Oleg Grigoriev

His first book of adult's poetry was published after his death in 1993. Since then his poems, both for kids and adults, are republished several times every year and some his works have been translated into German and French.

Oleg Grigoriev died on April 30, 1992 from a perforated ulcer. He was buried in Volkovo Cemetery in Saint-Petersburg.

In 1989, he received a suspended sentence for a drunk fight with a policeman. The sentence could have been be harsher, but several Russian writers, including Andrey Bitov and Bella Akhmadulina, asked court to pardon the poet. In 1991, Grigoriev was finally granted membership into the Union of Writers.

Grigoriev's next children's book, "Talking Raven" («Говорящий ворон»), was published in 1987.

In 1981, his second collection of children's poetry, "Growth Vitamin" («Витамин роста»), was published. Poems from the book were widely popular, but attracted criticism from the Soviet literary apparatchiks and parts of the literary establishment, including Sergey Mikhalkov. Reportedly, the main reason for the Mikhalkov's outrage was a verse where a bird says that a branch is similar to a cage, but the rods on the branch are not as close to each other, which Mikhalkov interpreted as a subliminal anti-Soviet statement. As a result, two editors of the book were fired and Grigoriev was denied membership in the USSR Union of Writers, which would have made it possible for him to write full-time. His drinking problem developed in the labor camp deepened.

In 1975 he took part in art exhibition in DK Nevsky.

In 1970 he published his first book, "Oddballs" («Чудаки»), a collection of children's poetry. Soon after, he was charged with parasitism and sentenced to public works building an industrial plant.

Oleg Grigoriev (Russian: Оле́г Евге́ньевич Григо́рьев, IPA: [ɐˈlʲek jɪvˈɡʲenʲjɪvʲɪdʑ ɡrʲɪˈɡorʲjɪf] (listen); 6 December 1943 – 30 April 1992) was a Russian poet and artist. He is regarded as a successor of the Oberiu tradition. Many of his short poems became modern folklore.