TSPU Hosts Online Meeting Exploring Lesser-Known Stories from the Life of Alexander Volkov

On October 15, participants in the online meeting “Alexander Volkov’s Emerald Ring” explored lesser-known aspects of the writer’s life and legacy. The event marked the 135th anniversary of the birth of the celebrated Russian fairy-tale author and was organized by the Exhibition and Museum Activities Center at TSPU’s Scientific Library named after Alexander Volkov.

The meeting focused on two key priorities of the Russian Ministry of Education: preserving historical and cultural heritage and promoting shared values through the lives and achievements of notable figures in Russian history.

The event brought together people with a shared interest in Volkov’s legacy, including museum professionals, historians, philologists. The organizers took an unusual approach to the discussion, introducing the concept of topophilia — from the Greek topos (place) and philia (love) — meaning a deep emotional attachment to a particular place.

The central theme was the idea of the “Emerald Ring”: the places where Volkov spent some of the happiest years of his childhood and youth and which helped shape his imaginative world. The ring encompasses three geographical and historical settings: the Altai period, associated with Ust-Kamenogorsk, Zaisan, and the village of Sekisovka; his years in Tomsk, where he studied at the Tomsk Teachers’ Institute for three years; and his time in Kolyvan, where he taught at a local school for another three years.


Ivan Polyakov, a local historian and deputy head for educational affairs at a secondary school in Sekisovka, East Kazakhstan Region, and Tatyana Karpovich, Director of the Emerald City Public Foundation in Ust-Kamenogorsk, spoke about the 29-year Altai period—the longest and one of the most eventful chapters of Volkov’s life. Their presentation featured rare memorial items and photographs of the Volkov family from the early 20th century, preserved in museum collections in the writer’s homeland.

Svetlana Kukharuk, a museum education specialist and curator of the Alexander Volkov’ museum at TSPU, explored the writer’s connection with Tomsk. Drawing on his essay “What Do I Owe to Tomsk?”, she discussed the idea of a “happy place” and the important role the city and the Tomsk Teachers’ Institute played in his life.

Larisa Deines, Head of the Research and Education Department at the Kolyvan Local History Museum in Novosibirsk Region, introduced participants to the Kolyvan chapter of the Emerald Ring. The local history materials and written accounts of Volkov’s work in Kolyvani, shown at the presentation, allowed guests to see the town school not merely as the future storyteller’s place of employment, but as a unique creative workshop. It was there that the young teacher’s musical, artistic, and creative talents came to light.

One of the highlights of the online meeting was the story of Volkov’s violin, presented by Vasily Girsov, head of a violin studio and a regional expert in culture and tourism. The instrument’s story offered a glimpse into the musical and aesthetic education received by students at the Tomsk Teachers’ Institute. A musical piece performed on Volkov’s own violin, preserved in the writer’s memorial collection, created a special sense of connection with the past. Music brought participants together across geographical and generational boundaries, turning an online meeting into a dialogue between generations.

Poet, translator, and publisher Andrey Olear introduced a project that incorporates individual life stories into the history of a city. He presented “Tomsk for Everyone: Discovering the City with Sign Language Interpretation”, an accessible multimedia guide featuring 25 places of interest in Tomsk. The guide gives special attention to Volkov’s museum and legacy. Olear explained that his interest in Volkov goes beyond the historical fact that the famous fairy-tale writer once lived and studied in Tomsk. His own longstanding fascination with Volkov’s work has also shaped his academic and literary research.

At the end of the meeting, participants shared their impressions. The audience was impressed by how informative the presentations were and how carefully the authors had researched lesser-known facts from the writer’s life. They also praised the unique archival materials and family photographs.