Sergei Yesenin – 130 Years

Sergei Yesenin is one of Russia’s most beloved poets. He was called the singer of the Russian soul, reflecting all its facets — bright and dark, uplifting and sorrowful. He glorified the longing for freedom and the ache of lost love, the beauty of his homeland’s nature, and love for his country. The entire system of Sergei Yesenin’s imagery is founded on the sense of movement and transformation that takes place in the world, on the sense of unity between man and nature, with all living things on Earth. Yet the thought that the world and man are on a journey led the poet to another thought — of the end of that journey, of death. His name, his turbulent life, and his unexpected passing at the age of 30 became part of the lifeblood of Russian poetry, turning into its enduring symbol.

For over a hundred years, Russia’s deep love for Sergei Yesenin and his art has endured. During his life, he frequently performed at poetry evenings, traveling across Central Asia — to Tashkent and Samarkand — as well as to the Urals, Orenburg region, Tula, and Leningrad. In 1922, Sergei Yesenin went abroad and visited Germany, Belgium, France, Italy, and America. He admired only the outward polish of these countries but did not find in this contrived order the warmth of human love. Yesenin’s sense of homeland lived within him not as an instinctive feeling, but as a conscious cornerstone of his poetic creativity. Today, both an international literary prize and an asteroid bear his name. In many Russian cities, you can find a street, a square, a park, or a school named after Sergei Yesenin, as well as numerous monuments — four of which stand in Moscow. In the poet’s 130th anniversary year, one of the sculptures was relocated to the Muzeon Art Park, where it became a gathering place for modern talented writers and admirers of Sergei Alexandrovich Yesenin’s work, as well as a venue for the reader’s marathon “Reading Yesenin.”

The First Television Channel opened nationwide celebrations in memory of the 130th anniversary of the birth of the Russian poet Sergei Yesenin with an evening tribute on the stage of the State Kremlin Palace.

The main events took place in the Ryazan region — the poet’s homeland — from October 3rd to 5th. The central venue for the celebration was the museum-reserve in the village of Konstantinovo.

“Yesenin’s poems have been translated into more than 150 languages,” said the Governor of the Ryazan Region Pavel Malkov while opening the festival in Konstantinovo. “But the main thing is that they live in the hearts of Ryazan residents and all Russians. His words about his native land, love, ordinary people, and Russian nature remain incredibly close even today. He is part of the Russian soul, whose poetry unites different generations,” the governor emphasized.

The culmination of the festival, titled “Yesenin. Beyond Time,” in the village of Konstantinovo was the play “Hooligan. Confession,” starring the famous Russian actor Sergei Bezrukov. After the performance, Governor Pavel Malkov presented the actor with the honorary badge “For Merit to the Ryazan Region,” highlighting his contribution to preserving Yesenin’s legacy.

The museum-reserve also unveiled an investigative exhibition titled “My Steppe Song Rang with Bronze…,” featuring over 200 archival documents, letters, and expert reports from Russian collections. Among the exhibits is Sergei Yesenin’s diary. “For the first time ever, all materials related to Sergei Yesenin’s death have been assembled in one place. No one has ever seen such a collection anywhere!” emphasized Ryazan Region Governor Pavel Malkov.

The celebrations dedicated to the 130th anniversary of Sergei Yesenin’s birth concluded on October 6th in Moscow at the New Stage of the Bolshoi Theatre, where a musical and literary performance titled “I Remember, My Love, I Remember…” was presented.