Leonid Zorin is a Soviet poet, playwright and writer. His most famous work is the play Pokrovsky Gates, on which the Soviet film of the same name was shot. From this article you can find out the biography of Leonid Zorin, the names of his main works and the details of contemporary creativity.
early years
Leonid Genrikhovich Zorin was born on November 3, 1924 in Baku (Azerbaijan). Little Lenya grew up a real child prodigy - at two years old he already read well, and at four wrote his first poems. His father, Heinrich Zorin, copied a huge number of his son’s works in his adult handwriting and attributed to Baku publishers. In 1932, the first book of an eight-year-old poet was published, and in 1934, Leonid and his mother went to Gorki, a village near Moscow, in which Maxim Gorky, the main writer of that time, was located. He praised the works of the genius boy and wrote several articles about him, after which a Moscow edition with the collected works of ten-year-old Leni Zorin was printed under his patronage.
In 1942, Zorin entered the Kirov University of Baku, after which he graduated (in 1946), went to Moscow and entered the Gorky Literary Institute there.
Adult creativity and recognition
The first play of Leonid Zorin was staged at the Maly Theater in 1949. It was called "Youth" and attracted attention with fresh ideas and a modern plot. After that, he wrote plays almost every year: “An Evening of Memories” in 1951, “Sea of Azov” in 1952, “Frank Talk” in 1953.
In literary and theatrical circles, Zorin's work was incredibly appreciated for sincerity, honesty, and a new look at drama, but there were problems with the authorities. For example, the play "Guests", written in 1954 and in the same year, staged at the Yermolova Theater by the great director Andrei Lobanov. After the premiere, the play was shot and banned. Leonid Zorin was severely criticized in the press for two years, calling him a “political slanderer”, which made him seriously ill and could not write. Lobanov also had problems - he was expelled from the theater and soon, unable to withstand the shock, he died. Leonid Zorin admitted that to this day he feels responsible for the death of this great man.
The 1965 play "Roman Comedy", which George Tovstonogov decided to put in the BDT, was also surrounded by problems. Like The Guests, Roman Comedy was shown only once - the play and the play were banned, but Tovstonogov said for the rest of his life that this was the main production of his life. Despite the ban, the next year it was staged again, but this time in Moscow (at the Vakhtangov Theater), directed by Ruben Simonov.
"The Pokrovsky Gate"
The main and most beloved work of the people of Leonid Zorin was the play "Intercession Gate", on which the cult Soviet film by Mikhail Kozakov was shot. Leonid Genrikhovich wrote it in 1974 and described it as "purely autobiographical nostalgia for his own youth." First, the play was staged at the Malaya Bronnaya Theater and became Kozakov’s directorial debut. And then he transferred the performance to the screen. Kostya became the only character of Zorin for whom he personally approved the actor. He admitted that only in Oleg Menshikov saw his own reflection.
