Mikhail Vasilyevich Isakovsky (; â 20 July 1973) was a Soviet and Russian poet, lyricist and translator. Hero of Socialist Labour (1970).
Mikhail Isakovsky was born in Glotovka, Yelninsky Uyezd, Smolensk Governorate, to a poor peasant family of ethnic Russians. A local priest taught him to read and write. Later he studied at a gymnasium for two years. His first poem, ÃÂÃÂþÃÂÃÂñð ÃÂþûôðÃÂð, was published in 1914 in Russian newspaper Nov (ÃÂþòÃÂ). In 1918, he joined the Communist Party of the Soviet Union. From 1921 until 1931, he worked in Smolensk newspapers. In 1927, his first book of poems, ÃÂÃÂþòþôð ò ÃÂþûþüõ, was published. In 1931, he left for Moscow.
Many poems of Isakovsky are set to music. The most famous are "Katyusha (ÃÂðÃÂÃÂÃÂð)" (music by Matvey Blanter), "The Enemy Burned My Native Hut (ÃÂÃÂðóø ÃÂþöóûø ÃÂþôýÃÂààðÃÂÃÂ)" (music by Matvey Blanter), "In the Frontier Forest (àûõÃÂàÿÃÂøÃÂÃÂþýÃÂþòþü)", and "Migrant Birds Fly (ÃÂõÃÂÃÂàÿõÃÂõûÃÂÃÂýÃÂõ ÿÃÂøÃÂÃÂ)", and "Lonely Accordion (ÃÂôøýþúðàóðÃÂüþýÃÂ)". His songs "What You Were Is What You Are (ÃÂðúøü ÃÂàñÃÂû, ÃÂðúøü ÃÂàø þÃÂÃÂðûÃÂÃÂ)" and "Oh, Arrowwood Is Blooming (ÃÂù, ÃÂòõÃÂõàúðûøýð)", set to music by Isaak Dunayevsky, were used in the film Cossacks of the Kuban (ÃÂÃÂñðýÃÂúøõ úð÷ðúø) (1949).
The song "The Enemy Burned My Native Hut (ÃÂÃÂðóø ÃÂþöóûø ÃÂþôýÃÂààðÃÂÃÂ)" (1945) was officially criticized for "pessimism" and was not printed or sung until 1956.
As a result of cooperation with , Isakovsky's poems set to music appear in the repertoire of the Pyatnitsky Choir. The most widely known of them are "Along the Village (ÃÂôþûàôõÃÂõòýø)", "Seeing Off (ÃÂÃÂþòþöðýÃÂõ)" and "You Can Never Tell (àúÃÂþ õóþ ÷ýðõÃÂ)". According to Alexandra Permyakova, chief musician of the Pyatnitsky Choir, these songs made the Choir famous.
He twice received the Stalin Prize for his songwriting (1943, 1949). In 1970, he was awarded the title of Hero of Socialist Labour. He was also awarded four Orders of Lenin, in addition to other orders and medals.
He also published a book on the subject of poetry, àÿþÃÂÃÂøÃÂõÃÂúþü üðÃÂÃÂõÃÂÃÂÃÂòõ ('On Poetic Mastery').
Mikhail Isakovsky died in Moscow on 20 July 1973, and he was buried in the Novodevichy Cemetery.