Vladislav Titov
Encyclopedia
Vladislav Andreevich Titov (November 7, 1934 – May 1, 1987) was a Soviet socialist realist
writer.
At the age of 26 he lost both arms in a coal mine
accident. He became a novelist, writing with a pen held by his teeth, and produced several novels, the most famous being Defying death .
Titov was born into a wheat farmer's family in Voronezh Oblast
. After serving in the Soviet Army, he completed a course at the College of Mines in Voroshilovgrad
and started working at one of the new coal mines of Donets Basin
. In 1960 he became involved in a serious accident. A loaded coal carriage derailed, hit a high-voltage cable, and short-circuited it. The resulting fire ran along the cable to the power transformer and would have caused an explosion, burying alive the entire shift of miners. Hoping to save his co-workers, Titov rushed to the transformer and managed to shut it down, but by doing so he exposed himself to high voltage. Doctors saved his life and an injured leg, but both his arms had to be amputated up to the shoulders.
After a long recovery period, Titov became a writer, scribbling on paper with a pen held by his teeth. His first novel, Defying Death, is autobiographical
in nature and focuses on the mental problems a healthy young man develops after a serious accident. Physical pain, an inability to find employment, and the sense of being a burden to people put him on the verge of suicide. He manages not only to recover his mental balance but also begins to help others cope with their psychological problems.
Defying Death was published in 1967 in the literary periodical Youth rather than as a separate book. This was a common practice at the time in the Soviet Union, especially for new writers. The novel quickly became popular. During the years following its publication, Titov received about 50,000 letters from disabled people
asking for advice. The novel was included in the list of essential literature for secondary education and translated into 28 languages.
Titov wrote the novels Feather Grass Growth in Steppe , Partition , and Drift Miners , in addition to a number of short stories. His last completed novel was Old Park's Dreams , which was published by his wife after his death at the age of 53. He left an uncompleted novel entitled Rye .
Socialist realism
Socialist realism is a style of realistic art which was developed in the Soviet Union and became a dominant style in other communist countries. Socialist realism is a teleologically-oriented style having its purpose the furtherance of the goals of socialism and communism...
writer.
At the age of 26 he lost both arms in a coal mine
Coal mining
The goal of coal mining is to obtain coal from the ground. Coal is valued for its energy content, and since the 1880s has been widely used to generate electricity. Steel and cement industries use coal as a fuel for extraction of iron from iron ore and for cement production. In the United States,...
accident. He became a novelist, writing with a pen held by his teeth, and produced several novels, the most famous being Defying death .
Titov was born into a wheat farmer's family in Voronezh Oblast
Voronezh Oblast
Voronezh Oblast is a federal subject of Russia . It was established on June 13, 1934.-Main rivers:*Don*Voronezh*Bityug*Khopyor-Economy:...
. After serving in the Soviet Army, he completed a course at the College of Mines in Voroshilovgrad
Luhansk
Luhansk also known as Lugansk is a city in southeastern Ukraine. It is the administrative center of the Luhansk Oblast . The city itself is also designated as its own separate municipality within the oblast...
and started working at one of the new coal mines of Donets Basin
Donets Basin
Donbas or Donbass , full rarely-used name Donets Basin , is a historical, economic and cultural region of eastern Ukraine. Originally a coal mining area, it has become a heavily industrialised territory suffering from urban decay and industrial pollution.-Geography:Donbas covers three...
. In 1960 he became involved in a serious accident. A loaded coal carriage derailed, hit a high-voltage cable, and short-circuited it. The resulting fire ran along the cable to the power transformer and would have caused an explosion, burying alive the entire shift of miners. Hoping to save his co-workers, Titov rushed to the transformer and managed to shut it down, but by doing so he exposed himself to high voltage. Doctors saved his life and an injured leg, but both his arms had to be amputated up to the shoulders.
After a long recovery period, Titov became a writer, scribbling on paper with a pen held by his teeth. His first novel, Defying Death, is autobiographical
Autobiography
An autobiography is a book about the life of a person, written by that person.-Origin of the term:...
in nature and focuses on the mental problems a healthy young man develops after a serious accident. Physical pain, an inability to find employment, and the sense of being a burden to people put him on the verge of suicide. He manages not only to recover his mental balance but also begins to help others cope with their psychological problems.
Defying Death was published in 1967 in the literary periodical Youth rather than as a separate book. This was a common practice at the time in the Soviet Union, especially for new writers. The novel quickly became popular. During the years following its publication, Titov received about 50,000 letters from disabled people
Disability
A disability may be physical, cognitive, mental, sensory, emotional, developmental or some combination of these.Many people would rather be referred to as a person with a disability instead of handicapped...
asking for advice. The novel was included in the list of essential literature for secondary education and translated into 28 languages.
Titov wrote the novels Feather Grass Growth in Steppe , Partition , and Drift Miners , in addition to a number of short stories. His last completed novel was Old Park's Dreams , which was published by his wife after his death at the age of 53. He left an uncompleted novel entitled Rye .