Viktor Fyodorovich Bokov

Viktor Fyodorovich Bokov was a Russian and Soviet poet, prose writer, and collector of folklore. He was born in the village of Yazvitsy in the Vladimir Governorate into a peasant family. He received a primary education at a village school, trained as a lathe operator, and later studied at the Zagorsk Pedagogical College.

His first poem was published in 1930. In 1938 Bokov graduated from the Literary Institute and for a time worked at the All-Union House of Folk Art. In 1942 he was arrested while serving in the army and served a five-year term in a camp. After his release in 1947 Bokov returned to literary work. His first books of poems were published in 1958. Many of Bokov's works became popular songs, such as "The Orenburg Down Shawl" and "A Young Sailor Comes Home on Leave."

Viktor Bokov was a member of the Academy of Russian Literature, a member of the Higher Creative Council of the Union of Writers of Russia, and a member of the Council of Elders of the International Union of Writers' Unions. He was awarded several orders, including the Order "For Merit to the Fatherland" 3rd class, two Orders of the Red Banner of Labour, and the Order of Friendship of Peoples. Viktor Fyodorovich Bokov passed away on October 15, 2009, in Moscow.