Born Semenovskaia, 1904; died Moscow, 1984

Aleksandr Alekseevich Zharov began his writing career as a contributor to satirical magazines like Komar, Krasnyi perets, and Zanoza. He came to prominence in 1926, when his folksy narrative poem “Accordian” was published in Komsomol’skaia pravda. It appeared to herald the emergence of a new generation of poets who had grown up in the Komsomol (All-Union Leninist Communist League of Youth). In the following years, he struggled to meet the expectations he had raised, publishing numerous narrative poems and collections of lyrics. He enjoyed renewed popularity after the outbreak of World War II, parts of which he spent with the navy at sea. From the end of 1942 to the end of the war, Zharov was one of the most productive TASS poets, contributing texts for dozens of posters. During the war, he also contributed to Krokodil. Following the war, Zharov became an active contributor to Agitplakat, which continued the tradition of the ROSTA and TASS posters.

_{A. I. Elagin and Aleksandr Alekseevich Zharov. Winged Landing, June 22, 1946. Ne boltai! Collection.}