This outstanding creator is one of the founders of the genre of science fiction literature in the Soviet Union. Even in our time, it seems simply incredible that a person in his works can depict events that will happen several decades later...
So, who is Alexander Belyaev? The biography of this person is simple and unique in its own way. But unlike the millions of copies of the author’s works, not much has been written about his life.
Alexander Belyaev was born on March 4, 1884 in the city of Smolensk, in the family of an Orthodox priest. There were two more children in the family: sister Nina died in childhood from sarcoma; brother Vasily, a student at the veterinary institute, drowned while boating.
The father wanted to see his son as a successor to his business and gave him in 1894 to religious school. After graduating in 1898, Alexander was transferred to Smolensk theological seminary. He graduated from it in 1904, but did not become a priest; on the contrary, he left there as a convinced atheist. In defiance of his father, he entered the Demidov Legal Lyceum in Yaroslavl. Soon after his father’s death, he had to earn extra money: Alexander gave lessons, painted scenery for the theater, played the violin in a circus orchestra, and published in city newspapers as a music critic.
After graduating (in 1908) from the Demidov Lyceum, A. Belyaev received the position of private attorney in Smolensk and soon gained fame as a good lawyer. He gained a regular clientele. His material opportunities also increased: he was able to rent and furnish nice apartment, acquire a good collection of paintings, collect a large library. In 1913, he traveled abroad: he visited France, Italy, and visited Venice. In 1914 he left law for the sake of literature and theater. In 1914 in Moscow children's magazine"Thawed Land" published his debut play "Grandma Moira".
At the age of 35, A. Belyaev fell ill with tuberculous pleurisy. The treatment was unsuccessful - tuberculosis of the spine developed, complicated by paralysis of the legs. A serious illness confined him to bed for six years, three of which he spent in a cast. His young wife left him, saying that she didn’t get married to take care of her sick husband. In search of specialists who could help him, A. Belyaev, with his mother and old nanny, ended up in Yalta. There, in the hospital, he began to write poetry. Not giving in to despair, he is engaged in self-education: he studies foreign languages, medicine, biology, history, technology, reads a lot (Jules Verne, H.G. Wells, Konstantin Tsiolkovsky). Having defeated the disease, in 1922 he returned to a full life and began to work. In the same year he married Margarita Konstantinovna Magnushevskaya.
At first A. Belyaev became a teacher in orphanage, then he was given the position of criminal investigation inspector, where he organized a photo laboratory, and later had to go to the library. Life in Yalta was very difficult, and A. Belyaev (with the help of a friend) in 1923 moved with his family to Moscow, where he got a job as a legal adviser. There he begins to get serious literary activity.
He publishes science fiction stories and novellas in the magazines “Around the World”, “Knowledge is Power”, “World Pathfinder”.
In 1924, in the newspaper Gudok he published the story “The Head of Professor Dowell,” which Belyaev himself called an autobiographical story, explaining: “An illness once put me in a plaster bed for three and a half years. This period of illness was accompanied by paralysis of the lower half of the body. And although I had control over my hands, my life during these years was reduced to the life of a “head without a body,” which I did not feel at all - complete anesthesia...”
A. Belyaev lived in Moscow until 1928; During this time he wrote the novels “The Island of Lost Ships”, “ Last Man from Atlantis,” “Amphibian Man,” “Struggle on the Air,” a collection of short stories published. The author wrote not only under his own name, but also under the pseudonyms A. Rom and Arbel.
In 1928, A. Belyaev and his family moved to Leningrad and from then on became a professional writer. The novels “Lord of the World”, “Underwater Farmers”, “The Wonderful Eye”, and stories from the series “The Inventions of Professor Wagner” were written. They were published mainly in Moscow publishing houses. However, soon the illness made itself felt again, and I had to move from rainy Leningrad to sunny Kyiv. However, in Kyiv publishing houses accepted manuscripts only in Ukrainian, and Belyaev moved to Moscow again.
The year 1930 turned out to be a very difficult year for the writer: his six-year-old daughter Lyudmila died of meningitis, his second daughter Svetlana fell ill with rickets, and soon his own illness (spondylitis) worsened. As a result, in 1931 the family returned to Leningrad.
In September 1931, A. Belyaev handed over the manuscript of his novel “The Earth is Burning” to the editors of the Leningrad magazine “Around the World”.
In 1932 he lives in Murmansk. In 1934, he met with Herbert Wells, who arrived in Leningrad. In 1935, Belyaev became a permanent contributor to the magazine “Around the World”.
At the beginning of 1938, after eleven years of intensive cooperation, Belyaev left the magazine “Around the World”. In 1938, he published the article “Cinderella” about the plight of contemporary science fiction.
Shortly before the war, the writer underwent another operation, so when the war began, he refused the offer to evacuate. The city of Pushkin (formerly Tsarskoe Selo, a suburb of Leningrad), where he lived in last years A. Belyaev with his family was occupied by the Nazis.
On January 6, 1942, at the 58th year of his life, Alexander Romanovich Belyaev died of hunger. He was buried in a mass grave along with other residents of the city. “The writer Belyaev, who wrote science fiction novels like “Amphibian Man,” froze from hunger in his room. “Frozen from hunger” is an absolutely accurate expression. People are so weak from hunger that they are unable to get up and fetch firewood. They found him already completely numb..."
Alexander Belyaev had two daughters: Lyudmila (March 15, 1924 - March 19, 1930) and Svetlana.
The writer's mother-in-law was Swedish, named at birth double name Elvira-Ioanetta. Shortly before the war, when exchanging passports, she was left with only one name, and she and her daughter were also registered as Germans. Due to the difficulties of the exchange, it remained so. Because of this entry in the documents, the writer’s wife Margarita, daughter Svetlana and mother-in-law were given the status of Volksdeutsche by the Germans and were taken prisoner by the Germans, where they were kept in various camps for displaced persons in Poland and Austria until liberation by the Red Army in May 1945. After the end of the war they were sent into exile in Western Siberia. They spent 11 years in exile. The daughter did not marry.
The surviving wife of the writer and daughter Svetlana were taken prisoner by the Germans and were kept in various camps for displaced persons in Poland and Austria until liberation by the Red Army in May 1945. After the end of the war they were exiled to Western Siberia. They spent 11 years in exile. The daughter did not marry.
The circumstances of the death of the “Soviet Jules Verne” - Alexander Belyaev still remain a mystery. The writer died in the occupied city of Pushkin in 1942, but it is not very clear how and why this happened. Some claim that Alexander Romanovich died of hunger, others believe that he could not bear the horrors of the occupation, and others believe that the cause of the writer’s death should be sought in his last novel.
Conversation with the daughter of the “Soviet Jules Verne.”
Svetlana Alexandrovna, why wasn’t your family evacuated from Pushkin before the Germans entered the city?
- My father had spinal tuberculosis for many years. He could move independently only in a special corset. He was so weak that leaving was out of the question. The city had a special commission that at that time was involved in the evacuation of children. He offered to take me out too, but my parents refused this offer too. In 1940, I developed tuberculosis of the knee joint, and I faced the war in a cast. Mom often repeated then: “We die together!”
- There are still quite a few versions regarding the death of your father:
- Dad died of hunger. In our family, it was not customary to make any supplies for the winter. When the Germans entered the city, we had several bags of cereal, some potatoes and a barrel sauerkraut. And when these supplies ran out, my grandmother had to go to work for the Germans. Every day she was given a pot of soup and some potato peels, from which we baked cakes. Even such meager food was enough for us, but this was not enough for my father.
- Some researchers believe that Alexander Romanovich simply could not bear the horrors of the fascist occupation...
“I don’t know how my father survived all this, but I was very scared.” At that time anyone could be executed without trial or investigation. Just for violating curfew or being accused of theft. Most of all we were worried about my mother. She often went to our old apartment to pick up some things from there. She could easily have been hanged as a burglar. The gallows stood right under our windows.
- Is it true that the Germans didn’t even let you and your mother bury Alexander Romanovich?
- Dad died on January 6, 1942. Mom went to the city government, and there it turned out that there was only one horse left in the city, and she had to wait in line. The coffin with the father's body was placed in empty apartment Next door. Many people at that time were simply covered with earth in common ditches, but they had to pay for a separate grave. Mom took some things to the gravedigger, and he swore that he would bury his father like a human being. The coffin with the body was placed in a crypt at the Kazan cemetery and was supposed to be buried with the onset of first warmth. Alas, on February 5, my mother, grandmother and I were taken prisoner, so they buried my father without us.
The monument to the science fiction writer at the Kazan Cemetery of Tsarskoe Selo does not stand at the writer’s grave, but at the place of his supposed burial. I dug up the details of this story former chairman local history section of the city of Pushkin Evgeniy Golovchiner. At one time he managed to find a witness who was present at Belyaev’s funeral. Tatyana Ivanova was disabled since childhood and lived all her life at the Kazan cemetery.
She said that at the beginning of March 1942, when the ground had already begun to thaw a little, people who had been lying in the local crypt since winter began to be buried in the cemetery. It was at this time that the writer Belyaev, along with others, was interred. Why did she remember this? Yes, because Alexander Romanovich was buried in a coffin, of which there were only two left in Pushkin at that time. Professor Chernov was buried in the other. Tatyana Ivanova also indicated the place where both of these coffins were buried. True, from her words it turned out that the gravedigger still did not keep his promise to bury Belyaev like a human being; he buried the writer’s coffin in a common ditch instead of a separate grave.
The question of why Alexander Belyaev died seems much more interesting. Publicist Fyodor Morozov believes that the writer’s death could well be connected with the mystery of the Amber Room. The fact is that the last thing Belyaev worked on was dedicated to this very topic. Nobody knows what he was going to write about the famous mosaic. It is only known that Belyaev told many people about his new novel even before the war and even quoted some passages to his friends. With the arrival of the Germans in Pushkin, specialists became actively interested in the Amber Room
Gestapo. By the way, they could not fully believe that they had gotten their hands on an authentic mosaic. Therefore, we actively looked for people who would have information on this matter. It was no coincidence that two Gestapo officers also went to Alexander Romanovich, trying to find out what he knew about this story. Whether the writer told them anything or not is not known. In any case, no documents have yet been found in the Gestapo archives. But the answer to the question whether Belyaev could have been killed because of his interest in the Amber Room does not seem so difficult. It is enough to remember what fate befell many researchers who tried to find the wonderful mosaic.
"Life after death.
More than 70 years have passed since the Russian science fiction writer passed away, but his memory lives on in his works to this day. At one time, the work of Alexander Belyaev was subjected to strict criticism, and sometimes he heard mocking reviews. However, the science fiction writer’s ideas, which previously seemed ridiculous and scientifically impossible, eventually convinced even the most inveterate skeptics of the opposite.
The author’s works continue to be published today and are quite in demand among readers. Belyaev’s books are instructive; his works call for kindness and courage, love and respect. Many films have been made based on the novels of the prose writer. Thus, since 1961, eight films have been filmed, some of them are part of the classics of Soviet cinema - “The Amphibian Man”, “The Testament of Professor Dowell”, “The Island of Lost Ships” and “The Air Seller”. The story of Ichthyander Perhaps the most famous work of A.R. Belyaev’s novel “Amphibian Man,” which was written in 1927. It was he, together with “The Head of Professor Dowell”, who appreciated very highly H.G. Wells. Belyaev was inspired to create “Amphibian Man”, firstly, by memories of reading the novel French writer Jean de la Hire “Ictaner and Moisette”, secondly, a newspaper article about the trial that took place in Argentina in the case of a doctor who conducted various experiments on people and animals. Today, it is practically impossible to establish the name of the newspaper and the details of the process. But this once again proves that, when creating his science fiction works, Alexander Belyaev tried to rely on real life facts and events. In 1962, directors V. Chebotarev and G. Kazansky filmed “Amphibian Man.” “The Last Man from Atlantis” One of the author’s very first works, “The Last Man from Atlantis,” did not go unnoticed in Soviet and world literature. In 1927, it was included in Belyaev’s first author’s collection along with “The Island of Lost Ships.” From 1928 to 1956, the work was forgotten, and only since 1957 it was republished several times in the territory of the Soviet Union.
The idea of searching for the disappeared Atlantean civilization dawned on Belyaev after reading an article in the French newspaper Le Figaro. Its content was such that in Paris there was a society for the study of Atlantis. At the beginning of the twentieth century, such associations were quite common; they enjoyed increased interest among the population. The insightful Alexander Belyaev decided to take advantage of this. The science fiction writer used the note as a prologue to The Last Man of Atlantis. The work consists of two parts and is perceived by the reader quite simply and excitingly. The material for writing the novel was drawn from the book by Roger Devigne “The Vanished Continent. Atlantis, the sixth part of the world." Comparing the predictions of representatives science fiction, it is important to note that the scientific ideas of the books Soviet writer Alexandra Belyaev were 99 percent successful. So, main idea novel “The Head of Professor Dowell” became the possibility of reviving the human body after death. Several years after the publication of this work, Sergei Bryukhonenko, the great Soviet physiologist, carried out similar experiments. A widespread achievement in medicine today - surgical restoration of the lens of the eye - was also foreseen by Alexander Belyaev more than fifty years ago.
The novel “Amphibian Man” became prophetic in the scientific development of technologies for long-term human stay under water. Thus, in 1943, the French scientist Jacques-Yves Cousteau patented the first scuba gear, thereby proving that Ichthyander is not such an unattainable image. Successful tests of the first unmanned aerial vehicles in the thirties of the twentieth century in Great Britain, as well as the creation of psychotropic weapons - all this was described by the science fiction writer in the book “Lord of the World” back in 1926.
The novel "The Man Who Lost Face" tells the story of successful development plastic surgery and the ethical issues that arise from this. In the story, the state governor transforms into a black man, taking upon himself all the burdens of racial discrimination. Here we can draw a certain parallel in the destinies of the mentioned hero and the famous American singer Michael Jackson, who, fleeing unjust persecution, underwent a considerable number of operations to change the color of his skin.
All my creative life Belyaev struggled with the disease. Deprived of physical capabilities, he tried to reward the heroes of the books with unusual abilities: communicate without words, fly like birds, swim like fish. But infecting the reader with interest in life, in something new - isn’t this the true talent of a writer?
Here is a one-volume edition of the most complete in history Russian literature collected works of the famous science fiction writer - Alexander Romanovich Belyaev (1884-1942).
Let's make a reservation, however: complete is still conditional. The purpose of the publication is to return everything to the reader first and foremost (as far as possible) literary texts writer - regardless of their literary quality.
The works are arranged in a conditional manner chronological order. First they come large works- novels and stories, then all the writer’s stories, as well as two plays, articles and essays. In conclusion, the reader will be able to learn a lot of interesting things about difficult life and the amazing creativity of the writer from a memoir essay written by the daughter of Alexander Romanovich - Svetlana Alexandrovna Belyaeva.
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A. Belyaev is the only writer who has brought so many fantasies to life. Here, as an example, is a small literary and historical reference given in the collection “The Witches’ Castle” (Perm Book Publishing House, 1992). First comes the title of the story from the collection, then scientific idea, then whether it has been implemented.
"Neither life nor death"
Freezing people as a last resort incurable disease- accomplished.
suspended animation of live fish for transportation - carried out.
Automatically controlled aircraft - experimental copies are being made.
Replacement of manual labor with machines has been implemented.
Passenger airships - implemented, but then stopped.
"Open Sesame"
Mechanical servant - implemented.
Household telecontrol - implemented.
Humanoid robots - prototypes have been created.
"Mr. Laughter"
Technology for obtaining music with specified emotional properties - experiments are underway.
Mechanical production of music - implemented using a computer. Sociology of laughter - accomplished.
Laughter technology - experiments are underway.
"Immortal World"
Ecological catastrophy- feasible.
Disinfection with short waves - implemented.
"VTsBID"
Artificial irrigation has been implemented.
Artificial dispersal of clouds and fog has been accomplished.
"Storm"
The use of wind energy has been implemented.
Hydroelectric power stations on the Volga, Angara and Yenisei - implemented.
Hydraulic accumulator - implemented.
"The Earth is Burning"
A hydroelectric station on the Volga as a means of reclamation of arid lands has been implemented.
Plants for processing agricultural raw materials on collective farms have been implemented, but not completely.
Agricultural cities are feasible.
Power cables are feasible, but not widespread.
Electric tractors - implemented.
Air ionization is accomplished.
Biological pest control - implemented. Oil extraction from the bottom of the sea - implemented.
Floating drilling rigs - implemented.
Foam extinguishing of the fire has been completed.
Moscow-port - accomplished.
The book's nine stories contain approximately 52 science fiction ideas. Of these, 42 ideas have been implemented to date, although not to the stage of experimental samples. 10 ideas have been discarded or remain fantastic.
The writer's daughter Svetlana Aleksandrovna Belyaeva
Alexander Romanovich Belyaev - Russian writer, one of the founders of the genre of science fiction literature in the USSR.
Alexander Belyaev was born on March 4, 1884 in Smolensk in the family of an Orthodox priest. Since childhood, the boy was interested in music, photography, foreign languages and adventure novels. The father wanted to see his son become a clergyman, but after graduating from theological seminary in 1901, Alexander decided to choose a different path for himself. The young man entered the Demidov Legal Lyceum in Yaroslavl, upon graduation he began legal practice and quickly gained a reputation good specialist. He gained regular customers and money, which was spent on works of art, books and travel.
As a lyceum student, Alexander Belyaev was seriously interested in theater and tried himself as an actor, director, and playwright. The young man’s passion for literature did not leave him: in 1914, the author made his debut in the Moscow magazine for children “Protalinka”, where his fairy-tale play “Grandma Moira” was published.
The plans of the aspiring writer were interrupted by illness: in 1919, tuberculous pleurisy for six years for long years chained him to bed. The illness bothered the author for the rest of his life, but there was no time to despair: he devoted all his time to studying foreign languages, medicine, history, technology, and literature.
1922 was a successful year for Alexander: the illness temporarily subsided and, most importantly, the writer married the woman of his life, Margarita, who gave him a daughter, Lyudmila, three years later. From Yalta, where treatment took place, the Belyaev family moved to Moscow. In 1925, Rabochaya Gazeta published Alexander Belyaev’s story “The Head of Professor Dowell.” From that moment on, the prose writer’s science-fiction stories and short stories began to appear in the magazines “Around the World,” “World Pathfinder,” and “Knowledge is Power.” Over the several years he lived in Moscow, the science fiction writer created many famous works: “The Island of Lost Ships,” “Amphibian Man,” “Struggle on the Air,” “The Last Man from Atlantis.”
In 1928, the prose writer and his family moved to Leningrad. At this time, the books “Lord of the World”, “Underwater Farmers”, “The Wonderful Eye”, and stories from the series “The Inventions of Professor Wagner” were written. In 1930, the family suffered grief: six-year-old Lyudmila died of meningitis. Due to severe mental trauma, Alexander’s poor health worsened even further.
The writer found solace in work: in the thirties he actively collaborated with the magazine Around the World, where he was first published famous novel Belyaev "The Earth is Burning". However, the genre of fiction became less and less in demand, and after eleven years of fruitful work, the author decided to leave the magazine.
With the outbreak of the war, the city of Pushkin - a suburb of Leningrad, where the writer lived with his relatives - found himself under occupation. Due to the operation Alexander was unable to evacuate, the family decided to stay with him. In January 1942, the writer Alexander Belyaev died of hunger. The prose writer's wife and daughter were later deported to Poland.
The exact burial place of the prose writer is still unknown. A memorial stele in honor of Alexander Belyaev at the Kazan cemetery in the city of Pushkin was installed only at the supposed grave. The last work author's novel "Ariel", published by the publishing house " Modern writer"a year before his death.
Despite the fact that more than a century has passed since the birth of the talented science fiction writer, his works continue to be published, and films are made based on the novels: since 1961, eight film adaptations of Alexander Belyaev’s works have been released. Adventure movies“The Amphibian Man”, “The Testament of Professor Dowell”, “The Air Seller”, “The Island of Lost Ships” became classics of Soviet cinema. Limited by illness all his life, the author endowed his characters with superpowers: the ability to swim like a fish, fly like a bird, and communicate without words. Belyaev’s books teach kindness and courage, infecting with their all-encompassing thirst for knowledge.
Alexander Romanovich Belyaev - born on March 4 (16 n.s.) in Smolensk in the family of a priest. Since childhood, I read a lot and was fond of adventure literature, especially Jules Verne. Subsequently, he flew airplanes of one of the first designs and made gliders himself.
In 1901 he graduated from theological seminary, but did not become a priest; on the contrary, he left there as a convinced atheist. He loved painting, music, theater, played in amateur performances, took up photography, and studied technology.
He entered the legal lyceum in Yaroslavl and at the same time studied violin at the conservatory. To earn money for his studies, he played in a circus orchestra and painted theater scenery, was engaged in journalism. In 1906, after graduating from the Lyceum, he returned to Smolensk and worked as a lawyer. Acted as music critic, theater reviewer in the Smolensky Vestnik newspaper.
He never stopped dreaming of distant countries and, having saved money, in 1913 he traveled to Italy, France, and Switzerland. He retained the impressions from this trip for the rest of his life. Returning to Smolensk, he worked at the Smolensky Vestnik, and a year later became the editor of this publication. A serious illness - bone tuberculosis - confined him to bed for six years, three of which he was in a cast. Not giving in to despair, he is engaged in self-education: he studies foreign languages, medicine, biology, history, technology, and reads a lot. Having overcome the disease, in 1922 he returned to a full life, serving as an inspector for juvenile affairs. On the advice of doctors, he lives in Yalta, works as a teacher in an orphanage.
In 1923 he moved to Moscow and began serious literary activity. He publishes science fiction stories and novellas in the magazines “Around the World”, “Knowledge is Power”, “World Pathfinder”, earning the title of “Soviet Jules Verne”. In 1925 he published the story “The Head of Professor Dowell,” which Belyaev himself called an autobiographical story: he wanted to tell “what a head without a body can experience.”
In the 1920s these came out famous works, like “Island of Lost Ships”, “Amphibian Man”, “Above the Abyss”, “Struggle in the Air”. He writes essays about great Russian scientists - Lomonosov, Mendeleev, Pavlov, Tsiolkovsky.
In 1931 he moved to Leningrad, continuing to work hard. He was especially interested in the problems of space exploration and the ocean depths. In 1934, after reading Belyaev’s novel “Airship,” Tsiolkovsky wrote: “... wittily written and scientific enough for fantasy. Let me express my pleasure to Comrade Belyaev.”
In 1933 the book “Leap into Nothing” was published, 1935 - “The Second Moon”. In the 1930s, “KETS Star”, “Wonderful Eye”, “Under the Arctic Sky” were written.
He spent the last years of his life near Leningrad, in the city of Pushkin. I met War in the hospital.
Alexander Romanovich Belyaev(March 4 (16), 1884 - January 6, 1942) - Soviet science fiction writer, one of the founders of Soviet science fiction literature. Among his most famous novels are: “The Head of Professor Dowell”, “Amphibian Man”, “Ariel”, “KEC Star” and many others. He is sometimes called the Russian "Jules Verne".
Born on March 4 (16 NS) in Smolensk in the family of a priest. Since childhood, I read a lot and was fond of adventure literature, especially Jules Verne. Subsequently, he flew airplanes of one of the first designs and made gliders himself.
In 1901 he graduated from theological seminary, but did not become a priest; on the contrary, he left there as a convinced atheist. He loved painting, music, theater, played in amateur performances, took up photography, and studied technology.
He entered the legal lyceum in Yaroslavl and at the same time studied violin at the conservatory. To earn money for his studies, he played in a circus orchestra, painted theatrical scenery, and studied journalism. In 1906, after graduating from the Lyceum, he returned to Smolensk and worked as a lawyer. He acted as a music critic and theater reviewer in the Smolensky Vestnik newspaper.
He never stopped dreaming of distant countries and, having saved money, in 1913 he traveled to Italy, France, and Switzerland. He retained the impressions from this trip for the rest of his life. Returning to Smolensk, he worked at the Smolensky Vestnik, and a year later became the editor of this publication. A serious illness - bone tuberculosis - confined him to bed for six years, three of which he was in a cast.
Not giving in to despair, he is engaged in self-education: he studies foreign languages, medicine, biology, history, technology, and reads a lot. Having overcome the disease, in 1922 he returned to a full life, serving as an inspector for juvenile affairs. On the advice of doctors, he lives in Yalta, works as a teacher in an orphanage.
In 1923 he moved to Moscow and began serious literary activity. He publishes science fiction stories and novellas in the magazines “Around the World”, “Knowledge is Power”, “World Pathfinder”, earning the title of “Soviet Jules Verne”. In 1925 he published the story “The Head of Professor Dowell,” which Belyaev himself called an autobiographical story: he wanted to tell “what a head without a body can experience.”
In the 1920s, such famous works as “The Island of Lost Ships”, “Amphibian Man”, “Above the Abyss”, “Struggle on the Air” were published. Writes essays about great Russian scientists - Lomonosov, Mendeleev, Pavlov, Tsiolkovsky.
In 1931 he moved to Leningrad, continuing to work hard. He was especially interested in the problems of space exploration and the ocean depths. In 1934, after reading Belyaev’s novel “Airship,” Tsiolkovsky wrote: “... wittily written and scientific enough for fantasy. Let me express my pleasure to Comrade Belyaev.”
He spent the last years of his life near Leningrad, in the city of Pushkin. I met War in the hospital.
