The Presidential Library initiates an exhibition on the 80 years from birth of a writer Valentin Rasputin

On the 15th of March 2017, on the day of the 80th anniversary of a Russian literary classic, a social essayist and a public figure Valentin Grigoriyevich Rasputin, the Presidential Library opened a multimedia exhibition dedicated to him. On the plasma panels of the first floor in the historical building on 3 Senate Square in St. Petersburg are exposed photographs related to writer’s life from the earliest years. The exposition named “The Russian World of Valentin Rasputin” included personal and family photos, portrait and daily sketches, photographs from the film shooting areas and social event venues.

Materials for the exposition from the private archive, including his own works, are courtesy of the head of the Information and Archival Department of the Philological Faculty of the St. Petersburg State University Anatoly Viktorovich Panteleyev, who photographed Valentin Rasputin since 1985. “These incomplete 30 years has given to me a joyful opportunity to be with him, to take pictures and record videos with him, to recognize and observe his small homeland, his nearest and dearest, and most importantly - to acknowledge and to appreciate the great Russian world that surrounded and kept him with his associates, with his thoughts, worries, his involvement in his native history, with its traditions, beliefs, its amazing and wise outcome,” - Anatoly Panteleyev is remembering.

The writer Valentin Grigorievich Rasputin was born in Siberia in 1937. Striking representative of the literary direction known as “village prose,” he became famous for such works as “The lessons of French,” “Farewell to Matyora,” “Live and remember,” “The fire,” “Vasily and Vasilissa” and many others. In addition to literary, he led an active public work - in particular, advocated the preservation of Lake Baikal, for saving for the descendants its natural beauty and resources.