Samuil Marshak - Later Years

Later Years

In 1937 Marshak moved to Moscow, where he worked on children's books and translations. During World War II, he published satires against the Nazis. After the war he continued to publish children's books including: Разноцветная книга (Multicolored book) 1948, Круглый год (All year round) 1948, Тихая сказка (A Quiet tale) 1956, etc.

In the last years of his life, he wrote aphoristic verses that he named lyrical epigrams. They were published in his last book, Selected Lyrics (Избранная Лирика) in 1963. He also published three tale plays: The Twelve months 1943, Afraid of troubles - cannot have luck 1962, and Smart things 1964.

Although not widely known, in the Soviet times, Marshak was on the razor's edge and barely escaped death in 1937." There is an opinion that Stalin's death (1953) saved Marshak from inevitable death in the period of 'the fight against cosmopolitism'. His name was often mentioned in the documents of the eliminated Jewish Anti-Nazi Committee. But the court above this Commitee has ended in August, 1952 (12 executed and 98 subjected to repression). Marshak has not suffered.

Samuil Marshak died on June 4, 1964 and was buried in Moscow.