Konstantin simonow stalin biography

The Poet

Kirill (later called Konstantin) Simonov was born in Petrograd (St Petersburg) in 1915. His mother had been born Princess Obolenskaya, in one of the oldest noble families of Russia.

His father was a senior army officer: he went missing in the First World War and Kirill never knew him. The War led to the chaos of revolution and civil conflict; Simonova and her little son found themselves in the provincial town of Ryazan, where she met and married another older ex-Tsarist officer – Colonel Alexander Ivanischev.

Konstantin simonow stalin biography

He brought up Kirill as his own son and no other children were born.

Kirill's stepfather was now an instructor in a Red Army military college. Kirill's earliest memories were of barracks life – the parade ground was outside the window of their flat.

He was close to his stepfather; Ivanischev was a strict disciplinarian for whom everything had its time and place, but he was very fond of his stepson: When the older man was preparing lessons in stra