Sazonova, Nina Afanasevna

Childhood and Youth

Nina Sazonova was born in the village of Konstantinovo, Alexandrovsky district, Vladimir province (now - Sergiev Posad district , Moscow region ) ^{[2] [3] [comm. 3]} . There were five children in the family of Afanasy Mikhailovich and Matryona Semenovna Sazonovs - Serafima, Tatyana, Nikolay, Boris and Nina, the youngest. Father played the guitar , mother played the violin , brothers played the button accordion . The family often held performances and concerts ^{[3] [4]} .

In the 1920s, the family moved to Kimry and settled in a communal apartment on Troitskaya Street ^{[comm. 4]} . In 1925-1929 she studied at elementary school No. 4, in 1929-1932 - in high school. In those years, Nina showed the first acting inclinations. Anna Mikhailovna Kuryatnikova, the first teacher, noticed her student’s penchant for art and contributed in every way to its development ^[5] . Subsequently, the actress recalled: “We are sitting at the desks, displaying letters. And just beginning to get tired, distracted, as we hear the voice of Anna Mikhailovna: “Let's sing.” He will get a guitar, sit down on the desk and say: “We will sing quietly.” We quailed with her all the Russian songs and romances! Replayed all the tales and all the little animals. My first role was Kolobok. This rightful role went to me rightfully: I was a downed, brisk, dexterous girl. So my first teacher laid in me a love for creativity - but no, for everything alive, bright, for a holiday that helps to overcome pain ” ^[6] .

In her free time from studies, and subsequently work (in 1932-1934 she worked as an accountant at the Kimra City Consumer Society), Nina and her sister Tatyana visited the Red Shoe drama circle at the Krasnaya Zvezda shoe factory. The head of the circle, D. P. Bychenkov, discerned extraordinary abilities in the girl, worked a lot with her, improving her acting skills ^[5] .

In one of the Moscow newspapers, Bychenkov read an announcement about an additional admission to the studio at the Central Theater of the Red Army and suggested that she try to go there ^[6] . Despite the objections of her mother, in 1934 she went to Moscow ^{[5] [7]} .

There were several hundred people wishing to enter the studio. The selection committee was to select only three for study. At the exam, she conquered the members of the commission with her performance of monologues from plays and Russian folk songs and, despite high competition, she passed the competition and was accepted into the studio ^[5] . The mentor of the young actress in the studio was A.D. Popov . According to the literary critic N. D. Staroselskaya , she was a true student of Popov: organically absorbed everything that the teacher said about the work of the actor, about the education of his inner world, without “the building material of which the character will appear ordinary, devoid of human qualities, personality traits” ^{[ 8]} .

The actress made her debut in 1938 in the play “Teacher” by S. A. Gerasimov in the role of Manka Lagutina. Both mother and the first teacher of Nina Anna Kuryatnikova came to the performance from Kimr at the Central Theater of the Red Army ^[9] . According to other sources, the first role of Nina Afanasevna was the role of Masha in the vaudeville " Lev Gurych Sinichkin " ^[6] .

World War II

After the outbreak of war , on one of the summer days of 1941, another rehearsal was taking place in the theater. Suddenly, A.D. Popov appeared, immediately telling the artists to go to the Belorussky Train Station , where the mobilized people were sent to the front. On an impromptu stage, a small concert was held to the accompaniment of the button accordion ^[9] .

After some time, the actress herself, along with the theater brigade, went to the front. She performed with theater actors in military units, in hospitals, on the front line ^[1] . During the battle of Moscow, she appeared in all the advanced units ^[10] .

On one of the winter days, the brigade was at the forefront in the En division. The military came for the actors, who was supposed to lead them through the forest to another part. Due to the fact that the road was mined, the actors were forced to go “track to track”. Sazonova walked in the middle, but at some point she stumbled and stepped on an anti-tank mine . The military commanded: “Wait, don’t move!” He led the actors further, and Nina Afanasyevna said: “If you want to stay alive, do not move. We have another fifteen minutes to go. I will take the brigade and return with a sapper. ” The actress stood in a mine for about an hour, before the arrival of the sapper ^[11] .

In the summer of 1942, the concert crew of the Red Army Theater was surrounded near Kharkov . As a result of clashes with the Germans, many died, Sazonova and the colonel of the Red Army from the brigade managed to hide from enemies in a haystack. The German soldiers, combing the territory, checked every stack with a pitchfork, and they did not bypass the shelter of Nina Afanasyevna and the colonel. The officer was pulled out of the stack, but Nina was not noticed. The next morning, she got out of the stack, and after a while she met a local resident. An old village woman sheltered a girl, the next day she gave her a village clothes and a rod with the words: "You say, the cow was lost." The Germans they met did not touch her. Tired and exhausted, the actress was picked up by Soviet intelligence agents, with whom she crossed the front line - and ended up in the hands of state security officials who subjected her to interrogations. All this greatly influenced the mental health of the actress - later she was diagnosed with schizophrenia ^{[6] [12]} .

According to the memoirs of the actress herself, when she, returning to Moscow, came to her theater, the guard did not recognize her and did not miss her - her appearance changed so much over the years spent in the war ^[1] . But after a while she was forced to return to the front ^{[1] [13]} .

After the war

After the war, she continued to work in the theater of the Soviet Army, and in the late 1950s she began to act actively in films ^[7] .

In 1951, Sazonova graduated from the University of Marxism-Leninism of the Moscow City Committee of the All-Union Communist Party of Bolsheviks (a branch of the Central House of Artists of the USSR ) ^[7] .

In 1958, A.P. Dovzhenko proposed the actress the role of the soldier’s mother Stepanida, who lost seven sons at the front (the film “ Poem about the Sea ”). The director, despite the doubts of the actress in her abilities, convinced her to star in the film, saying that she had "mother's eyes." The role in “Poem” became her film debut ^[14] .

The movie heroines in her performance gained national fame ^[3] . Basically, the actress played wives, mothers, aunts. According to N. Staroselskaya, behind a rather banal definition of the role of an actress, the ability to “mold a character from the smallest details and elevate it to a certain, recognizable and perceived type” was hidden ^{[2] [15]} .

The actress was perfectly able to play the role of ordinary women from the people. According to contemporaries, after the premiere of the film “ Such a guy lives, ” in which she played the role of Aunt Anisya, the director of the picture V. M. Shukshin received a letter with the following content: “Comrade director, who plays this aunt Anisya? If our village woman, explain how she was taught to play. And if an artist, so what is it that you have so rustic? ” ^[15] .

After showing the painting Day after Day, in which the actress played the role of Aunt Pasha, thousands of letters came to Moscow from different parts of the USSR , and some of them only wrote: “Moscow. Aunt Pasha. " Even such letters reached the addressee ^[16] .

According to the confession of the actress, she loved to tour. In the 1970s, she visited with concerts other countries and many cities of the USSR. She repeatedly came to the city of Kimry, where she spent her childhood and youth. “As long as they invite, it’s a sin to refuse, and there are forces. As for the concerts of the chefs, how can you refuse to come and meet with soldiers and workers. I don’t like thieves, ”she said ^[17] .

March 2, 1977, the actress was awarded the title of People's Artist of the USSR ^[7] .

In the late 1980s , the actress's health deteriorated, but despite her illnesses, she did not interrupt her creative activity ^[18] . In 1987, her anniversary evening was held in the Great Hall of the Central Theater of the Soviet Army. She was presented with many gifts from different parts of the country, including a bouquet compiled by employees of the Botanical Garden of the USSR Academy of Sciences . A congratulatory telegram from the builders of the Sayano-Shushenskaya hydroelectric power station was announced, in which workers thanked the actress for their performances and invited them to the upcoming opening of the station ^{[18] [19]} .

The last years of life

On New Year's Eve from December 31, 2001 to January 1, 2002, the son of actress Mikhail in a drunken state beat her. She lost consciousness, and her son went to bed. In the morning, Mikhail found his mother’s body on the floor unconscious and, deciding that he had committed the murder, he threw himself out of the window of an 11-story building on Seleznevskaya Street ^[20] . The actress in serious condition was taken to the intensive care unit of the hospital of the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation ^{[21] [22]} .

After discharge from the actress, a nurse unexpectedly appeared - a nurse Larisa Svirenko, who called herself the cousin of the actress. The so-called “custody” ended in March 2002 when Sazonova ended up in a hospital in Novozagarye , known as the “nursing home” ^[22] , and her former apartment was sold for several hundred thousand dollars ^[23] , as previously the national artist re-registered apartment in the name of Svirenko ^{[12] [24]} . The actress herself spoke favorably about her caregiver ^[22] .

Soon after the incident, the actress’s grandson Eugene tried to take the actress to Cyprus , but due to contraindications from doctors, he could not do this. In the press, Eugene was introduced as a financially interested person who has no interest in the fate of his grandmother ^[20] , according to Svirenko, Sazonov reacted negatively to his grandson ^{[12] [22] [24]} . The grandson also said that through the efforts of Svirenko, the actress was protected from communicating with him ^[12] . After some time, valuable things began to disappear from Sazonova’s apartment, and the Order of Lenin , with which the actress was awarded in 1987 , also disappeared ^[20] .

During the illness she suffered two strokes , learned to walk again ^[20] , arthritis worsened ^[22] , in addition, she was diagnosed with dementia . At the end of September 2003, Larisa Svirenko rented an apartment on the outskirts of Moscow and settled in it with the actress ^[20] .

On February 24, 2004, the actress's health condition deteriorated sharply, she was taken to the 56th hospital in Moscow ^[23] . She died on the night of February 29 to March 1, 2004 from acute heart failure ^[25] . She was buried at the Vagankovsky cemetery (plot No. 25), the burial expenses were borne by the Theater of the Russian Army ^[20] .

After the war, the actress married the director of the art gallery Alexander Kapitonovich Borisov, their son Mikhail was born. The marriage with Borisov did not last long ^{[6] [1]} .

In an interview with Channel One, actress L. I. Kasatkina said: “Why didn’t she get married? She was offered quite interesting men. And Kholodilin is a wonderful actor, and Veshnyakov, but she refused, because she loved her son so much. Maybe even too much ” ^[26] .

At 16, Mikhail brought his first wife, Natalia, into the house. To support his family, he had to drop out of school ^[12] . Mother strongly opposed this marriage, ignored her daughter-in-law in every possible way. After some time, a son Eugene was born into a young family, and soon Mikhail and Natalya divorced ^[17] .

After the divorce, Mikhail, who remained with his mother, began to drink alcohol, became addicted to gambling. Due to bad habits, the young man lost his job, got into debt, which she was forced to pay ^[18] .

In the last years of her life, Mikhail was completely isolated from the outside world: he did not allow his mother to the phone, did not let guests into the apartment. An exception was made by him on the eve of the meeting of the new year , 2002 , shortly before the tragedy that happened on New Year's Eve: Mikhail let in theater representatives who came to congratulate the actress ^[21] .

The partner of the actress in the film “Our Home”, People's Artist of the USSR A. D. Papanov wrote: “It seems that she does not play at all, such is the power of reincarnation, the creation of bright female characters. She is a very kind and sincere person. And yet - very modest ” ^{[27] [17] [28]} .

The film director and writer V. M. Shukshin , in whose paintings the actress played, spoke of her: “Sazonova is the embodiment of Russian motherhood, which cannot be treated otherwise than with a feeling of reverent reverence” ^{[16] [28]} .

According to a number of authors, the songs that were performed by her heroines owe her popularity: “Sister”, “I Stand on a Half Station”, “Daisies Hid”, “Waltz of Parting” ^{[17] [28]} . People's Artist of the USSR L. G. Zykina said that she would never have risked performing the song repertoire of her friend, since she could not have reached such a depth of experience ^{[17] [28]} .

Theatrical work

Filmography

Soviet state awards and titles:

• People's Artist of the USSR ( March 2, 1977 ) ^[7] ;
• People's Artist of the RSFSR ( May 7, 1968 ) ^[17] ;
• Honored Artist of the RSFSR ( October 10, 1959 ) ^[17] ;
• Order of Lenin ( January 6, 1987 ) ^{[7] [17]} ;
• medals, including:
  • anniversary medal “For Valiant Labor. In commemoration of the 100th anniversary of the birth of Vladimir Ilyich Lenin ” ( 1970 ) ^[7] ;
  • medal “For the victory over Germany in the Great Patriotic War of 1941-1945” ( 1945 ) ^[17] ;
  • medal “In memory of the 800th anniversary of Moscow” ( 1948 ) ^[17] .

Russian state awards:

• Order "For Merit to the Fatherland" IV degree ( March 23, 2000 ) - for great merit in the development of theatrical art ^[29] ;
• Order of Friendship ( June 21, 1995 ) - for services to the state, successes achieved in labor, and a great contribution to strengthening friendship and cooperation between peoples ^[30] .

• In memory of Nina Sazonova , a memorial plaque was erected on a house in Kimry, where she lived with her family in the 1920s and 1930s (Troitskaya Street, 17). The grand opening of the board took place on October 1, 2005, it was attended by Chairman of the Legislative Assembly of the Tver Region A. N. Epishin , artistic director of the Kimra Drama and Comedy Theater O. A. Lavrov , relatives of the actress ^{[31] [28]} .
• In May 2016, the media reported that the 100th anniversary of the actress, with the participation of the Government of Moscow and the Federal Communications Agency, was planned to issue an anniversary postal stamp ^[32] . On January 24, 2017, an illustrated postcard was issued with the letter "B" dedicated to the actress ^[33] .

• Korkunov V.I. “Ninochka Kimrskaya” (the path of the actress) // Pages of Kimrish history. The second book: local history essays / V.I. Korkunov, V.V. Korkunov. - Tver: Marina, 2010 .-- S. 112—122. - 344 p. - ISBN 978-5-903728-26-8 .
• Razzakov F.I. Nina Sazonova // How the idols left. The last days and hours of popular favorites. - M .: Eksmo , 2005 .-- 671 p. - ISBN 5-699-10035-0 .
• Sazonova Nina // Who is who in modern culture: In 2 issue. / Ch. ed. S. M. Semenov, ed. and comp. N.I. Shadrina, R.V. Pigarev et al. - M .: MK-Periodika, 2006-2007. - ISBN 5-93696-007-3 , 5-93696-010-2.
• Staroselskaya N. D. Nina Sazonova // Stars of the Theater of the Russian Army / Ed. B. M. Poyurovsky . - M .: AST-PRESS BOOK , 2002 .-- 304 p. - (Outstanding masters. Theater). - ISBN 5-7805-0948-4 .