Sakhalin Regional Centre of the Presidential Library presents a virtual exhibition “How Kostyor was Lit”

The electronic exhibition How Kostyor was Lit, marking the 100th anniversary of Svyatoslav Vladimirovich Sakharnov, Chief Editor of the Kostyor (Bonfire) magazine, was prepared by Valentina Tarskaya, specialist of the Regional Centre of the Presidential Library operating in the Sakhalin Regional Universal Research Library.

In 1940, Svyatoslav Sakharnov entered the Frunze Higher Naval School. In 1941, as a first-year cadet of the school, he participated in the battles of the Leningrad Front. In 1945, as a member of the Pacific Fleet, he took part in the war against Japan. After the end of the war, officer of the Navy Svyatoslav Sakharnov served in the Far East. He began to publish his works in 1945. His first book was called Sea Tales.

Svyatoslav Vladimirovich Sakharnov was the permanent chief editor of Kostyor for thirteen years – from 1973 to 1986. It was during the years of Sakharnov’s activity that the magazine reached its highest circulation numbers, and the works of the best domestic and foreign children’s writers were printed on its pages. The main secret of Kostyor’s success was that the chief editor tried to make the publication interesting for young readers.

The exhibition which includes rare issues of magazines for 1936-1947 is based on materials from the Presidential Library, the National Electronic Library and the National Electronic Children’s Library.

The Presidential Library and the Kostyor magazine are tied by many years of fruitful cooperation. Digitized rare copies of the Kostyor magazine are presented in the Presidential Library’s collections and are constantly used to prepare thematic materials within various events. In 2022, the Presidential Library, the All-Russian Literary and Art Magazine for Schoolchildren Kostyor and the World Club of Petersburgers held a contest of school essays My Peter I, timed to coincide with the 350th anniversary of the first Russian emperor, as well as an exhibition of illustrations to the essays of the contest participants by the famous St. Petersburg artist Elena Ergardt.

The collection Sakhalin Region: Pages of History is available on the Presidential Library’s portal. It contains geographical descriptions, travel essays, archival and visual materials of the mid-19th-20th centuries telling about the history of the exploration of Sakhalin Region, as well as official documents of the 21st century revealing the prospects for the region’s development.