his own death. The Vologda Museum of Nikolai Rubtsov contains the poet’s will, found after his death: “Bury me where Batyushkov is buried.”

Nikolai Rubtsov was buried in Vologda at the Poshekhonskoye cemetery.

Creation

The Vologda “small homeland” and the Russian North gave him the main theme of his future work - “ancient Russian identity”, became the center of his life, “sacred land!”, where he felt “both alive and mortal” (see Borisovo-Sudskoe) .

His first collection, “Waves and Rocks,” appeared in 1962 in samizdat; his second book of poems, “Lyrics,” was officially published in 1965 in Arkhangelsk. Then the poetry collections “Star of the Fields” (1967), “The Soul Keeps” (1969), and “The Noise of Pines” (1970) were published. “Green Flowers”, which were being prepared for publication, appeared after the poet’s death.

Rubtsov's poetry, extremely simple in its style and themes, associated primarily with his native Vologda region, has creative authenticity, internal scale, and a finely developed figurative structure.

The House-Museum of N. M. Rubtsov has been operating in the village of Nikolskoye since 1996.
In the city of Apatity, Murmansk region, on January 20, 1996, on the facade of the library-museum building, where Rubtsov’s readings have been held in Apatity since 1994, a memorial plaque in memory of the poet was installed.
In Vologda, a street was named after Nikolai Rubtsov and a monument was erected (1998, sculptor A. M. Shebunin).
In 1998, the name of the poet was assigned to St. Petersburg Library No. 5 (Nevskaya Central Library) (Address 193232, St. Petersburg, Nevsky district, Shotmana st., 7, building 1). In the library. Nikolai Rubtsov there is a literary museum “Nikolai Rubtsov: Poems and Fate”.
A monument by sculptor Vyacheslav Klykov was erected in Totma.
In Kirovsk, on January 19, 2000, on the facade of the new building of the Khibiny Technical College (formerly the Kirov Mining and Chemical College, where the poet studied in 1953-1955), a memorial plaque was installed in memory of the poet.
In 2001, in St. Petersburg, on the building of the administrative building of the Kirov plant, a marble memorial plaque was installed, with the famous cry of the poet: “Russia! Rus! Protect yourself, protect yourself! A monument to Rubtsov was also erected in his homeland, in Yemetsk (2004, sculptor Nikolai Ovchinnikov).
Since 2009, the All-Russian Poetry Competition named after. Nikolai Rubtsov, whose goal is to find and support young aspiring poets from among the pupils of orphanages.
In Vologda there is a museum “Literature. Art. Century XX" (branch of the Vologda State Historical, Architectural and Art Museum of the Reserve), dedicated to the work of Valery Gavrilin and Nikolai Rubtsov.
In Yemetsk secondary school named after. Rubtsov, Yemetsk Museum of Local Lore. N. M. Rubtsov, a monument to Rubtsov was erected.
In the village of Nikolskoye, a street and a secondary school are named after the poet; a house-museum of the poet was opened on Nikolai Rubtsov Street (in the building of a former orphanage). There is a memorial plaque on the facade.
A bust of Nikolai Rubtsov was erected in Cherepovets.
On January 19, 2010, at the Kirov Plant (St. Petersburg) in workshop 420, a musical and literary performance “Songs of the Russian Soul” was held, dedicated to the memory of the poet.
On November 1, 2011, the Nikolai Rubtsov Literary and Local History Center opened in the House of Knowledge in Cherepovets. It recreates the apartment of Galina Rubtsova-Shvedova, the poet’s sister, whom he often visited when coming to Cherepovets. The Center hosts literary and musical evenings and conducts research work related to the biography and work of Rubtsov.
Rubtsovsky centers operate in Moscow, St. Petersburg, Saratov, Kirov, and Ufa.
In the village of Pargolovo a street is named after the poet.
In Dubrovka a street is named after the poet.
In Murmansk, on the Writers' Alley, a monument to the poet was erected.
Since 1998, an open festival of poetry and music “Rubtsovskaya Autumn” has been held in Vologda.
In St. Petersburg, a street in a microdistrict near the Parnas metro station is named after the poet.

Collected works in 3 volumes. - M., Terra, 2000
"Lyrics". Arkhangelsk, 1965. - 40 pp., 3,000 copies.
"Star of the Fields" M., Soviet writer, 1967. - 112 pp., 10,000 copies,
"The soul keeps." Arkhangelsk, 1969. - 96 pp., 10,000 copies,
"Pine noise." M., Soviet writer, 1970, - 88 pp., 20,000 copies,
“Poems. 1953-1971" - M., Soviet Russia, 1977, 240 pp., 100,000 copies.
“Green Flowers”, M., Soviet Russia, 1971. - 144 pp., 15,000 copies;
“The Last Steamship”, M., Sovremennik, 1973, - 144 pp., 10,000 copies.
“Selected Lyrics”, Vologda, 1974. - 148 pp., 10,000 copies;
“Plantains”, M., Young Guard, 1976. - 304 pp., 100,000 copies.
First snow. - Vologda, 1975
First snow. - Barnaul, 1977
Poems. - M., Children's literature, 1978
With all my love and longing. - Arkhangelsk, 1978
Green flowers. - Barnaul, 1978
Martin. - Kemerovo, 1978

The boy's body was found on a panel at the front entrance of house No. 40 on Communa Street. A medical examination revealed injuries on the body of the deceased that were characteristic of a fall from a great height - a head injury and brain contusion. On the 9th floor of the building, on the landing leading from the elevator to the open balcony, a jacket, stained with dust, belonging to the deceased, without any damage, was found. The jacket has not yet been returned to the parents - it was being examined, and the clothes stored in the morgue, which also needed to be sent for examination, disappeared under unexplained circumstances. All of his personal belongings were found on the deceased, including a ring on his finger, a student ID card, and a sports club membership card. That is, there were no visible signs of a struggle, there was no robbery, and therefore a suicide, the cause of which may have been unrequited love. An hour before his death, Kolya left the cinema with his girlfriend. Perhaps they had a fight...

This conclusion was made by law enforcement agencies. By the way, the father of the girl Rubtsov Jr. loved works as the deputy head of the local police department, whose employees helped the investigator collect materials.

Kolya’s mother Rubtsova does not believe in this version: “It cannot be suicide. He believed. He was Orthodox. On the eve of his death there was the Feast of the Intercession of the Most Holy Theotokos. Kolya was in church for a service. It is unlikely that he would have done such a thing after that.” According to the boy's relatives, investigators did not take into account a number of circumstances surrounding the death. They did not take into account the statement of Father Anatoly, who raised Kolya and taught him the Law of God, that his student was an Orthodox man and could not end his life in this way. They ignored, calling it a childish prank, the SMS messages with the threats “You will die anyway” that remained in the boy’s mobile phone.

Investigators did not even establish whose mobile phone these messages came from. Although the tragedy was preceded by other incidents. More than once he was attacked by a whole group of teenagers. And he wasn't robbed. They just wanted to beat him up. And at the beginning of autumn, Kolya and a friend found themselves in the suburban village of Olkhovka. There, a company broke into the apartment where the 16-year-old boys were. The man, who already has four convictions, provoked a quarrel and attacked Kolya’s friend. Rubtsov Jr. stood up. A man smashed a bottle over his head and nearly stabbed him with a rose. Kolya died a few days after he was discharged from the hospital.

Finally, no one answered the question of what Kolya Rubtsov was doing at house No. 40 on Communa Street, where he had neither friends nor acquaintances. He lived in another place. Why did he go there? Did he have an appointment? Who was he dating?

His death is mysterious, like the death of his grandfather, who was strangled by his female partner. She was convicted. But relatives found evidence indicating that the murder of the poet Rubtsov was not accidental, committed during a quarrel, as the investigation presented. This evidence was also ignored. Official bodies found simpler versions that did not require searching for answers to unnecessary questions closer.

Rubtsov the grandson did not have time to become famous - he was just starting to write poetry. But at heart he was also a poet...

I will die on Epiphany
frosts.
I'll die when they crack
birch trees
And in the spring there will be horror
full:
Rivers will pour into the churchyard
waves!
From my flooded
graves
The coffin will float up, forgotten
and sad,
It will break with a crash,
And into the darkness
The terrible ones will float away
debris.
I don't know what it is...
I don't believe in eternity
peace!

These poems were written by Nikolai Rubtsov, his grandfather, in 1970. And in 1971, he died, as predicted, in the severe frosts of Epiphany. (Editor's note)

This article presents the biography and work of Nikolai Rubtsov, a talented Soviet poet whose life was cut short tragically. Rubtsov's legacy is poetry, first of all, about his native land. His lyrical hero is a man who loves his country very much and deeply experiences all the shocks with it. Now his poetry has been translated into many languages, his poems are studied by specialists and published. The poet's work is studied at school. Below will be presented his personal biography, creativity, photos. Nikolai Rubtsov was a very interesting person, as you will see after reading this article.

Childhood

The future poet was born in 1936, on the third of January, in the very North of Soviet Russia, in the village of Yemetsk. Not far away were Kholmogory, where Mikhail Lomonosov was once born. A year later, in 1937, the Rubtsov family moved to the town of Nyandoma south of Arkhangelsk. There, Nikolai’s father, Mikhail Andrianovich, ran a consumer cooperative. But even there the Rubtsov family did not live long, moving to Vologda in 1941.

There were six children in the family, but during the war, two sisters and Nikolai’s mother, Alexandra Mikhailovna, died. The father went to the front, the remaining children ended up in an orphanage. Years later, it would become clear that due to confusion with documents, he was unable to find his children upon returning from the front. At the same time, the father was considered missing or killed, and the children up to the age of fourteen lived in the village of Nikolskoye in an orphanage. Nikolai Rubtsov would meet his father only in the fifties.

After completing his seven-year studies, Rubtsov changed several technical schools, but did not graduate from any of them. Served for four years in the Northern Fleet.

First lines

The first poem, as follows from the poet’s autobiography, was written by Rubtsov in an orphanage. By nature, he was soft and lyrical; relationships with peers did not always work out. Maybe that’s why little Nikolai’s thoughts found expression in poetic form. After returning from the fleet, Nikolai leaves for Leningrad and works at the Kirov plant. Then he begins to actively participate in the literary life of the “Northern capital”.

In the summer of 1962, the poet’s first book was printed and reproduced on a typewriter. It was called "Waves and Rocks". Nikolai's friend, the Leningrad poet and writer Boris Taigin, provided great assistance.

In the same 1962, Rubtsov graduated from high school as an external student and entered it. Gorky, who is located in Moscow. He studies by correspondence and lives in Vologda.

Publications, criticism of contemporaries

In the magazine "October" in 1964, a selection of poems by the young poet Nikolai Rubtsov appeared. A few years later, in 1967, the first collection published in Moscow, “Star of the Fields,” was published. It was from this moment that we can say that the literary community of the Soviet Union learned a new name: Nikolai Rubtsov. Personal biography and creativity were very closely intertwined in the poems of the young lyricist. Love for Russia was comparable in strength to love for a mother. With his Yesenin-like burning melancholy and sincerity, the poet attracted the attention of critics. He especially stood out against the background of the poets who were thundering from the stage at that time: Robert Rozhdestvensky, Evgeny Yevtushenko, Bella Akhmadulina.

Confession of a poet

During his lifetime, the poet published four collections of poems: two in Arkhangelsk and two in Moscow. In addition to the collection “Star of the Fields”, “Lyrics”, “The Soul Keeps” and “The Noise of Pines” were released. In 1967, Nikolai Rubtsov finally left for Vologda and settled there, only occasionally visiting Moscow or Leningrad.

Personal life

In addition to the fact that in 1962 Rubtsov entered the Literary Institute, he also met Henrietta Menshikova. She was in charge of the club in the orphanage where Rubtsov was raised as a child. Sometimes Rubtsov visited an orphanage and on one of these visits he met his future wife. The wedding took place a year later, in 1963, but was not registered at the registry office. In the spring, a daughter appeared, who was named Lena. His wife and daughter remained in the village of Nikolskoye, while Rubtsov continued his studies in Moscow.

In the same year, another event occurred: Nikolai met the young poetess Lyudmila Derbina, but then this acquaintance led nowhere. Only a few years later, when in 1967, Lyudmila comes into the hands of a collection of Rubtsov’s poems, she falls in love - first with his poetry, and then with himself.

Lyudmila was already married once and had a daughter, Inga, from an unsuccessful marriage. Despite this, Nikolai Rubtsov took them to Vologda, where in 1971 they planned to get married (this time Rubtsov insisted on an official marriage and registration in the registry office). The couple's relationship was difficult: Nikolai drank, sometimes for weeks. Binges were followed by periods of absolute indifference to alcohol. They either quarreled and separated, then made up. Registration at the registry office was scheduled for February 19 to legitimize the relationship.

Tragic death

Rubtsov has these words: “...I will die in the Epiphany frosts...”. So, they turned out to be not just lines of a poem, but a terrible prophecy. Exactly a month before the scheduled registration at the registry office, according to the well-known version, Nikolai was killed (intentionally or accidentally, it is still unclear) in his apartment by his fiancée Lyudmila Derbina. The cause of death was strangulation. Lyudmila herself called the police and escorted the officers to the apartment where the tragedy occurred. According to the woman, during an argument Rubtsov had a heart attack and fell into a pile of laundry, where he suffocated. Whether this is true or not, no one will ever find out, but Lyudmila did not admit her guilt. She was sentenced to eight years, released under amnesty after six. The poet Nikolai Rubtsov was buried at the Poshekhonskoye cemetery in Vologda, in fact, as he once bequeathed to his friends. This is how Nikolai Rubtsov’s life was interrupted. But there remains a memory and a legacy in the form of poetry.

The main motives of creativity, lyrics by Rubtsov

In the lyrics of Nikolai Rubtsov, the creativity and biography of not only him as an individual, but also the biography of the entire long-suffering people of Russia, are intertwined into one whole, creating a whole set of interesting images and metaphors. For example, he outlined his impressions of visiting Altai in a poem that ends with the following stanzas: " The flowers are silent, the graves are silent, and you can only hear the noise of the Katun..." He also has a poem called "Spring on the Bank of the Biya", also dedicated to Altai. In general, the biography and work of Nikolai Rubtsov is full of places and events.

The basis of Rubtsov's poetic style is song - specifically Russian song traditions. It’s not for nothing that Gradsky, Zykov, and many of our other singers sing songs based on his poems.

Among the images, religious symbols, of course, predominate. Rubtsov himself was a pious man, and icons always hung in his house. The poet's image of Russia is always an ideal. The ideal of holiness, integrity, eternity. Also, one of the most common images is natural phenomena or landscapes. With the help of nature, the poet, as has been traditionally done in Russian poetry, shows the inner world of the lyrical hero. Rubtsov's poems on the theme of Russia sometimes consist entirely of intertwined images of the natural world.

The poet’s attitude “not to the physical” - to the soul - is, again, very religious. In the soul, Rubtsov sees a part of a person that is capable of establishing a connection with God. Rubtsov's lyrical hero trusts his soul and is ready to follow it without delay. The poet has the following lines: “But I will go! I know in advance that he is happy, even if he is knocked off his feet, who will go through everything when the soul leads, and there is no higher happiness in life!”

Rubtsov is an original poet, and the essence of his originality is that he sang the traditional motifs of the Russian people and their land in a new language. Perhaps, among the poets of that era, only one more can be identified who possessed such a gift, and even then, he would appear much later than Rubtsov. In the eighties of the twentieth century, Alexander Bashlachev appeared with confessional songs coming from the lips of either the entire Russian people, or God himself. Unfortunately, in 1988 he committed suicide. Nevertheless, the fates of poets in Russia are often very tragic: both biographies and creativity are filled with tragedy. Nikolai Rubtsov, whose poems are full of despair and pain, was no exception.

Many lines from the poet’s heritage became catchphrases, came into common use, and began to be used everywhere. This is not surprising - in Rubtsov’s poems the entire Russian people lives, breathes, is born and dies, and people cannot help but feel it.

Influence, legacy

After his tragic departure, Nikolai Rubtsov left a lot of manuscripts, which were carefully collected, reviewed, and then many were published. If we count together those collections of poetry that were published during the poet’s lifetime, then today we get the following list.

In life:

• 1962 - “Waves and Rocks.”
• 1965 - “Lyrics”.
• 1967 - “Star of the Fields.”
• 1969 - “The soul keeps.”
• 1970 - “The Noise of Pines.”

  And after the death of Nikolai Rubtsov:

• 1977 - “Poems. 1953-1971."
• 1971 - “Green Flowers”.
• 1973 - “The Last Steamer.”
• 1974 - “Selected Lyrics.”
• 1975 - “Plantains”.
• 1977 - “Poems”.

Conclusion

A. Romanov said about the Russian classic that the very nature of our land was waiting for the appearance of such a poet as Nikolai Rubtsov, whose short biography and work are described in our article. His poetry contains majestic chant and prayerful confession. Perhaps there are no better words to say who Nikolai Rubtsov is. Personal life, biography, creativity - everything was tragic for this man. But his poems remain, which are known and loved.

Nikolai Konyaev wrote a book in the “ZhZL” series: “Nikolai Rubtsov”. The biography and creativity, the life of the poet in this book are described in very detail and vividly. Many books are dedicated to the tragic death of Nicholas.

Several streets in cities of the former Soviet Union were named after him. Monuments to the poet were unveiled in Cherepovets, Totma, Vologda, and Yemetsk. Every year, domestic writers are awarded the All-Russian Literary Prize "Star of the Fields" named after the Russian poet Nikolai Rubtsov.

Nikolai Rubtsov was born on January 3, 1936 in the city of Yemetsk, Arkhangelsk region, into a family. Before the war, the family moved to Vologda, where Nikolai’s father received a promotion to the city party committee. However, in June 1942, my father was drafted into the war, despite the fact that there was a terrible tragedy in the Rubtsov family. Nikolai's mother, Alexandra Mikhailovna, died suddenly. It turns out that all four young children remain orphans: the mother is no longer alive, and the father is at the front.

Nikolai's father asked his sister Sofya Andrianovna to take the children to her, but she agreed to give shelter only to the eldest of the daughters, and the younger ones were scattered everywhere. Nikolai and his younger brother Boris went to the Kraskovsky orphanage.

Life in an orphanage was never easy, especially in times of war. It is difficult to imagine how difficult it was for Nikolai to get used to his new life. Just recently he lived in a large and friendly family, next to a loving mother, and now he is completely alone. After some time, he was separated from Boris. They were distributed to different orphanages.

Little Nikolai still hoped that his father would return from the war, and life might get better, but a miracle did not happen. His father married a second time and had new children. He no longer cared about the fate of the children from his first marriage.

Having completed the seven-year school, Nikolai left and went to enter the naval school in Riga, but even here he was disappointed. People were accepted into the school at the age of 15, and he was only fourteen and a half. Out of despair I had to enroll in a forestry technical school.

Restless life

After graduating from technical school, Rubtsov goes to Arkhangelsk, where he gets a job as an assistant fireman on an old minesweeper. Nikolai did not give up his dream of the sea. He worked on the ship for only one year. After this, Rubtsov comes to the city of Kirov and decides to continue his studies, but he lasted only one year at the mining technical school.

Rubtsov's long-term wanderings began. He was alone in the whole world. In 1955, Nikolai made an attempt to improve relations with his father, but their meeting led nowhere. They did not find a common language, and Rubtsov goes to the village of Priyutino to see his Albert.

At the end of 1955, Nikolai Rubtsov was drafted into the Northern Fleet, where he began to write poetry, which began to appear more and more often in print.

In 1962, the first collection of poems by Nikolai Rubtsov, “Waves and Rocks,” was published. In the same year, he successfully passes the exams and enters the literary institute, where he meets the future mother of his only daughter. In Moscow, Rubtsov very quickly became famous among young poets. Unfortunately, a year later he is expelled from the institute for a fight in which he was not the instigator. After some time he was reinstated, but a year later he was expelled again.

A complex, hot-tempered character, and even a fatal addiction to alcohol - all this interfered with Rubtsov’s life. He constantly found himself in scandalous situations, and he was always made to blame.

In 1965, his family life began to crack. His wife is tired of his drunkenness and lack of money. Rubtsov published from time to time, but his fees were not enough to support his family.

Rubtsov leaves again to wander around the country. For some time he lived in Siberia, and in 1967 his book “Star of the Fields” was published, which brought him great fame. He was accepted into the Writers' Union. And finally, he finally graduated from the Literary Institute.

An encounter with death

In 1969, Nikolai met Lyudmila Derbina, who was destined to play a fatal role in the poet’s life. They started living together. She was a fan of his poems. This romance developed very strangely: they constantly diverged, but again something unknown united them again. Finally, in 1971, they finally decided to legitimize their relationship.

The marriage registration was supposed to take place on January 19, but on the 18th a quarrel took place. A fatal quarrel that did not stop all day. On the night of January 19, Lyudmila Derbina killed the poet Nikolai Rubtsov during a fight. Shortly before his death, he wrote poems that turned out to be prophetic.

I will die in the Epiphany frosts
I will die when the birches crack
And in the spring there will be complete horror:
River waves will rush into the churchyard!
From my flooded grave
The coffin will float up, forgotten and sad
It will break with a crash,
and into the darkness
Terrible wreckage will float away
I don't know what it is...
I don't believe in eternity of peace!

Derbina served five years and seven months in captivity, after which she was amnestied.