Yuri Levin, one of the oldest Ural writers and journalists, celebrated his eightieth birthday last year. He is the author of more than two dozen books, the screenwriter of the documentary film "How Many Miles to the Reichstag," and has won several prestigious literary awards. Yuri Abramovich Levin met with our correspondent and answered his questions. - Yuri Abramovich, your career as a writer and journalist is truly enviable. You've witnessed two wars and had numerous fascinating encounters throughout your life. Why is the Great Patriotic War still the central theme of your work? - The echoes of the 1940s never cease for me, resonating in my heart on a daily basis. I still hear the roar of bombers over Rzhev, the thunder of cannons in Stalingrad, the gunfire on the streets of Riga, and the flames of Warsaw, as well as the fall of Berlin. My fellow soldiers come to me in my memory as young men, and I tell the story of their unforgotten bravery and determination. I've been searching for those whose traces were lost in the war for all the post-war years. I want future generations to hear the echoes of the 1940s. Let people remember those who defended our homeland from the most dangerous enemy of humanity - fascism. - Our magazine's readers will be interested to learn more about your biography... - I was born in September 1917 in a peasant family in the Belarusian village of Porechye, which stands on the river with the poetic name Ptitch. After finishing ten years of study, he worked as a literary employee of the regional newspaper "Banner of Collectivization". Since 1938 in the Red Army. Cadet of a tank school. Tank commander. Participated in the liberation of Bessarabia. He was a litsotrudnik of the brigade newspaper "Krasnarmeets". In 1941, he graduated from the Higher Newspaper Courses in Moscow. From the very beginning of the Great Patriotic War, he was in the active army, at the front, as a correspondent for an army newspaper, and then for a front-line newsp ... Read more