“Two Captains” is an adventure novel by the writer Veniamin Kaverin, written in 1938–1944. The novel has been reprinted over a hundred times, translated into many foreign languages, and its author was awarded the Stalin Prize of the second degree.
Veniamin Kaverin was inspired by the story of Valerian Albanov, a Russian navigator and Arctic explorer. He became known all over the world as one of the two surviving members of the Brusilov expedition on the schooner “Saint Anna” in 1912, during which 22 people died. These events formed the basis of the novel’s storyline.
Yuri Gershkovich, a Russian artist, graphic artist, participant of All-Union and Republican exhibitions, worked on the illustrations for the book. Gershkovich’s works are in the Tretyakov Gallery and other museums in Russia.
Veniamin Kaverin’s actual surname was Silber. Besides writing books, he wrote for both the screen and the stage, and was a member of the literary group “Serapion brothers”. The novel “Two Captains” became his magnum opus.
The story of the novel revolves around several generations of characters whose fates are closely intertwined. Its main character is a mute boy Sanya from the provincial town of Ensk. One day, the body of a drowned postman and a bag of letters was brought by a river flood to the courtyard of his house. For a long time, his neighbor read these letters to the children instead of books, and the boy memorized those of them that belonged to the participants of the polar expedition.
Sanya was to face many trials: orphanhood, escape, true friendship, cruelty, deception, love and crime. A chance acquaintance brought him together with the Tatarinov family, the head of which once led that very polar expedition in 1912. Family relationships and letters familiar from childhood helped Sana unveil a great mystery that cost more than one person their life.
During the Great Patriotic War, Sanya, or Alexander Grigoriev, pilot and captain of the Air Force, found himself on the Arctic coast. There he found traces of the polar expedition and finally uncovered the circumstances of its demise.
In 1977, the six-part film “Two Captains” was released, the script of which was based on Kaverin’s novel.
