Zharov, Aleksandr

Born Mar. 31 (Apr. 13), 1904, in Semenovskaia, in present-day Mozhaisk Raion, Moscow Oblast. Soviet Russian poet.

Zharov joined the Komsomol in 1918, and became a member of the CPSU in 1920. Hestudied at Moscow State University, and was in V. la. Briusov’s poetry seminar. Zharov’s first poems were published in 1921. He belonged to the group of the most gifted Komsomol poets. His book of verse Drifting Ice, with a foreword by A. Lunacharskii, was published in 1925; the narrative poems Komsomol Member (1924), Master lakov (1924), Asians (1925), and Zharov’s most popular poem, Accordion (1926), came out in separate editions. In the 1930’s he wrote the poems Two Passports, Sentimental Friend, and Varia Odintsova (1938).

During the Great Patriotic War (1941–45), Zharov served in the active navy. He wrote many patriotic poems about naval heroes, including The Warrior (1942),Kerim (1942), andBoris Safonov (1944). Zharov composed many popular songs including Blaze Up As Campfires, the Pioneer song, and The Sacred Rock, Sad Willows, We’re for Peace, We Were Cruising There, and Where’s the Early Morning Gone? He worked a great deal in the genre of the political poster. Zharov was awarded four orders and some medals.