Sasha Krasny
Encyclopedia
Sasha Krasny was the pen-name of Aleksandr Davydovich Bryansky , a Russia
n poet and song-writer. His first book was published in Odessa
in 1912 and the last in 1993. His son Boris Bryansky (1928–1972) was also a poet and song-writer.
into a Jewish family. After graduating from Odessa Art College which he entered in 1908, Bryansky performed on stage under the pseudonym of Sasha Krasny. In 1914 he was drafted into Russian Army and fought in the World War I
. According to his own account, he was wounded and awarded with a St. George's Cross, 4th Degree.
After the October Revolution
he joined the Red Army
and became one of Vladimir Lenin
's bodyguards. Along with fellow Odessite writers such as Ilya Ilf
and Yevgeni Petrov he published his poems in the Gudok newspaper, a mouthpiece for the Soviet Ministry of Transport. He helped initiate the agitprop
movement of "Blue shirts" which took its name from his 1923 collection of poetry, "The Blue Blouse" (Russian: Синяя блуза).
In the mid-1920s Krasny led a circle of amateur performers who sought to popularize Bolshevik ideology by touring the country with skits, songs, and recitations of poems. The show was called the Sasha Krasny Theatre and continued well into the 1930s. He also found time to publish several collections of songs.
Krasny was not active as a poet from that time until the 1980s. When he joined the USSR Union of Writers
in 1984, he was already 102 years old. In his old age he concentrated on love themes. His collection "The Contrasts" appeared in 1990 and "Only About Love" three years later. This last collection of verse was published when he was 111.
Krasny died at the age of 112 in Moscow
and was buried at the New Donskoy Cemetery there. His supercentenarian
age was never independently confirmed. His final publication was a memoir about Sergei Yesenin
.
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
n poet and song-writer. His first book was published in Odessa
Odessa
Odessa or Odesa is the administrative center of the Odessa Oblast located in southern Ukraine. The city is a major seaport located on the northwest shore of the Black Sea and the fourth largest city in Ukraine with a population of 1,029,000 .The predecessor of Odessa, a small Tatar settlement,...
in 1912 and the last in 1993. His son Boris Bryansky (1928–1972) was also a poet and song-writer.
Biography
Bryansky was born in 1882 in SevastopolSevastopol
Sevastopol is a city on rights of administrative division of Ukraine, located on the Black Sea coast of the Crimea peninsula. It has a population of 342,451 . Sevastopol is the second largest port in Ukraine, after the Port of Odessa....
into a Jewish family. After graduating from Odessa Art College which he entered in 1908, Bryansky performed on stage under the pseudonym of Sasha Krasny. In 1914 he was drafted into Russian Army and fought in the World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
. According to his own account, he was wounded and awarded with a St. George's Cross, 4th Degree.
After the October Revolution
October Revolution
The October Revolution , also known as the Great October Socialist Revolution , Red October, the October Uprising or the Bolshevik Revolution, was a political revolution and a part of the Russian Revolution of 1917...
he joined the Red Army
Red Army
The Workers' and Peasants' Red Army started out as the Soviet Union's revolutionary communist combat groups during the Russian Civil War of 1918-1922. It grew into the national army of the Soviet Union. By the 1930s the Red Army was among the largest armies in history.The "Red Army" name refers to...
and became one of Vladimir Lenin
Vladimir Lenin
Vladimir Ilyich Lenin was a Russian Marxist revolutionary and communist politician who led the October Revolution of 1917. As leader of the Bolsheviks, he headed the Soviet state during its initial years , as it fought to establish control of Russia in the Russian Civil War and worked to create a...
's bodyguards. Along with fellow Odessite writers such as Ilya Ilf
Ilya Ilf
Ilya Ilf was an extremely popular Soviet author of the 1920s and 1930s, who worked in collaboration with Yevgeni Petrov. See Ilf and Petrov for more info....
and Yevgeni Petrov he published his poems in the Gudok newspaper, a mouthpiece for the Soviet Ministry of Transport. He helped initiate the agitprop
Agitprop
Agitprop is derived from agitation and propaganda, and describes stage plays, pamphlets, motion pictures and other art forms with an explicitly political message....
movement of "Blue shirts" which took its name from his 1923 collection of poetry, "The Blue Blouse" (Russian: Синяя блуза).
In the mid-1920s Krasny led a circle of amateur performers who sought to popularize Bolshevik ideology by touring the country with skits, songs, and recitations of poems. The show was called the Sasha Krasny Theatre and continued well into the 1930s. He also found time to publish several collections of songs.
Krasny was not active as a poet from that time until the 1980s. When he joined the USSR Union of Writers
USSR Union of Writers
The USSR Union of Writers, or Union of Soviet Writers was a creative union of professional writers in the USSR. It was founded in 1932 on the initiative of the Central Committee of the Communist Party after disbanding a number of other writers' organizations: RAPP, Proletkult, and VOAPP.The aim of...
in 1984, he was already 102 years old. In his old age he concentrated on love themes. His collection "The Contrasts" appeared in 1990 and "Only About Love" three years later. This last collection of verse was published when he was 111.
Krasny died at the age of 112 in Moscow
Moscow
Moscow is the capital, the most populous city, and the most populous federal subject of Russia. The city is a major political, economic, cultural, scientific, religious, financial, educational, and transportation centre of Russia and the continent...
and was buried at the New Donskoy Cemetery there. His supercentenarian
Supercentenarian
A supercentenarian is someone who has reached the age of 110 years. This age is achieved by about one in a thousand centenarians....
age was never independently confirmed. His final publication was a memoir about Sergei Yesenin
Sergei Yesenin
Sergei Alexandrovich Yesenin was a Russian lyrical poet. He was one of the most popular and well-known Russian poets of the 20th century but committed suicide at the age of 30...
.