Lev Ivanovich Oshanin (; 30 May 1912 – 30 December 1996) was a Soviet poet, songwriter, author of over 70 books of poetry, novels and poetry plays, winner of the Stalin Prize of the first degree (1950) and winner of the World Festival of Youth and Students.
Lev Oshanin is one of the most popular and officially recognized songwriters of the Soviet era, with many of his verses and poems being set to music and widely used by Soviet forces during WWII. The song âÂÂRoads" became popular; âÂÂSong of Troubled Youthâ performed by Yuri Gulyaev, âÂÂThe Volga River Flows â performed by Vladimir Troshin and Lyudmila Zykina, and the cycle âÂÂAnd there is a girl in our yard aloneâ performed by Joseph Kobzon also gained enormous popularity and Maya Kristalinskaya, âÂÂSolar Circleâ (âÂÂLet there always be sunshineâÂÂ), âÂÂWhy did you call me?âÂÂ, âÂÂOh, Natasha,â âÂÂPeople in white coats,â âÂÂIâÂÂm just working as a magician.â The song based on the verses âÂÂSunny Circleâ (composer - Arkady Ostrovsky), performed by Tamara Miansarova, won at the Polish song festival in Sopot in 1963.