The phrase "No one is forgotten, nothing is forgotten," engraved on the memorial wall at the Piskaryovskoye Memorial Cemetery in Saint Petersburg, originates from the work of Olga Bergholz. A figure of the Soviet literary scene, she became a voice of defiance during the siege of her home city, broadcasting poetry and messages of endurance to a population facing starvation.
Early Development and Journalism
Born in 1910, Bergholz grew up in a working suburb of Saint Petersburg. She enrolled at the Faculty of Philology of Saint Petersburg State University, graduating in 1930. Her early professional life involved working as a journalist, initially in Kazakhstan for the Soviet Steppe newspaper, and later in Leningrad. During the 1930s, she published early books including the children's work Winter-Summer-Parrot, and received validation for her poetry from Maxim Gorky. She became a member of the Union of Soviet Writers in 1934.
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The late 1930s marked a period of severe personal and political disruption for the writer. Following her involvement in the Averbakh Case, she endured an interrogation and was subsequently arrested in December 1938. She spent seven months incarcerated before her complete exoneration in 1939. This period of confinement informed the poetry she later collected in the Trial anthology. Following her release, she joined the Communist Party in 1940 and published the novel Dream.
Voice of the Leningrad Siege
When the Great Patriotic War began in 1941, Bergholz took a position at the Leningrad Radio House. Throughout the blockade, she remained in the city, providing regular broadcasts to support the morale of its inhabitants. Her work from this period included February Diary and Leningrad Poem. Despite suffering from severe dystrophy, she continued to document the siege through plays and radio films like 900 days. She received the Medal "For the Defence of Leningrad" in 1943 for her contributions.
Later Work and Recognition
In her post-war career, Bergholz wrote the poem Pervorossiysk, for which she received the Stalin Prize in 1951, and the tragedy Faithfulness. Her autobiographical novel The Day Stars, published in 1959, was adapted into a film. Her career was marked by state honors, including the Order of the Red Banner of Labour in 1960 and the Order of Lenin in 1967. She died in 1975 in Saint Petersburg and was interred at the Volkovo Cemetery.
Fast facts
- Born: 1910, Saint Petersburg
- Died: 1975, Saint Petersburg
- Educated at: Faculty of Philology of Saint Petersburg State University
- Stalin Prize: 1951
- Order of Lenin: 1967
- Order of the Red Banner of Labour: 1960
- Burial location: Volkovo Cemetery Writer's Walkways
Questions readers ask
What is Olga Bergholz most known for?
She is recognized for her broadcasts and poetry during the siege of Leningrad, which provided moral support to the city's residents.
Did Olga Bergholz receive any state awards?
Yes, she was awarded the Stalin Prize in 1951, the Order of the Red Banner of Labour in 1960, and the Order of Lenin in 1967.
Achievements
- Stalin Prize — 1951
- Order of Lenin — 1967
- Order of the Red Banner of Labour — 1960
- Medal "For Valiant Labour in the Great Patriotic War 1941–1945"
- Genres: poetry
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