Julian Semenov – at the Presidential Library of the Department of Affairs of the President of the Russian Federation

The exhibition, dedicated to the 85th anniversary of Julian Semenov, was opened on October 7, 2016 at the Presidential Library (St. Petersburg, Senate Square, 3).

The exposition in a subordinated Department of the President of the Russia was developed within the framework of activities carried out under the auspices of the Year of Cinema and the V St. Petersburg International Cultural Forum.

Head of the affairs of the President of the Russian Federation Alexander Kolpakov, welcoming the opening of the exhibition in the Presidential Library, noted that "cultural development of the state depends on the quality of literature, film and music, which are part of the heritage of the Russian people, because the images of the characters, their mentality and behavior patterns are transferred to the viewer, make to reflect, forming the level of culture. These are the works of Julian Semenov, who was the author of many famous books, scripts, was the founder of the genre of investigative journalism in our country".

Director General of the Presidential Library Alexander Vershinin said that the exhibition "was born" two years ago, in the Crimea, where Julian Semenov Cultural Foundation did much for saving cottage of the writer, and the Department of Affairs of the President of Russia is actively working to conserve the country's historical heritage. 

At the opening he stressed that the event was dedicated to the memory of one of the most famous Russian writers, screenwriters, essayists, journalists, poets Julian Semenovich Semenov, held in the Year of Cinema, announced in Russia in 2016.

The opening ceremony was attended by the youngest daughter of the writer Olga, Head of the Main Department of Internal Affairs of Russia in St. Petersburg and the Leningrad region Sergey Umnov, deputy chairman of the Committee for Culture of St. Petersburg Alexander Voronko, representatives of the Cultural Foundation of Julian Semenov, Russian film studios and cultural institutions of St. Petersburg.

The exhibition tells about the writer as a participant and chronicler of the dramatic events of the XX century, as well as lesser-known episodes of national and world history.

The exposition, in particular, presents unknown to the general public photographs, manuscripts, letters and personal belongings of the writer, historical documents, films and rare editions. Multimedia materials will be acquainted with prototypes of characters of Semenov: politicians, diplomats, spies, detectives, journalists - and the historical context of his works.

For the first time visitors got the opportunity to learn more about the other side of the biography of Julian Semenov - a journalist and a public figure, actively promoting the return to the homeland of historical relics and works of art that disappeared during the revolution and the war, first in the independent publisher of the USSR, the founder of the International Association of Detective and political novel.

The partners of the exhibition were: the M. Gorky Scientific Library, the Saint-Petersburg State University, the State Museum of Political History of Russia, the National Library of Russia, the Gorky Film Studio "Lenfilm", the Cinema concern "Mosfilm", the State Central Museum of Cinema, the Russian State Archive of Literature and Art, the international news agency "Russia Today", the Interior Ministry Main Directorate for Moscow, the Center for the Study of Military History, the Center on the Study of Military History of the Institute of the St. Petersburg State University, the Central archive of FSB of Russia.