Dmitry Sergeevich Likhachev, chemistry teacher. Biography of Dmitry Sergeevich Likhachev. Dmitry Likhachev Memories

Russian Empire - September 30, 1999, St. Petersburg, Russian Federation) - Soviet and Russian philologist, art critic, screenwriter, academician of the Russian Academy of Sciences (until 1991 - USSR Academy of Sciences).
Author of fundamental works devoted to the history of Russian literature (mainly Old Russian) and Russian culture. Author of works (including more than forty books) on a wide range of problems in the theory and history of ancient Russian literature, many of which have been translated into English, Bulgarian, Italian, Polish, Serbian, Croatian, Czech, French, Spanish, Japanese, Chinese, German and others languages. Author of 500 scientific and about 600 journalistic works.

Biography

Childhood

Childhood D.S. Likhachev fell during that short but brilliant time in the history of Russian culture, which is usually called the Silver Age. Parents D.S. Likhachev did not belong to a literary or artistic environment (his father was an engineer), however, this era also affected their family. Likhachev's parents' great hobby was ballet. Every year, despite the lack of funds, they tried to rent an apartment as close as possible to the Mariinsky Theater, bought two ballet tickets to the third tier box and did not miss almost a single performance. Little Dmitry also attended the theater with his parents from the age of four. In the summer, the family went to the dacha in Kuokkala. Many representatives of the artistic and literary world of St. Petersburg vacationed here. On the paths of the local park one could meet I.E. Repina, K.I. Chukovsky, F.I. Shalyapin, Sun. Meyerhold, M. Gorky, L. Andreev and other writers, artists, actors, musicians. Some of them performed in an amateur country theater, reading poetry and memoirs. “People of art have become, if not familiar to us all, then easily recognizable, close, and approachable,” says D.S. Likhachev.

In 1914, a month after the outbreak of World War I, Mitya Likhachev went to school. First he studied at the Gymnasium of the Humane Society (1914–1915), then at the Gymnasium and real school of K.I. May (1915–1917), and finally - at the school named after. L. Lentovskaya (1918–1923). Having already crossed the eighty-year mark of life, D.S. Likhachev will write: “...secondary school creates a person, higher school gives a specialty.” Those educational institutions in which he studied as a child truly “created man.” Studying at the Lentovskaya school had a particularly great influence on the boy. Despite the hardships of the revolutionary times and significant material difficulties (the school building was not heated, so in winter children sat in coats and mittens over gloves), the school managed to create a special atmosphere of cooperation between teachers and students. There were many talented teachers among the teachers. There were circles at the school, the meetings of which were attended not only by schoolchildren and teachers, but also by famous scientists and writers. D.S. Likhachev especially liked to participate in literature and philosophy circles. At this time, the boy begins to seriously reflect on worldview issues and even thinks through his own philosophical system (in the spirit of A. Bergson and N. O. Lossky, who fascinated him at that time). He finally decides to become a philologist and, despite his parents’ advice to choose a more lucrative profession as an engineer, in 1923 he entered the ethnological and linguistic department of the Faculty of Social Sciences of Petrograd University.

University

Despite the repressions against the intelligentsia that had already begun, the 1920s were the heyday of the humanities in Russia. D.S. Likhachev had every reason to say: “In the 1920s, Leningrad University was the best university in the world in the humanities. There was no such professorship as Leningrad University had at that time in any university either before or after.” There were many outstanding scientists among the teachers. It is enough to name the names of V.M. Zhirmunsky, L.V. Shcherby, D.I. Abramovich (with whom D.S. Likhachev wrote his thesis on stories about Patriarch Nikon), etc.

Lectures, classes in archives and libraries, endless conversations on worldview topics in a long university corridor, attending public speeches and debates, philosophical circles - all this fascinated and spiritually and intellectually enriched the young man. “Everything around was extremely interesting<…>the only thing I had an acute lack of was time,” recalls Dmitry Sergeevich.

But this culturally and intellectually rich life unfolded against an increasingly gloomy social background. The persecution of the old intelligentsia intensified. People learned to live in anticipation of arrest. The persecution of the Church did not stop. It is about them that D.S. Likhachev remembers with particular pain: “You always remember your youth kindly. But I, and my other friends at school, university and clubs, have something that is painful to remember, that stings my memory and that was the most difficult thing in my young years. This is the destruction of Russia and the Russian Church, which took place before our eyes with murderous cruelty and which, it seemed, left no hope for revival.”

However, the persecution of the Church, contrary to the wishes of the authorities, led not to a decrease, but to an increase in religiosity. In those years when, according to D.S. Likhachev, “churches were closed and desecrated, services were interrupted by trucks driving up to churches with brass bands or amateur choirs of Komsomol members playing on them,” educated youth went to churches. Literary and philosophical circles, which existed in large numbers before 1927 in Leningrad, began to acquire a predominantly religious, philosophical or theological character. D.S. In the twenties, Likhachev attended one of them - a circle called Helfernak (“Artistic, Literary, Philosophical and Scientific Academy”), meetings were held in the apartment of school teacher I.M. Likhachev. Andreevsky. On August 1, 1927, by decision of the participants, the circle was transformed into the Brotherhood of St. Seraphim of Sarov. In addition, D.S. Likhachev also participated in another circle, the Space Academy of Sciences. The activities of this comic academy, which consisted of writing and discussing semi-serious scientific reports, trips to Tsarskoe Selo and friendly practical jokes, attracted the attention of the authorities, and its members were arrested. Following this, members of the Brotherhood of St. Seraphim of Sarov were also arrested (the investigation into both circles was combined into one case). The day of the arrest - February 8, 1928 - became the beginning of a new page in the life of D.S. Likhacheva. After a six-month investigation, he was sentenced to five years in the camps. A few months after graduating from Leningrad University (1927), he was sent to Solovki, which Likhachev would call his “second and main university.”

Solovki

The Solovetsky Monastery, founded by the Monks Zosima and Savvaty in the 13th century, was closed in 1922 and turned into the Solovetsky special-purpose camp. It became a place where thousands of prisoners served their sentences (at the beginning of the 1930s, their number reached 650 thousand, of which 80% were so-called “political” and “counter-revolutionaries”).

Forever D.S. Likhachev remembers the day when their convoy was unloaded from the wagons at the transit point in Kemi. The hysterical screams of the guards, the shouts of Beloozerov, who was taking the stage: “The power here is not Soviet, but Solovetsky,” the order for the entire column of prisoners, tired and chilled in the wind, to run around the pillar, raising their legs high - all this seemed so fantastic in its absurd reality that D. WITH. Likhachev could not stand it and laughed. “We’ll laugh later,” Beloozerov shouted at him threateningly.
Indeed, there was little funny in Solovetsky life. D.S. Likhachev experienced its hardships to the fullest. He worked as a sawyer, a loader, an electrician, a cow shed, a “vridlo” (a vridlo is a temporary horse, as prisoners who were harnessed to carts and sleighs instead of horses were called on Solovki), lived in a barracks, where at night the bodies were hidden under an even layer of swarming lice, dying of typhus. Prayer and the support of friends helped me get through it all. Thanks to the help of Bishop Victor (Ostrovidov) and Archpriest Nikolai Piskanovsky, who became D.S.’s spiritual father on Solovki. Likhachev and his comrades in the Brotherhood of St. Seraphim of Sarov, the future scientist managed to leave grueling general work in the Criminological Office, which was organizing a children's colony. At his new job, he had the opportunity to do a lot to save the “louses” - teenagers who had lost all their clothes at cards, lived in barracks under bunks and were doomed to starvation. In the Criminological Office, Likhachev communicated with many remarkable people, of whom the famous religious philosopher A.A. made a particularly strong impression on him. Meyer.

An incident occurred on Solovki that had great consequences for D.S.’s internal self-awareness. Likhacheva. At the end of November 1928, mass executions began in the camp. Likhachev, who was on a date with his parents, having learned that they were coming for him, did not return to the barracks and sat at the woodpile all night, listening to the shots. The events of that terrible night produced a revolution in his soul. He would later write: “I realized this: every day is a gift from God. I need to live for the day to day, to be satisfied that I live another day. And be grateful for every day. Therefore, there is no need to be afraid of anything in the world. And one more thing - since the execution this time was carried out as a warning, I later found out that an even number of people were shot: either three hundred or four hundred people, along with those who followed soon after. It is clear that someone else was “taken” instead of me. And I need to live for two. So that I don’t feel ashamed in front of the one who was married to me!”

In 1931 D.S. Likhachev was transferred from Solovki to the White Sea-Baltic Canal, and on August 8, 1932 he was released from prison and returned to Leningrad. The era in his biography is ending, about which he said in 1966: “The stay on Solovki was the most significant period of my life.”

Pushkin House

Returning to his hometown, D.S. Likhachev could not get a job for a long time: his criminal record got in the way. His health was undermined by the Solovki. A stomach ulcer opened, the disease was accompanied by severe bleeding, Likhachev spent months in the hospital. Finally, he managed to become a scientific proofreader at the publishing house of the Academy of Sciences.

At this time he reads a lot and returns to scientific activities. In 1935 D.S. Likhachev married Zinaida Aleksandrovna Makarova, and in 1937 they had two girls - twins Vera and Lyudmila. In 1938 D.S. Likhachev went to work at the Institute of Russian Literature (Pushkin House) of the USSR Academy of Sciences, where on June 11, 1941 he defended his dissertation for the degree of candidate of philological sciences on the topic “Novgorod chronicles of the 12th century.”

Eleven days after the defense, the Great Patriotic War began. Due to health reasons D.S. Likhachev was not called up to the front and remained in besieged Leningrad until June 1942. He remembers how the day went in their family. In the morning we heated the potbelly stove with books, then together with the children we prayed, prepared meager food (crushed bones, boiled many times, soup made from wood glue, etc.). Already at six o'clock in the evening we went to bed, trying to throw on as much warm clothing as possible. We read a little by the light of the smokehouse and for a long time could not fall asleep due to thoughts about food and the internal cold permeating the body. It is amazing that in such a situation D.S. Likhachev did not give up his studies in science. Having survived the severe winter of the siege, in the spring of 1942 he began collecting materials on the poetics of ancient Russian literature and prepared (in collaboration with M.A. Tikhanova) a study “Defense of Old Russian Cities.” This book, published in 1942, was the first book published by D.S. Likhachev.

After the war D.S. Likhachev is actively involved in science. In 1945–1946 His books “National Identity of Ancient Rus'”, “Novgorod the Great”, “Culture of Rus' in the Age of the Formation of the Russian National State” were published. In 1947 he defended his doctoral dissertation “Essays on the history of literary forms of chronicle writing of the 11th–16th centuries.” Student and employee D.S. Likhacheva O.V. Tvorogov writes: “D.S.’s own scientific path. Likhachev began somewhat unusually - not with a series of articles on specific issues and minor publications, but with generalizing works: in 1945–1947. Three books were published one after another, covering the history of Russian literature and culture over several centuries.<...>In these books, a feature characteristic of many of Likhachev’s works appeared - the desire to consider literature in its closest connections with other areas of culture - education, science, fine arts, folklore, folk ideas and beliefs. This broad approach allowed the young scientist to immediately rise to those heights of scientific generalizations that are the threshold of conceptual discoveries.” In 1950 D.S. Likhachev prepared for publication in the “Literary Monuments” series two most important works of ancient Russian literature - “The Tale of Bygone Years” and “The Tale of Igor’s Campaign.” In 1953 he was elected a corresponding member of the USSR Academy of Sciences, and in 1970 - a full member of the USSR Academy of Sciences. He becomes one of the most authoritative Slavists in the world. His most significant works: “Man in the Literature of Ancient Rus'” (1958), “Culture of Rus' in the Time of Andrei Rublev and Epiphanius the Wise” (1962), “Textology” (1962), “Poetics of Old Russian Literature” (1967), “Eras and Styles” "(1973), "The Great Legacy" (1975).

D.S. Likhachev not only himself was engaged in the study of ancient Russian literature, but was also able to gather and organize scientific forces for its study. From 1954 until the end of his life, he was the head of the Sector (since 1986 - Department) of Old Russian Literature of the Pushkin House, which became the country's main scientific center on this topic. The scientist did a lot to popularize ancient Russian literature, so that its seven centuries of history became known to a wide circle of readers. On his initiative and under his leadership, the series “Monuments of Literature of Ancient Rus'” was published, awarded the State Prize of the Russian Federation in 1993. “In total, about 300 works were published in 12 books of the series (not counting the poems that made up the last volume). Translations and detailed commentaries made the monuments of medieval literature accessible to any non-specialist reader. The publication of “Monuments” made it possible to convincingly refute the still prevailing idea of the poverty and monotony of Russian medieval literature,” writes O.V. Tvorogov.

In the 1980s–1990s, D.S.’s voice was especially loud. Likhachev the publicist. In his articles, interviews, and speeches, he raised such topics as the protection of cultural monuments, the ecology of cultural space, historical memory as a moral category, etc. He devoted a lot of energy to work in the Soviet (since 1991 - Russian) Cultural Fund, created on his initiative . Spiritual authority D.S. Likhachev was so great that he was rightly called “the conscience of the nation.”

In 1998, the scientist was awarded the Order of Apostle Andrew the First-Called “For Faith and Fidelity to the Fatherland” for his contribution to the development of national culture. He became the first holder of the Order of St. Andrew the Apostle after the restoration of this highest award in Russia.

Dmitry Sergeevich Likhachev died on September 30, 1999. His books, articles, conversations are that great heritage, the study of which will help preserve the spiritual traditions of Russian culture, to which he dedicated his life.

Bibliography

Major works

The culture of Rus' in the time of Andrei Rublev and Epiphanius the Wise (1962)
Textology (1962)
Epochs and Styles (1973)
Russian chronicles and their cultural and historical significance. - M.; L.: Publishing House of the USSR Academy of Sciences, 1947. - 499 p. (Reprint 1966, 1986).
Man in the literature of Ancient Rus'. M.; L.: Publishing House of the USSR Academy of Sciences, 1958. 186 p. (Reprint 1970, 1987).
Textual criticism: Based on Russian literature of the 10th - 17th centuries. M.; L.: Publishing House of the USSR Academy of Sciences, 1962. 605 p. (Reprint 1983, reprint 2001: with the participation of A. A. Alekseev and A. G. Bobrov).
Textology: Krat. feature article. - M.; L.: Nauka, 1964. - 102 p.
Poetics of Old Russian Literature. L.: Nauka, 1967. 372 p. (Reprinted 1971, 1979, 1987).
The artistic heritage of Ancient Rus' and modernity. L.: Nauka, 1971. 120 p. (Collaborated with V.D. Likhacheva).
Development of Russian literature X - XVII centuries: Epochs and styles. L.: Nauka, 1973. 254 p. (Reprint 1987, 1998).
Great heritage: Classic works of literature of Ancient Rus'. M.: Sovremennik, 1975. 368 p. (For lovers of Russian literature). (Reprint 1980, 1987, 1997).
"The Laughing World" of Ancient Rus'. L.: Nauka, 1976. 204 p. (Ser. "From the history of world culture"). Joint with A. M. Panchenko. (Reprint 1984: “Laughter in Ancient Rus' - jointly with A. M. Panchenko and N. V. Ponyrko; reprint 1997: “Historical poetics of literature. Laughter as a worldview”).
"The Tale of Igor's Campaign" and the culture of its time. L.: Khudozhestvennaya lit., 1978. 359 p. (Reprint 1985).
Notes about Russian. M.: Sov. Russia, 1981. 71 p. (The Writer and Time). (Reprint 1984, 1987).
Literature - reality - literature. L.: Sov. writer, 1981. 215 p. (Reprint 1984, 1987).
Poetry of gardens: Toward the semantics of gardening styles. L.: Nauka, 1982. 341 p. (Reprint 1991, 1998).
Letters about the good and the beautiful. M.: Det. lit., 1985. 207 pp. (Reprinted 1988, 1989, 1990, 1994, 1999).
Selected works: in 3 volumes. L.: Hood. literature., 1987. T. 1. 656 p. T. 2. 656 p. T. 3. 656 p.
Notes and observations: From notebooks of different years. L.: Sov. writer, 1989. 608 p.
Russian art from antiquity to the avant-garde. M.: Art, 1992. 408 p.
Memories. St. Petersburg: Logos, 1995. 519 p. (Reprint 1997, 1999, 2001).
Essays on the philosophy of artistic creativity / RAS. Institute rus. lit. SPb.: Rus.-Balt. information BLITZ Center, 1996. 159 p. (Reprint 1999).
About the intelligentsia: Sat. articles. (Supplement to the almanac "Eve", issue 2). St. Petersburg, 1997. 446 p.
Thoughts about Russia. St. Petersburg: Logos, 1999. 666 p.
Editing and introductory articles to each volume in publications of ancient Russian monuments: “Izbornik” (1969, 1986), “Monuments of literature of Ancient Rus' (in 12 volumes, 1978-1994), “Library of literature of Ancient Rus'” (in 20 volumes ; publication has been carried out since 1997; during the life of D. S. Likhachev, 7 volumes were published, by 2002 - 10 volumes).
Russian culture. M.: Art, 2000. 438 p.

Awards, prizes and memberships

Hero of Socialist Labor (1986)
Order of the Holy Apostle Andrew the First-Called (September 30, 1998) - for outstanding contribution to the development of national culture (awarded the order for No. 1)
Order of Merit for the Fatherland, II degree (November 28, 1996) - for outstanding services to the state and great personal contribution to the development of Russian culture
The order of Lenin
Order of the Red Banner of Labor (1966)
Medal "50 years of Victory in the Great Patriotic War 1941-1945" (March 22, 1995)
Pushkin Medal (June 4, 1999) - in commemoration of the 200th anniversary of the birth of A. S. Pushkin, for services in the field of culture, education, literature and art
Medal "For Labor Valor" (1954)
Medal "For the Defense of Leningrad" (1942)
Medal "30 years of Victory in the Great Patriotic War 1941-1945" (1975)
Medal "40 years of Victory in the Great Patriotic War 1941-1945" (1985)
Medal "For Valiant Labor in the Great Patriotic War of 1941-1945" (1946)
Medal "Veteran of Labor" (1986)
Order of Georgiy Dimitrov (NRB, 1986)
Two Orders of Cyril and Methodius, 1st degree (NRB, 1963, 1977)
Order of Stara Planina, 1st class (Bulgaria, 1996)
Order of the Madara Horseman, 1st class (Bulgaria, 1995)
Sign of the Executive Committee of the Leningrad City Council “To a resident of besieged Leningrad”

In 1986 he organized the Soviet (now Russian) Cultural Foundation and was chairman of the presidium of the Foundation until 1993. Since 1990, he has been a member of the International Committee for the Organization of the Library of Alexandria (Egypt). He was elected as a deputy of the Leningrad City Council (1961-1962, 1987-1989).

Foreign member of the Academies of Sciences of Bulgaria, Hungary, and the Academy of Sciences and Arts of Serbia. Corresponding member of the Austrian, American, British (1976), Italian, Göttingen academies, corresponding member of the oldest US society - the Philosophical Society. Member of the Writers' Union since 1956. Since 1983 - Chairman of the Pushkin Commission of the Russian Academy of Sciences, since 1974 - Chairman of the Editorial Board of the yearbook “Cultural Monuments. New discoveries". From 1971 to 1993, he headed the editorial board of the “Literary Monuments” series, since 1987 he has been a member of the editorial board of the New World magazine, and since 1988 of the Our Heritage magazine.

The Russian Academy of Art Studies and Musical Performance awarded him the Amber Cross Order of Arts (1997). Awarded an Honorary Diploma of the Legislative Assembly of St. Petersburg (1996). Awarded the Great Gold Medal named after M.V. Lomonosov (1993). First Honorary Citizen of St. Petersburg (1993). Honorary citizen of the Italian cities of Milan and Arezzo. Laureate of the Tsarskoye Selo Art Prize (1997).

Memory

May 25, 2011 in the atrium of the Library of Foreign Literature named after M. I. Rudomino.
In 2006, the D. S. Likhachev Foundation and the Government of St. Petersburg established the D. S. Likhachev Prize.
In 2006, a memorial plaque was installed in Moscow on house No. 4 on 1-Neopalimovsky Lane, where the editorial office of the magazine “Our Heritage” was located.
In 2000, D. S. Likhachev was posthumously awarded the State Prize of Russia for the development of the artistic direction of domestic television and the creation of the all-Russian state television channel “Culture”. The books “Russian Culture” have been published; “The skyline of the city on the Neva. Memoirs, articles."
By decree of the President of the Russian Federation, 2006 was declared in Russia the year of Dmitry Sergeevich Likhachev. The name of Likhachev was assigned to minor planet No. 2877 (1984).
In 1999, on the initiative of Dmitry Sergeevich, Pushkin Lyceum No. 1500 was created in Moscow. The academician did not see the lyceum and died three months after the construction of the building.
Every year, in honor of Dmitry Sergeevich Likhachev, the Likhachev Readings are held at the State Educational Institution Gymnasium No. 1503 in Moscow and the Pushkin Lyceum No. 1500, which brings together students from various cities and countries with performances dedicated to the memory of the great citizen of Russia.
By order of the Governor of St. Petersburg in 2000, the name of D. S. Likhachev was given to school No. 47 (Plutalova Street (St. Petersburg), house No. 24), where Likhachev readings are also held.
In 1999, the Russian Research Institute of Cultural and Natural Heritage was named after Likhachev.

Literature

Lukov Vl. A. D. S. Likhachev and his theoretical history of literature // Knowledge. Understanding. Skill. - 2006. - No. 4. - P. 124-134.

Dmitry Sergeevich Likhachev - Russian literary scholar, cultural historian, text critic, publicist, public figure.
Born on November 28 (old style - November 15) 1906 in St. Petersburg, in the family of an engineer. 1923 - graduated from labor school and entered Petrograd University at the Department of Linguistics and Literature, Faculty of Social Sciences. 1928 - graduated from Leningrad University, defending two diplomas - in Romano-Germanic and Slavic-Russian philology.
In 1928 - 1932 he was repressed: for participating in a scientific student circle, Likhachev was arrested and imprisoned in the Solovetsky camp. In 1931 - 1932 he was at the construction of the White Sea-Baltic Canal and was released as a “shock soldier of the Belbaltlag with the right to reside throughout the entire territory of the USSR.”
1934 - 1938 worked at the Leningrad branch of the publishing house of the USSR Academy of Sciences. I caught my attention when editing the book by A.A. Shakhmatov “Review of Russian Chronicles” and was invited to work in the department of Old Russian literature at the Leningrad Institute of Russian Literature (Pushkin House), where he conducted scientific work from 1938, and from 1954 headed the sector of Old Russian literature. 1941 - defended his candidate's dissertation "Novgorod chronicle codes of the 12th century."
In Leningrad besieged by the Nazis, Likhachev, in collaboration with archaeologist M.A. Tianova, wrote the brochure “Defense of Ancient Russian Cities,” which appeared during the siege of 1942.
In 1947 he defended his doctoral dissertation "Essays on the history of literary forms of chronicle writing of the 11th - 16th centuries." 1946-1953 - professor at Leningrad State University. 1953 - Corresponding Member of the USSR Academy of Sciences, 1970 - Academician of the USSR Academy of Sciences, 1991 - Academician of the Russian Academy of Sciences. Foreign member of the Academies of Sciences: Bulgarian (1963), Austrian (1968), Serbian (1972), Hungarian (1973). Honorary doctorate from the universities: Toruń (1964), Oxford (1967), Edinburgh (1970). 1986 - 1991 - Chairman of the Board of the Soviet Cultural Foundation, 1991 - 1993 - Chairman of the Board of the Russian International Cultural Foundation. USSR State Prize (1952, 1969). 1986 - Hero of Socialist Labor. Awarded the Order of the Red Banner of Labor and medals. First Knight of the revived Order of St. Andrew the First-Called (1998).
Bibliography
Full bibliography on the author's website.
1945 - “National identity of Ancient Rus'”
1947 - “Russian chronicles and their cultural and historical significance”
1950 - "The Tale of Bygone Years"
1952 - "The Emergence of Russian Literature"
1955 - "The Tale of Igor's Campaign. Historical and literary essay"
1958 - "Man in the literature of Ancient Rus'"
1958 - "Some tasks of studying the second South Slavic influence in Russia"
1962 - “Culture of Rus' in the time of Andrei Rublev and Epiphanius the Wise”
1962 - "Textology. Based on Russian literature of the X - XVII centuries."
1967 - "Poetics of Old Russian Literature"
1971 - “The Artistic Heritage of Ancient Rus' and Modernity” (together with V.D. Likhacheva)
1973 - "Development of Russian literature X - XVII centuries. Epochs and styles"
1981 - "Notes about Russian"
1983 - “Native Land”
1984 - "Literature - reality - literature"
1985 - “Past for the future”
1986 - "Research on Old Russian Literature"
1989 - "About Philology"
1994 - Letters about good
2007 - Memories
Russian culture
Titles, awards and bonuses
* Hero of Socialist Labor (1986)
* Order of St. Andrew the First-Called (September 30, 1998) - for outstanding contribution to the development of national culture (awarded the order for No. 1)
* Order of Merit for the Fatherland, II degree (November 28, 1996) - for outstanding services to the state and great personal contribution to the development of Russian culture
* The order of Lenin
* Order of the Red Banner of Labor (1966)
* Medal “50 years of Victory in the Great Patriotic War 1941-1945.” (March 22, 1995)
* Pushkin Medal (June 4, 1999) - in commemoration of the 200th anniversary of the birth of A. S. Pushkin, for services in the field of culture, education, literature and art
* Medal “For Labor Valor” (1954)
* Medal “For the Defense of Leningrad” (1942)
* Medal “30 years of Victory in the Great Patriotic War 1941-1945.” (1975)
* Medal “40 years of Victory in the Great Patriotic War 1941-1945.” (1985)
* Medal “For Valiant Labor in the Great Patriotic War of 1941-1945.” (1946)
* Medal “Veteran of Labor” (1986)
* Order of Georgiy Dimitrov (NRB, 1986)
* Two Orders of Cyril and Methodius, 1st degree (NRB, 1963, 1977)
* Order of Stara Planina, 1st degree (Bulgaria, 1996)
* Order of the Madara Horseman, 1st degree (Bulgaria, 1995)
* Sign of the Executive Committee of the Leningrad City Council “To a resident of besieged Leningrad”
In 1986 he organized the Soviet (now Russian) Cultural Foundation and was chairman of the presidium of the Foundation until 1993. Since 1990, he has been a member of the International Committee for the Organization of the Library of Alexandria (Egypt). He was elected as a deputy of the Leningrad City Council (1961-1962, 1987-1989).
Foreign member of the Academies of Sciences of Bulgaria, Hungary, and the Academy of Sciences and Arts of Serbia. Corresponding member of the Austrian, American, British, Italian, Gottingen academies, corresponding member of the oldest US society - the Philosophical Society. Member of the Writers' Union since 1956. Since 1983 - Chairman of the Pushkin Commission of the Russian Academy of Sciences, since 1974 - Chairman of the Editorial Board of the yearbook “Cultural Monuments. New discoveries". From 1971 to 1993, he headed the editorial board of the “Literary Monuments” series, since 1987 he has been a member of the editorial board of the New World magazine, and since 1988 of the Our Heritage magazine.
The Russian Academy of Art Studies and Musical Performance awarded him the Amber Cross Order of Arts (1997). Awarded an Honorary Diploma of the Legislative Assembly of St. Petersburg (1996). Awarded the Great Gold Medal named after M.V. Lomonosov (1993). First Honorary Citizen of St. Petersburg (1993). Honorary citizen of the Italian cities of Milan and Arezzo. Laureate of the Tsarskoye Selo Art Prize (1997).
* In 2006, the D. S. Likhachev Foundation and the Government of St. Petersburg established the D. S. Likhachev Prize.
* In 2000, D. S. Likhachev was posthumously awarded the State Prize of Russia for the development of the artistic direction of domestic television and the creation of the all-Russian state television channel “Culture”. The books “Russian Culture” have been published; “The skyline of the city on the Neva. Memoirs, articles."
Interesting Facts
* By decree of the President of the Russian Federation, 2006 was declared the year of Dmitry Sergeevich Likhachev in Russia.
* The name Likhachev was assigned to minor planet No. 2877 (1984).
* In 1999, on the initiative of Dmitry Sergeevich, Pushkin Lyceum No. 1500 was created in Moscow. The academician did not see the lyceum and died three months after the construction of the building.
* Every year, in honor of Dmitry Sergeevich Likhachev, the Likhachev Readings are held at the State Educational Institution Gymnasium No. 1503 in Moscow and the Pushkin Lyceum No. 1500, which brings together students from various cities and countries with performances dedicated to the memory of the great citizen of Russia.
* By order of the Governor of St. Petersburg in 2000, the name of D. S. Likhachev was given to school No. 47 (Plutalova Street (St. Petersburg), house No. 24), where Likhachev readings are also held.
* In 1999, the Russian Research Institute of Cultural and Natural Heritage was named after Likhachev.

Academician Dmitry Sergeevich Likhachev lived a long life. He was born on November 15 (November 28 - new style) 1906, and died on September 30, 1999, just a couple of months short of turning 93 years old. His life almost entirely covered the 20th century - a century filled with both great and terrible events in Russian and world history.

When talking about our affairs and responsibilities, we usually divide them into important and petty, great and small. Academician Likhachev had a higher view of human life: he believed that there are no unimportant matters or responsibilities, no trifles, no “little things in life.” Everything that happens in a person’s life is important to him.

« In life you need to have service - service to some cause. Let this matter be small, it will become big if you are faithful to it».

Likhachev Dmitry Sergeevich

Everyone has heard about Academician Likhachev, and more than once. He is called “a symbol of the Russian intelligentsia of the 20th century”, and “the patriarch of Russian culture”, and “an outstanding scientist”, and “the conscience of the nation”...

He had many titles: researcher of the literature of Ancient Rus', author of many scientific and journalistic works, historian, publicist, public figure, honorary member of many European academies, founder of the magazine “Our Heritage”, dedicated to Russian culture.

Behind the dry lines of Likhachev’s “track record” the main thing is lost to which he devoted his strength, his spiritual energy - the protection, propaganda and popularization of Russian culture.

It was Likhachev who saved unique architectural monuments from destruction, it was thanks to the speeches of Dmitry Sergeevich, thanks to his articles and letters that the collapse of many museums and libraries was prevented. The echo of his television appearances could be heard in the subway, in trolley cars, or just on the street.

It was said about him: “Finally, television showed a real Russian intellectual.” Popularity, world fame, recognition in scientific circles. It turns out to be an idyllic picture. Meanwhile, Academician Likhachev has by no means a smooth road of life behind him...

Life path

Dmitry Sereevich was born in St. Petersburg. According to his father, he is Orthodox, and according to his mother, he is an Old Believer (previously, it was not nationality that was written in documents, but religion). The example of Likhachev’s biography shows that hereditary intelligence means no less than nobility.

The Likhachevs lived modestly, but found an opportunity not to give up their hobby - regular visits to the Mariinsky Theater. And in the summer they rented a dacha in Kuokkala, where Dmitry joined the ranks of artistic youth.

In 1923, Dmitry entered the ethnological and linguistic department of the Faculty of Social Sciences of Petrograd University. At some point, he joined a student circle under the comic name “Space Academy of Sciences.”

The members of this circle met regularly, read and discussed each other's reports. In February 1928, Dmitry Likhachev was arrested for participating in a circle and sentenced to 5 years “for counter-revolutionary activities.” The investigation lasted six months, after which Likhachev was sent to the Solovetsky camp.

« I came out of this whole mess with a new knowledge of life and a new state of mind,- said Dmitry Sergeevich. - The good that I managed to do for hundreds of teenagers, saving their lives, and many other people, the good received from the fellow prisoners themselves, the experience of everything I saw created in me some kind of very deep-seated peace and mental health».

Likhachev was released early in 1932. He returned to Leningrad, worked as a proofreader at the publishing house of the Academy of Sciences (having a criminal record prevented him from getting a more serious job).

In 1938, through the efforts of the leaders of the USSR Academy of Sciences, Likhachev’s criminal record was cleared. Then Dmitry Sergeevich went to work at the Institute of Russian Literature of the USSR Academy of Sciences (Pushkin House).

The Likhachevs (by that time Dmitry Sergeevich was married and had two daughters) partially survived the war in besieged Leningrad. After the terrible winter of 1941–1942, they were evacuated to Kazan. After his stay in the camp, Dmitry Sergeevich’s health was undermined, and he was not subject to conscription to the front.

The main theme of Likhachev the scientist was ancient Russian literature. In 1950, under his scientific leadership, two books were prepared for publication in the “Literary Monuments” series - “The Tale of Bygone Years” and “The Tale of Igor’s Campaign.”

Dmitry Sergeevich knew how to find in the Russian Middle Ages what connects us with the past, for man is part of society and part of its history. Through the prism of the history of the Russian language and literature, he comprehended the culture of his people and tried to introduce his contemporaries to it.

For more than fifty years he worked in the Pushkin House, heading the department of ancient Russian literature there. And how many talented people did Dmitry Sergeevich help in life... Andrei Voznesensky wrote that with his prefaces Likhachev helped the publication of more than one “difficult” book.

And not only with prefaces, but also with letters, reviews, petitions, recommendations, and advice. It is safe to say that dozens, hundreds of talented scientists and writers owe the support of Likhachev, who played an important role in their personal and creative destinies.

Academician Likhachev became the informal leader of our culture. When the Cultural Foundation appeared in our country, Dmitry Sergeevich became the permanent chairman of its board from 1986 to 1993. At this time, the Cultural Fund becomes a fund of cultural ideas.

Likhachev understood perfectly well that only a morally full-fledged, aesthetically receptive person is capable of preserving, preserving, and most importantly, extracting all the spiritual wealth of the culture of past times. And he found, perhaps, the most effective way to reach the hearts and minds of his contemporaries - he began to appear on radio and television.

Likhachev is a patriot by nature, a modest and unobtrusive patriot. He was not an ascetic. He loved travel and comfort, but lived in a modest city apartment, cramped by modern standards for a world-class scientist. It was littered with books. And this is today, when the craving for luxury has gripped all levels of society.

Dmitry Sergeevich was unusually easy-going. All journalists know how difficult it was to find him at home. Even at 90 years old, he was interested in the whole world, and he was interesting to the whole world: all the universities of the world invited him to visit, and Prince Charles helped him publish Pushkin’s manuscripts and gave a dinner in his honor.

Even 2.5 months before his death in the summer of 1999, Likhachev agreed to speak at the Pushkin Conference in Italy. He died on September 30, 1999 and was buried at the Komarovskoye cemetery in St. Petersburg.

Notes and thoughts on the “little things” of life

Likhachev's latest books look like sermons or teachings. What is Likhachev trying to instill in us? What to explain, what to teach?

In the preface to the book “Letters about the Good and the Beautiful,” Dmitry Sergeevich writes: “ Try holding binoculars in shaking hands - you won't see anything" To perceive the beauty of the world around us, a person himself must be mentally beautiful.

Remembering Dmitry Sergeevich, we read excerpts from his letters:

« What is the most important thing in life? The main thing can be everyone’s own, unique. But still, the main thing should be kind and significant. A person must think about the meaning of his life - look at the past and look into the future.

People who don’t care about anyone seem to fall out of memory, but people who served others, served smartly, and had a good and significant purpose in life are remembered for a long time.”

« What is the greatest purpose in life? I think: increase the goodness in those around us. And goodness is, first of all, the happiness of all people. It consists of many things, and every time life presents a person with a task that is important to be able to solve. You can do good to a person in small things, you can think about big things, but small things and big things cannot be separated...»

« The most valuable thing in life is kindness... smart, purposeful kindness. Knowing this, remembering this always and following the paths of kindness is very, very important.».

« Caring is what unites people, strengthens the memory of the past, and is aimed entirely at the future. This is not the feeling itself - it is a concrete manifestation of the feeling of love, friendship, patriotism. A person must be caring. A carefree or carefree person is most likely a person who is unkind and does not love anyone».

« Somewhere in Belinsky’s letters, I remember, there is this idea: scoundrels always prevail over decent people because they treat decent people like scoundrels, and decent people treat scoundrels like decent people.

A stupid person doesn’t like a smart person, an uneducated person doesn’t like an educated person, an ill-mannered person doesn’t like a well-mannered person, etc. And all this is hidden behind some phrase: “I’m a simple person...”, “I don’t like philosophizing,” “I lived my life without it,” “That’s it.” this is from the evil one,” etc. But in the soul there is hatred, envy, a sense of one’s own inferiority».

« The most amazing quality of a person is love. This is where the connectedness of people is most fully expressed. And the connectedness of people (family, village, country, the entire globe) is the foundation on which humanity stands».

« Good cannot be stupid. A kind deed is never stupid, because it is selfless and does not pursue the goal of profit or a “smart result”... They say “kind” when they want to insult».

« If a person ceases to be a creative being and to be focused on the future, he will cease to be human».

« Greed is the oblivion of one’s own dignity, it is an attempt to put one’s material interests above oneself, it is a mental crookedness, a terrible orientation of the mind that is extremely limiting, mental witheredness, pitifulness, a jaundiced view of the world, bile towards oneself and others, oblivion of comradeship».

« Life is, first of all, creativity, but this does not mean that every person, in order to live, must be born an artist, ballerina or scientist».

« Morally, you must live as if you were to die today, and work as if you were immortal».

« The Earth is our tiny house, flying in an immeasurably large space... This is a museum flying defenselessly in colossal space, a collection of hundreds of thousands of museums, a dense gathering of works of hundreds of thousands of geniuses».

What exactly is the Likhachev phenomenon? After all, he was, in essence, a lone fighter. At his disposal there was no party, no movement, no influential position, no government leadership. Nothing. All he had at his disposal was moral reputation and authority.

Those who keep today Likhachev's legacy, we are convinced that it is necessary to remember Dmitry Sergeevich more often, not only when national anniversary events are held.

It is increasingly felt that the time has come for an honest attempt to rethink what is happening to the country and to all of us, which is why turning to cultural and moral values is especially important.

Cultures. He lived a very long life, in which there were deprivations, persecutions, as well as grandiose achievements in the scientific field, recognition not only at home, but throughout the world. When Dmitry Sergeevich passed away, they spoke with one voice: he was the conscience of the nation. And there is no stretch in this lofty definition. Indeed, Likhachev was an example of selfless and persistent service to the Motherland.

He was born in St. Petersburg, in the family of electrical engineer Sergei Mikhailovich Likhachev. The Likhachevs lived modestly, but found opportunities not to give up their hobby - regular visits to the Mariinsky Theater, or rather, ballet performances. And in the summer they rented a dacha in Kuokkala, where Dmitry joined the ranks of artistic youth. In 1914, he entered the gymnasium, and subsequently changed several schools, as the education system changed in connection with the events of the revolution and the Civil War. In 1923, Dmitry entered the ethnological and linguistic department of the Faculty of Social Sciences of Petrograd University. At some point, he joined a student circle under the comic name “Space Academy of Sciences.” The members of this circle met regularly, read and discussed each other's reports. In February 1928, Dmitry Likhachev was arrested for participating in a circle and sentenced to 5 years “for counter-revolutionary activities.” The investigation lasted six months, after which Likhachev was sent to the Solovetsky camp.

Likhachev later called his experience of life in the camp his “second and main university.” He changed several types of activities in Solovki. For example, he worked as an employee of the Criminological Office and organized a labor colony for teenagers. “I came out of this whole mess with a new knowledge of life and a new state of mind, - Dmitry Sergeevich said in an interview. - The good that I managed to do for hundreds of teenagers, saving their lives, and many other people, the good received from the fellow prisoners themselves, the experience of everything I saw created in me some kind of very deep-seated peace and mental health.”.

Likhachev was released early in 1932, and “with a red stripe” - that is, with a certificate that he was a drummer in the construction of the White Sea-Baltic Canal, and this certificate gave him the right to live anywhere. He returned to Leningrad, worked as a proofreader at the publishing house of the Academy of Sciences (having a criminal record prevented him from getting a more serious job). In 1938, through the efforts of the leaders of the USSR Academy of Sciences, Likhachev’s criminal record was cleared. Then Dmitry Sergeevich went to work at the Institute of Russian Literature of the USSR Academy of Sciences (Pushkin House). In June 1941, he defended his Ph.D. thesis on the topic “Novgorod chronicles of the 12th century.” The scientist defended his doctoral dissertation after the war, in 1947.

Dmitry Likhachev. 1987 Photo: aif.ru

USSR State Prize laureate Dmitry Likhachev (left) talks with Russian Soviet writer Veniamin Kaverin at the VIII Congress of USSR Writers. Photo: aif.ru

D. S. Likhachev. May 1967. Photo: likhachev.lfond.spb.ru

The Likhachevs (by that time Dmitry Sergeevich was married and had two daughters) survived the war partially in besieged Leningrad. After the terrible winter of 1941–1942, they were evacuated to Kazan. After his stay in the camp, Dmitry Sergeevich’s health was undermined, and he was not subject to conscription to the front.

The main theme of Likhachev the scientist was ancient Russian literature. In 1950, under his scientific leadership, The Tale of Bygone Years and The Tale of Igor’s Campaign were prepared for publication in the “Literary Monuments” series. A team of talented researchers of ancient Russian literature gathered around the scientist. From 1954 until the end of his life, Dmitry Sergeevich headed the sector of ancient Russian literature at the Pushkin House. In 1953, Likhachev was elected a corresponding member of the USSR Academy of Sciences. At that time, he already enjoyed unquestioned authority among all Slavic scholars in the world.

The 50s, 60s, 70s were an incredibly busy time for the scientist, when his most important books were published: “Man in the Literature of Ancient Rus'”, “The Culture of Rus' in the Time of Andrei Rublev and Epiphanius the Wise”, “Textology”, “Poetics” Old Russian Literature", "Eras and Styles", "Great Heritage". Likhachev in many ways opened up ancient Russian literature to a wide range of readers, did everything to make it “come to life” and become interesting not only to specialist philologists.

In the second half of the 80s and in the 90s, the authority of Dmitry Sergeevich was incredibly great not only in academic circles, he was revered by people of various professions and political views. He acted as a promoter of the protection of monuments - both tangible and intangible. From 1986 to 1993, Academician Likhachev was the chairman of the Russian Cultural Foundation and was elected as a people's deputy of the Supreme Council.

V.P. Adrianova-Peretz and D.S. Likhachev. 1967 Photo: likhachev.lfond.spb.ru

Dmitry Likhachev. Photo: slvf.ru

D.S. Likhachev and V.G. Rasputin. 1986 Photo: likhachev.lfond.spb.ru

Dmitry Sergeevich lived for 92 years; during his earthly journey, political regimes changed several times in Russia. He was born in St. Petersburg and died there, but lived in both Petrograd and Leningrad... The outstanding scientist carried faith (and his parents were from Old Believer families) and endurance through all the trials, and always remained faithful to his mission - to preserve the memory, history, culture. Dmitry Sergeevich suffered from the Soviet regime, but did not become a dissident, he always found a reasonable compromise in relations with his superiors in order to be able to do his job. His conscience was not stained by a single unseemly act. He once wrote about his experience of serving time on Solovki: “I realized this: every day is a gift from God. I need to live for the day to day, to be satisfied that I live another day. And be grateful for every day. Therefore, there is no need to be afraid of anything in the world.". There were many, many days in the life of Dmitry Sergeevich, each of which he filled with work to increase the cultural wealth of Russia.

Dmitry Sergeevich Likhachev is a prominent figure in Russian culture, academician of the Russian Academy of Sciences, philologist, art critic, author of numerous studies and works in the field of the history of Russian literature, literature, and icon painting.

D.S. Likhachev is an outstanding example of a defender of Russian culture and constant promotion of morality and spirituality. Dmitry Sergeevich Likhachev was born on November 28, 1906 in St. Petersburg.

In the 20s, Dmitry Likhachev studied at Leningrad State University at the Faculty of Social Sciences, Department of Linguistics.

Likhachev advocated for preserving the roots of Russian culture and, after reading a report “on spelling distorted by modernity,” he was arrested for counter-revolutionary activities.

From 1928 to 1931 Likhachev arrived as a political prisoner at Solovki and at the construction of the White Sea-Baltic Canal.

In the summer of 1932, the future academician Likhachev returned to Leningrad. It was difficult to get a job; a criminal record got in the way. He continued his scientific research, working as a proofreader at the publishing house of the Academy of Sciences. In 1938, Likhachev went to work at the Institute of Russian Literature of the USSR Academy of Sciences. On the eve of WWII D.S. Likhachev defended his dissertation and became a candidate of philological sciences.

D. S. Likhachev remained with his wife and two children in besieged Leningrad and continued his scientific work. In 1942, his first book, “Defense of Ancient Russian Cities,” was published.

In 1945-1947 D.S. Likhachev devotes himself to working on books on the history of Russian literature and culture.

In 1950 D.S. Likhachev prepared two most important works of ancient Russian literature - “The Tale of Bygone Years” and “The Tale of Igor’s Campaign.”

By 1953, the prominent scientist Likhachev had already become a corresponding member of the USSR Academy of Sciences, and by 1970 - a full member of the USSR Academy of Sciences. His scientific works are recognized in the world cultural community, and Academician Likhachev is already considered one of the most prominent Slavists in the world.

The most famous scientific works of Academician Likhachev: “Man in the literature of Ancient Rus'”, “Textology”, “Culture of Rus' in the time of Andrei Rublev and Epiphanius the Wise”, “Poetics of Old Russian literature”, “Eras and styles”, “Great heritage”.

Academician Likhachev’s contribution to the study of ancient Russian literature expanded the possibility of understanding this richest layer of Russian culture.

The activities of Academician Likhachev are recognized throughout the world. He was an honorary professor at many foreign universities, including Oxford (Great Britain), Zurich (Switzerland), Sofia (Bulgaria).

In the 80s-90s, Academician Likhachev actively advocated for the preservation of the country’s cultural monuments and encouraged honoring history as a “moral category.” The biography of Academician Likhachev of that period contains many publications and speeches on the topic of “ecology of cultural space.” It was in those years that Likhachev gained incredible authority and was rightly recognized as the conscience of the nation. On the initiative of Likhachev, the Soviet (Russian) Cultural Foundation was created.

D.S. Likhachev, winner of a huge number of state prizes and awards of the USSR, as well as honorary regalia from all over the world, became during the years of perestroika a symbol of the struggle for the restoration of spiritual traditions.

Academician Likhachev encouraged President Yeltsin to take part in the burial of the remains of the last Tsar of the Russian Empire, Nicholas, and members of the imperial family on July 18, 1997.

Among those dear to D.S. Likhachev awards of the country three anniversary medals "Victory in the Great Patriotic War", a medal "For Labor Valor during the Great Patriotic War", the Order of "St. Andrew the First-Called" - for outstanding contribution to the development of national culture, the Order "For Merit to the Fatherland" II degree - for outstanding services to the state and great personal contribution to the development of Russian culture.

The biography of Dmitry Sergeevich Likhachev, a prominent cultural figure of the 20th century, ended at the end of the century. He died on September 30, 1999.

Personality of Academician D.S. Likhachev, his activities constitute a significant layer of spiritual values of Russian culture. During his lifetime, a planet was named in his honor. 2006 was declared the “Year of Culture, Education, Humanities - the Year of Academician D.S. Likhachev."

Victoria Maltseva