Son of an Artilleryman. Poems and Poems

Konstantin Mikhailovich Simonov (1915 – 1979) – Soviet writer, war correspondent, 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 about the friendship of two comrades-in-arms, Deev and Petrov. When one of them dies, the son of the deceased – Lyonka Petrov – comes under the command of the other, to whom Deev becomes attached as if he were his own son.
The poem was written by Simonov on a special assignment from the command, aimed at boosting the soldiers' morale. The plot is based on a real story heard by the poet from an acquaintance who was an officer.
"… I wrote 'Son of the Artilleryman' in one go, literally in one day, in Arkhangelsk in November of forty-one…"
The collection also includes the poems "Battle on Ice", "Suvorov" and the poet's military lyrics.