For the title of this blog, I chose a line from a poem dedicated to the memory of Musa Cälil, written by our compatriot Maria Alkova. With the author’s permission, I am publishing the poem in full.

This year marks a memorable date: the 120th anniversary of the birth of the great Tatar poet and Hero of the Soviet Union (posthumously), Musa Cälil. He was born on February 15, 1906, in the village of Mustafino, Orenburg Province, into a peasant Tatar family. As a teenager, he began writing poetry in his native language, and already in 1919, at the age of 13, his first publication appeared in the newspaper “Kyzyl Yulduz” (“Red Star”).

In the pre-war years, he first pursued his studies. His roommate in the dormitory turned out to be Varlam Shalamov, who in 1972 published the story “Musa Zalilov”. Musa Cälil was the prototype for the main character. After his studies, Musa worked as an editor for Tatar children’s magazines, wrote, and published his work.

He went to war in 1941 as a war correspondent and political instructor. In 1942, the poet was wounded and taken prisoner. In captivity, he joined a group of legionnaires and created an underground movement. Traveling through prisoner-of-war camps under the guise of recruiting artists for a choir, he recruited new members. In 1943, some of the fighters staged an uprising and joined the Belarusian partisans. A traitor turned Musa Cälil in. He, along with his comrades, was imprisoned in Moabit Prison.

His cellmate was the Belgian patriot André Timmermans. André did not speak Russian, and Musa did not speak French. Communication between them took place through drawings and gestures, as well as with the help of a Polish prisoner who understood Russian and German. Musa wrote his poems on scraps of paper. Shortly before his execution, the poet handed his notebooks to Timmermans and asked him to send them back to his homeland, which he did.

Musa Cälil’s life was short but dazzlingly bright. At the age of 38, on August 25, 1944, Musa Cälil was executed in the Berlin Plötzensee Prison. Konstantin Simonov played a major role in rehabilitating the name of Musa Cälil; he met with Timmermans personally and recorded his story.

Natives of the Republic of Tatarstan attended the literary salon. They shared their impressions and childhood memories of when they first encountered the work of this great poet. Not everyone who wished to attend was able to come to the Russian House that day. So that they would not miss the event, which was prepared with great care—searching for information about both Musa Cälil and the Belgian named André Timmermans—it was decided to connect participants via Zoom. Unfortunately, very little information was found about André.

If there are those who possess information about this patriot, please write to us. We will certainly pass it on to those interested in the struggle of the Belgian people against the fascist invaders.

Until we meet again at our literary salons.