Sergey Orlov’s Books

The collection of Sergey Orlov’s books has pride of place in the Belozersk Regional Museum of Local Lore. It includes all publications issued when the poet was alive as well as the majority of books published in the 1980-1990s and those being published nowadays.

According to the poet’s biography, he wrote about 30 books.

Sergey Orlov prepared his first book for publication being a student of the Petrozavodsk University. He  even took his handwriting to the printing house but the book was not destined to come out because the printing house burned down along with the manuscripts. Then the war began. The first small book of poems written by Sergey Orlov and Sergey Telkanov, in just a few sheets, with its capacious The Front title was released while our fellow countryman was studying at a tank school in Chelyabinsk.

The Third Speed book was published in 1946. It included poems about harsh military campaigns, about the heroism of tankers, about the “front-line brotherhood”. The name of the book was not chosen by chance because the third speed is the highest tank speed at which it went into the attack, into the breakthrough. The author received universal recognition thanks to this book.

In 1948, The Campaign Going On book was published in which the largest Along the River section was devoted to peaceful life and everyday life, post-war recovery and construction.

In 1949, Sergey Orlov acted as a journalist and together with Anatoly Chepurov published an essay on his business trip to the May First collective farm in the Kichmensky Gorodok district of the Vologda region. This essay was published as a pamphlet.

Sergey Orlov wished to see the peaceful life after the war in all of its aspects. He wished to write about it and critics demanded the same. After recovering from the war wounds, the young poet had a lot of trips around his own district. Such trips gave him the material for the Svetlana narrative poem (1949) which was very typical for those years. This poem came out in the Krasny Sever regional newspaper (Vologda) and the Zvezda magazine and later its two separate publications were made: in Vologda in 1949 and Leningrad in 1951. It is noteworthy that the book published by the Molodaya Gvardiya publishing house included not just this narrative poem but also some poems about the local area. The book was illustrated by one of the poet’s friends Vladimir Vetrogonsky.

Sergey Orlov together with Mikhail Dudin wrote The Lark cinema ballade based on which the same-name movie was made in 1964.

Sergey Orlov published not only poems but also essays and articles on literature. So, in his The Living Witnesses book, 1971, from the Writers about Creative Work cycle, the poet looks to physical scientists and lyric writers “trying to talk about things created by yourself and your writer colleagues”, and in the Alone with You book (1978) he creates artistic portraits and reviews works of such masters of literature as Valery Bryusov, Nikolay Tikhonov, Alexander Prokofiev, Leonid Martynov, Mikhail Dudin.

Sergey Orlov’s books were published by various publishing houses in Moscow, Leningrad, Vologda, Arkhangelsk and were also translated into Bulgarian in Sofia (the Social Life Poems series, 1968), Czech in Prague (The Rusty Smoke, 1975), Moldavian in Kishinev (The Voice of the First Love, 1980) and English in Moscow (Favourite Poems,  1987).

Sergey Orlov’s The Faith book was awarded the Maksim Gorky State Literature Prize in 1974. The main idea of The Faith is the heritage of good deeds of our people, their faith to their homeland. This small book of poems is full of love to his birthplace, White Lake, Russian old times, thoughts about high value of a human life, people seeking for creative works, creativity and peace. This book has several editions: it was published by the Sovremennik publishing house in 1973 and the Soviet Russia publishing house in 1976 and 1977 indicating that it was awarded the state prize on its cover.

The Fires book of poems was prepared for publication by Sergey Orlov himself but it came out after the poet’s death. This book includes poems dated 1977, including one of his last ones The Green Earth Flying Towards…

Sergey Orlov’s books are regularly published now for us to be closer to the poet and to allow the poetry of our townman – a soldier and philosopher – to enter every house.

1. The Front, Chelyabinsk, 1942, with Sergey Orlov’s inscription to Ye. Sharova’s mother. Paper, paint, print, handwriting. 14.5 х 10.5 cm. 11 pages
2. The Third Speed, Leningrad, 1946. Paper, paint, thread, glue, print. 12.8 х 9.7 cm. 44 pages
3. The Campaign Going On, Leningrad, 1948, illustrated by M. Gordon. Paper, cardboard, paint, print. 16 х 10.5 cm. 52 pages
4. The Ilyich Lamp in the May First Collective Farm, Vologda, 1949. Paper, paint, metal, print. 19.5 х 13.3 cm. 48 pages
5. Svetlana (narrative poem), Vologda, 1950, with Sergey Orlov’s portrait photograph. Paper, paint, print, handwriting. 20 х 13.3 cm. 20 pages
6. Svetlana, Leningrad, 1951, illustrated by Vladimir Vetrogonsky. Paper, paint, glue, fiber, print. 16.4 х 10.4 cm. 51 pages
7. The Rainbow in the Plain, Leningrad, 1952, edited by M. Dudin, illustrated by P. Busyrev. Paper, paint, thread, glue, print. 16.2 х 11 cm. 50 pages
8. The Town, Moscow, 1953. Paper, paint, print, cover. 16.5 х 62.5 cm. 52 pages
9. Poems, Leningrad, 1954, with Sergey Orlov’s portrait photograph. Paper, glue, cardboard, thread, paint, print, cover. 16.5 х 12.2. 111 pages
10. Poems, Leningrad, 1956. Paper, cardboard, paint, print. 16.5 х 12.7 cm. 122 pages
11. Lyrics, Moscow, 1956, with Sergey Orlov’s portrait photograph. Paper, metal, paint, print. 16.5 х 12.6 cm. 16 pages
12. The Voice of the First Love, Leningrad, 1958. Paper, cardboard, leather-cloth, thread, paint, print. 16.5 х 12.7 cm. 34 pages
13. Poems 1938-1958, Moscow, Leningrad, 1959, illustrated by L. Khizhinsky, with Sergey Orlov’s portrait photograph and autobiography. Paper, paint, print. 20.5 х 13.5 cm. 132 pages
14. The Memory of the Heart, Moscow, 1960, with Sergey Orlov’s portrait photograph and the introduction by M. Dudin. Paper, paint, print. 17.2 х 11.6 cm. 74 pages
15. A Man is Cold without a Song, Vologda, 1961, with Sergey Orlov’s portrait photograph, illustrated by O. Borozdin. Paper, leather-cloth, paint, print, cover, lettering. 14.2 х 10 cm. 93 pages
16. The Wheel, Moscow, 1964, illustrated by N. Lutokhin, with Sergey Orlov’s portrait photograph. Paper, paint, ink, glue, print, handwriting. 14 х 10.8 cm. 64 pages
17. The Star Pattern, Leningrad, 1964, illustrated by A. Ushin, with the Your Age Mate introduction by M. Dudin, for high school students. Paper, paint, print. 20.6 х 14.6 cm. 52 pages
18. The Lark cinema ballade, Moscow, 1964, with illustrative photos. Paper, paint, glue, ink, print, handwriting. 16.2 х 11 cm. 52 pages
19. The Days, Moscow, Leningrad, 1966, with Sergey Orlov’s portrait photograph, illustrated by A. Avidon. Paper, paint, ink, print, handwriting. 16.5 х 13.0 cm. 50 pages
20. Lyrics, Leningrad, 1966, wrapped, with Sergey Orlov’s portrait photograph. Paper, glue, paint, ink, handwriting, press sheet, print. 20 х 10.7 cm. 60 pages
21. Favourite Lyrics, Moscow, 1967, illustrated by A. Vlasova, with the introduction by M. Didin. Paper, paint, print. 16.2 х 12.8 cm
22. Poems, Leningrad, 1968. Printing paper, paint, print. 12.9 х 15 cm. 119  pages
23. Social Life Poems, Sofia, 1968, in the Bulgarian language, translated by A. Germanov, wrapped, with Sergey Orlov’s portrait photograph and autobiography. Paper, paint, print. 14.1 х 10.5 cm. 47 pages
24. The Page, Leningrad, 1969, wrapped, illustrated by N. Vasiliev, with Sergey Orlov’s portrait photograph. Paper, paint, ink, print, handwriting. 16.4 х 10.5 cm. 48 pages
25. The Living Witnesses, Moscow, 1971. Paper, paint, print. 13.7 х 10.5 cm. 64 pages
26. Favourite Writings in 2 volumes, Leningrad, 1971, with the introduction by S. Narovchatova. Fancy cloth, paper, cardboard, thread, paint, print. 16.5 х 12.4 cm. 153 pages
27. My Lieutenant, Leningrad, 1972, the Singer of a Soldier's Act of Heroism introduction by A. Mikhailova, with Sergey Orlov’s portrait photograph. Paper cardboard, paint, ink, fancy cloth, print, handwriting, press sheet. 17.5 х 13 cm. 164 pages
28. The Faith, Moscow, 1973, with Sergey Orlov’s portrait photograph. Paper, paint, ink, print, press sheet. 16.6 х 10.7 cm. 40 pages
29. The Rusty Smoke, Prague, 1975, in the Czech language. To the 30th anniversary of liberation of  Czechoslovakia by the Soviet army, illustrated by M. Golos, wrapped. Paper, paint, fabric, thread, glue, print, press sheet. 19.8 х 12.9 cm. 106 pages
30. Poems, 1976, illustrated by V. Andrienkov, with the introduction by V. Turkov. Paper, paint, thread, glue, print, cover. 14.5 х 11 cm. 72 pages
31. The Fires, Moscow, 1978, with the cover portrait by N. Kochnev and the Fires of Love and Talent introduction by Ye. Isaeva. Paper, paint, ink, print, handwriting. 16.4 х 12 cm. 124 pages
32. Alone with You, 1978. Paper, paint, glue, leather cloth, thread, print. 20.1 х 12.5 cm. 86 pages
33. Favourite Poems, Arkhangelsk, 1978, illustrated by R. Klimov, wrapped. Paper, paint, ink, fancy cloth, print, handwriting, press sheet. 17 х 11.4 cm. 80 pages
34. Poems, Moscow, 1978, with Sergey Orlov's autobiography and graphic portrait by N. Kalita. Paper, paint, leather cloth, ink, print, cover, handwriting. 16.4 х 12.8 cm. 160 pages
35. The Voice of the First Love, Kishinev, 1980, in the Moldavian language, with the introduction by A. Roshka. Paper, paint, print. 10 х 16.5 cm
36. The Dawn and Smoke, Moscow, 1980, illustrated by Yu. Bazhanov, with the Ever Living Poetry introduction by O. Shestinsky. Paper, paint, print. 17.2 х 12.8 cm. 152 pages
37. In the Light Song of Birch Trees, Moscow, 1982, illustrated by L. Azhaeva. Paper, paint, ink, print, handwriting. 16.4 х 10.5 cm. 96 pages
38. Favourite Poems, Moscow, 1987, in the English language translated into Russian in parallel. Paper, cardboard, paint, print. 20 х 12 cm. 96 pages