Moscow book traders expect boom in demand for S. Mikhalkov's books.

MOSCOW, August 30 (Itar-Tass) - The late Soviet and Russian poet
Sergei Mikhalkov will first and foremost be remembered as a children's
writer. An Itar-Tass correspondent on Saturday carried out an opinion
poll in two major bookstores in Moscow - 'Biblio-Globus' on Myasnitskaya
Street and Dom Knigi (The Book House) on Novy Arbat. It showed that a
series of verses about Uncle Styopa, a kind and principled policeman,
remains the most popular children's book by Mikhalkov among Russian
parents.
"Young parents who were raised on Mikhalkov's books willingly buy them
for their own children," Olga Fomina, the Biblio-Globus sales manager,
told Itar-Tass.
Dozens of other books, which Mikhalkov wrote for children as well as
audio books and cartoons based on Mikhalkov's works can be found on the
shelves of Russian bookstores.
In the last two days a book telling about Sergei Mikhalov's life,
career and literary works has been selling in huge numbers. It literally
disappeared from the shelves.
Mikhalkov's books deservedly occupy a worthy place in modern
literature and have been published in different languages in a total of
400 million copies and continue to be reprinted.
The "hawks' of the Russian book market are also expecting a boom in
demand for Sergei Mikhalkov's books. The vendors of elite books on Moscow'
s Arbat Street oriented at tourists and well-off people have already
ordered the most popular Mikhalkov's books. "It's always the way when a
big master passes away. But shouldn't we earn some money on it?" one
street vendor said.
Sergei Mikhalkov will also be remembered as the author of the words of
two national anthems - the Soviet anthem and the current anthem of the
Russian Federation.
Sergei Mikhalkov was born into a noble family in Moscow on March 13,
1913. His first poems were published in Soviet periodicals in the 1930s.
In 1937 he graduated from the Gorky Institute of Literature and joined the
Soviet Writers' Union.
Mikhalkov died in a Moscow hospital on August 27 at the age of 96. His
body was put on view at Moscow's Cathedral of Christ the Saviour for
people to pay their last respects.
Mikhalkov witnessed various epochs and events in the history of the
country, the patriarch said. He noted that Mikhalkov was kind-hearted and
sympathetic to people.
Hundreds of people were present at the religious funeral service that
began in the cathedral on Saturday morning. Near the coffin were Sergei
Mikhalkov's large family -- widow Yulia Subbotina, his elder son Andrei
Konchalovsky with wife Yulia, younger son Nikita Mikhalkov with wife
Tatyana, and his grandchildren Anna with her children, Stepan, Artyom,
Nadezhda, and Yegor Konchalovsky with his wife. Many well-known public and
culture figures came to support the grieving family. Among them were
Communist Party leader Gennady Zyuganov, LDPR leader Vladimir Zhirinovsky,
Audit Chamber Head Sergei Stepashin, who is also Head of the Russian Book
Union, film director Vladimir Khotinenko and others.
Sergei Mikhalkov was buried at the Novodevichye cemetery. The guard of
honor lined up along the cemetery's central path, and a military orchestra
played a mourning march. Mikhalkov's grave is next to singer Lyudmila
Zykina and ballerina Galina Ulanova.
Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev said it would be impossible to
overestimate Sergei Mikhalkov's contribution to the development of culture.
"It is impossible to overestimate the contribution made by Sergei
Vladimirovich [Mikhalkov] to the development of culture and art of the
country in which this man of usual spiritual strength lived and worked,"
the presidential press service quoted Nazarbayev as saying in a telegram
to Mikhalkov's family.
"Several generations of people in Kazakhstan - children and adults -
were brought up on his books. The memory of Sergei Vladimirovich will
forever remain in our hearts," the telegram said.

.New super modern stadium unveiled in Donetsk.

DONETSK, Eastern Ukraine, August 30 (Itar-Tass) - Ukrainian President
Viktor Yushchenko, Prime Minister Yulia Timoshenko, the Parliament Speaker
Vladimir Litvin, the leader of the Party of Regions Viktor Yanukovich and
Rinat Ametov, the president of the Shakhtyor football club, Ukrainian and
foreign politicians and sport figures attended the opening of a new super
modern stadium in Donetsk on Saturday.
The new stadium is the first in Eastern Europe to have been built in
accordance with UEFA standards. Donbass-Arena can even host the Champions
League and the UEFA European League final matches. The stadium will also
serve as a stage for concerts and entertainment shows.
The construction of the stadium and the laying out of a park around it
cost 400 million U.S. dollars.

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