M. Y. Lermontov’s Bicentennial is Celebrated in the US

A celebratory evening, dedicated to Mikhail Yuryevich Lermontov’s Bicentennial took place in the US Library of Congress.

The evening program included the poet’s lines, recited in two languages, and music works, inspired by his lyrics. The President of the “Lermontov’s Legacy” Association, Member of the Council of the Ministery of Culture, a descendant of the poet Mikhail Lermontov presented the event organizers with the Association’s commemorative medals and, thanking them for the evening, called upon everyone to keep the cultural values, preserved in literature and arts, as the guiding priority in developing the relations between the two countries.

The artist Vassiliy Nesterenko exhibited his new paintings – portraits of Mikhail Lermontov and Fenimore Cooper, whose works were amongst poet’s favorite. Recently these same paintings were presented in Moscow at an Assembly of the Association of the Russian Military History.

For her contributions into the Russian-American cultural relations the Member of the Board of Directors of the American-Russian Cultural Cooperation Foundation Susan Lehrman was awarded with a sculpture medal, commemorating M. Y. Lermontov’s Bicentennial and created by the famous Russian sculptor Alexander Bourganov.

The guests of the evening united in the general agreement that in this uneasy period in the two countries’ relations culture can help to widen mutual understanding and collaboration.

The event was organized by the American-Russian Cultural Cooperation Foundation, with support from the “Lermontov’s Legacy” Association and Lermontov museums of Russia. The idea of the celebration was conceived by the Chairman of the Foundation – James Symington, a famous political figure in the US, who, by President V. V. Putin’s assignment, had been awarded the Russian Order of Friendship. The Russian Ambassador to the US Sergey Kislyak and the Librarian of the US Congress Dr. Lames Billington were present at the evening.

The source: http://mkrf.ru/press-tsentr/novosti/ministerstvo/v-ssha-otmetili-yubiley-m-yulermontova