Poet Vladimir Aleinikov, one of the founders of the literary group SMOG, has died

In Koktebel, the poet, prose writer, translator and artist Vladimir Aleinikov has died at the age of 80. According to his daughter, he died unexpectedly — during the night, without waking up in the morning. The date and place of the farewell ceremony have not yet been determined.

Aziz KarimovFirst published on tafs uz 29 October 2026 at 00:502 min read

The key facts

Vladimir Aleinikov died at his home in Koktebel at the age of 80
In 1965, together with Leonid Gubanov, he founded the literary group SMOG
His first poetry collections were published only in 1987, when the author was 41

Unexpected death in Koktebel

In Koktebel, the Russian poet, prose writer, translator and artist Vladimir Aleinikov has died. The publishing house Ripol Classic announced his death, calling the writer one of the most vivid and distinctive figures of contemporary Russian literature. According to Life.ru, the writer died at his own home at the age of 80. The writer's daughter told RIA Novosti that the death came unexpectedly: in the morning he simply did not wake up. The writer Yan Brushtein also said on his VKontakte page that Aleinikov passed away during the night.

What is known about the date of the farewell ceremony

The relatives have not yet decided on the date and place of the farewell ceremony; it is also unknown where Aleinikov will be buried. The family promised to announce information about the memorial events later.

The author's path to the reader

Vladimir Aleinikov was born on January 28, 1946, in Perm, which was then called Molotov. He began writing poems while still at school, and in 1965, together with Leonid Gubanov, he founded the literary community SMOG — a notable phenomenon of the unofficial literary life of the USSR, in which Aleinikov played one of the leading roles. His path to a wide readership, however, proved difficult: for a long time his works were not published as separate books in his homeland, and his first poetry collections only came out in 1987, when the author was already 41. In the 1980s he also translated poems by the peoples of the USSR, and later continued working on his own works, leaving a legacy in poetry, prose and painting.