Poet Vitaly Korotich, former editor-in-chief of the magazine “Ogonyok,” has died.

On September 30, 2023, in Moscow, at the age of 89, Vitaly Korotich, a writer, poet, and screenwriter who also led the magazine “Ogonyok” for a long time, passed away.

“A journalist, writer, and screenwriter Vitaly Korotich, born in Kyiv and living in the aggressor country Russia, has died,” reported on September 30 in Instagram by the founder of the publication “GORDON,” journalist Dmitry Gordon.

Ukrainian journalist Dmitry Gordon reported on Korotich’s death:

“Today, at the age of 90, an outstanding Ukrainian poet, writer, and publicist, one of the fathers of perestroika and glasnost in the Soviet Union, long-time chairman of the editorial board of “Gordon Boulevard,” my friend Vitaly Korotich, passed away. Any further words are meaningless… Eternal memory!”, he wrote.

Childhood and Education

Vitaly Korotich was born in Kyiv in 1936. By education, he was a medic. In the 1960s, he became known as a poet, writing in Ukrainian and Russian. He began his education at Kyiv school No. 92 named after Ivan Franko, which he graduated with a gold medal. From 1953 to 1959, he studied at the Kyiv State Medical Institute, graduating with honors. After an internship, he began working as a cardiologist in a rural hospital. Later, he completed postgraduate studies and the Kyiv Pedagogical Institute of Foreign Languages.

Korotich also joined the board of the Union of Writers of the USSR in 1966 and became the secretary of the Union of Writers of Ukraine, additionally leading the youth magazine “Ranok” until 1967.

Creative Activity

As a poet, Korotich became famous for the poem “The Last Request of the Old Lyricist,” written in Ukrainian and translated into Russian by Yuna Morits. This work later formed the basis of the song “Lead Me Through the Square,” recorded by the Nikitin couple.

Conflicts with the Union of Writers

In 1969, Korotich was not re-elected as the secretary of the Union of Writers of Ukraine and was excluded from the board of the Union of Writers of the USSR. He explained this by saying that he “said and wrote something wrong.”

In 1978, Korotich received the position of editor of the magazine “Vsesvit,” which became an important stage in his career, as he was involved in translations and modernization of the magazine’s content.

Return to Editorial Activity

In 1981, he was again elected as the secretary of the board of the Union of Writers of the USSR, holding this position until 1991. After the Chernobyl disaster, he began editing the all-union magazine “Ogonyok.” On the recommendation of Robert Rozhdestvensky and the proposal of Alexander Yakovlev, he managed to significantly increase the magazine’s circulation from 1.5 million to 4.5 million copies, shifting the focus from party officialdom to articles for the mass reader.

Emigration and Teaching

On August 19, 1991, while in the USA, Vitaly Korotich left his plane ticket to Moscow, fearing repression from the State Committee on the State of Emergency. This decision determined his future: he remained living in America. From 1991 to 1998, he taught at Boston University, contributing to the development of education in the field of literature and journalism.

Work in Ukraine

From 1999 to 2014, Korotich also led a Kyiv publication in Russian, heading the editorial board of the all-Ukrainian newspaper “Gordon Boulevard.” These years became an important stage in his professional activity.

The order of Vitaly Korotich’s life path remains captured in the memories of contemporaries and literary figures who note his contribution to Russian and Ukrainian literature. Korotich left a bright mark in culture, and his work continues to stir the hearts of readers.