Rasul Gamzatov

Rasul Gamzatovich Gamzatov (Avar: ХӀамзатазул Расул; Russian: Расу́л Гамза́тович Гамза́тов; 8 September 1923 – 3 November 2003) was a prominent Russian poet who wrote in Avar. One of his famous works, Zhuravli (Cranes), became a renowned Soviet song.

Life

Gamzatov was born on 8 September 1923 in Tsada, a village in the northeastern Caucasus. His father, Gamzat Tsadasa, was a celebrated bard, continuing the region's minstrel traditions. Gamzatov began writing poetry at age eleven and composed many works that were later adapted into songs, such as Gone Sunny Days.

After graduating from Pedagogical College in 1939, he worked as a school teacher, theater assistant director, journalist, and radio host. From 1945 to 1950, he studied at the Maxim Gorky Literature Institute.

He received several prestigious awards, including:

• State Stalin Prize (1952)
• Lenin Prize (1963)
• International Botev Prize (1981)

Gamzatov passed away on 3 November 2003 in Moscow at age 80 and was buried in Tarki's old Muslim cemetery beside his wife. A monument honoring him was unveiled on 5 July 2013 on Yauzsky Boulevard in Moscow.