Son of the Artilleryman. Poems and Ballads

Konstantin Mikhailovich Simonov (1915 – 1979) – a Soviet writer, war correspondent, and public figure. As a war correspondent, he visited all fronts of the Great Patriotic War, traversing the lands of Romania, Bulgaria, Yugoslavia, Poland, and Germany.
The poem "Son... of the Artilleryman" (1941) tells the story of the friendship between two comrades-in-arms, Deev and Petrov. When one of them is killed, the son of the deceased, Lyonka Petrov, comes under the command of the second, to whom Deev becomes attached as if he were his own son.
The poem was written by Simonov on a specific assignment from the command, aimed at raising the fighting spirit of the soldiers. The basis of the plot is based on a true story heard by the poet from an acquaintance officer.
"... I wrote 'Son of the Artilleryman' in one sitting, literally in one day, in Arkhangelsk in November forty-one..."
The collection also includes the poems "The Ice Battle," "Suvorov," and the poet's military lyrics.