Vsevolod Ovchinnikov: biography

2024 Author: Leah Sherlock | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 05:25

Vsevolod Ovchinnikov is known to the older generation of CIS residents not only as a representative of a brilliant galaxy of international journalists, hosting one of the most beloved TV shows of Soviet viewers - "International Panorama", but also as the author of the most popular book in its time, now they would say a bestseller - Cherry Blossom.

The whole country knew them

The most popular hosts were Farid Seyful-Mulyukov and Alexander Bovin, Valentin Zorin and Alexander Kaverznev, Genrikh Borovik and Vsevolod Ovchinnikov. And each of these talented people brought his own note, his own accent to the program, the slogan of which was the words: “Events of the week: chronicle, facts, comments!” Each of them had their own audience. The soft, intelligent, smiling Vsevolod Ovchinnikov occupied his own special niche.

An orientalist by training, he has written several informative and fascinating books about Japan. An interesting fact of the biography is the laying of flowers on the grave of Richard Sorge - Vsevolod Vladimirovich was the first of the Soviet people to have such an opportunity.

A little about him

V. V. Ovchinnikov was born in Leningrad in 1926, on November 17th. His father was an architect (at one time he published poems by Sasha Cherny and Mayakovsky), and the family lived on the Fontanka, where Vsevolod Ovchinnikov spent his childhood and youth. The war found him a graduate of the 7th grade of junior high school No. 264.

The whole year - from the autumn of 1941 to the autumn of 1942 - the family spent in besieged Leningrad, from where the mother with two children (Vsevolod and his younger brother) was evacuated to the Tyumen region, to the village of Pletnevo in the Yurgensky district. There, the boy worked as an accountant and graduated in absentia from grades 8-10 of high school. He passed the exams in the regional center - to Ovchinnikov his fate was reminiscent of the story of the hero of Rasputin's story "French Lessons".

At the front

Vsevolod Vladimirovich took part in the Great Patriotic War - at the age of 17 he was called to the front. He was the commander of the artillery piece, a 45mm anti-tank gun that supported the infantry. According to him, he had little chance of surviving, but an order was issued to send all conscripts who had a secondary education to higher military educational institutions. The young man himself wanted to become a naval engineer after the end of the war, but it so happened that Vsevolod Ovchinnikov became a cadet of VIYAK (Military Institute of Foreign Languages of the Red Army) in his native St. Petersburg. This period of life is wonderfully described in the chapter "Midshipman on Nevsky" of the autobiographical book "Kaleidoscope of Life".

Chiefparade

Even before the end of the war, cadet Ovchinnikov became a participant in the festive parade in Leningrad on Palace Square on May 1, 1945. The Winter Palace had just been repaired by captured Germans. Vsevolod Ovchinnikov himself (his photo is in the review), by his own admission, considers this parade one of the main ones in his life - of course, after the Victory Parade on Red Square.

First trips abroad

In 1951, Vsevolod Vladimirovich became a staff correspondent for the Pravda newspaper, to which he devoted 40 years of his life. He is willingly enlisted in the state, as he was a certified translator from Chinese and English. In 1953, Vsevolod Ovchinnikov was sent as a correspondent from the Pravda newspaper to China. The assignment lasted seven years. And, according to Vsevolod Vladimirovich himself, China became his first love. All the years, especially after returning to his homeland, Vsevolod Vladimirovich intensively studies the language of the Land of the Rising Sun. And in 1962, as a correspondent for the newspaper Pravda, he was sent to Japan.

Story Master

Ovchinnikov is associated with this country for six years of work, the result of which were regular reports on the pages of the newspaper that sent him there, and most importantly, several books so beloved by Soviet readers. And why beloved? Because they are written in a beautiful, accessible language, they set out interesting facts, and one could feel the great love of a person for the country he wrote about. "Sakura branch" is read in one breath - itcaptures, and this is the difference between Ovchinnikov's documentary books. So, "Hot Ash" - a serious book about the arms race - is perceived as a detective story with twisted intrigue.

Land of the Rising Sun

Vsevolod Ovchinnikov, whose biography is connected not only with the countries of the East, from 1974 to 1978 was a correspondent for the Pravda newspaper in Great Britain. The result of his stay in Foggy Albion was the book "Oak Roots". And then the book "Sakura and Oak" appeared, containing comparative characteristics of the Japanese and the British. Having the opportunity to compare the countries in which the publicist spent so many years, V. V. Ovchinnikov wrote "Plum Flowers" - a work in which he draws parallels between the cuisines of China and Japan. In general, Vsevolod Vladimirovich has an interesting view of the surrounding reality. He owns a statement in which the Chinese are called the Germans of the East, and the Japanese - the Russians of the East. And what is most interesting - his love for Japan is not annoying, although not everyone loves this country. But when reading a book by Vsevolod Ovchinnikov, you look at Japan through the eyes of the author. The books “Shadows on the Bridge” (about the tragedy of Hiroshima and Nagasaki) and “The Man and the Dragon” are dedicated to the Land of the Rising Sun.

Interesting autobiography

Journalist V. V. Ovchinnikov has been on shorter business trips to other countries: Indonesia and India, the USA, Nicaragua and Mexico. The impressions of these trips are conveyed in the book "The Elements of the Race". About V. V. Ovchinnikov himself, his “Kaleidoscope of Life”, which contains 80 of the most striking, dramatic and funny stories that happened to the author onover 50 years of his wanderings around the world. Written in wonderful, witty language, the book is extremely interesting.

Great publicist

The interview given by a former correspondent for the 100th anniversary of the Pravda newspaper is also curious. Vsevolod Ovchinnikov speaks and writes interestingly. Reviews of his books from people who read them are only enthusiastic and grateful, because this talented publicist, erudite person often presents familiar facts in a rather unexpected perspective. Sometimes reviews are as amusing as the following phrase: “Read, appreciated, loved.” Writer VV Ovchinnikov published 17 books. His work was appreciated: in 1986, Vsevolod Vladimirovich was awarded the State Prize of the USSR. By the way, he did not disown a single line he wrote about the Soviet Union, and this is also worth a lot! It can be added that the journalist's daughter and grandson are also Orientalists.