Alexey Novikov - Priboy Aleksey Silych Novikov - Priboi ( March 12 , 1877 – April 29 , 1944 ) was the pen - name of A . S . Novikov , an ethnic Russian writer in the Soviet Union , noted for his stories with a nautical theme . Biography . Novikov - Priboi was the second son of a peasant family from Tambov Oblast . His mother , of Polish descent , had hoped that he would enter the church as a monk , but he was attracted to the thought of adventure by hearing stories from travelling sailors , and volunteered for the Imperial Russian Navy instead . He served as a seaman with the Russian Baltic Fleet from 1899 - 1906 . He became involved with revolutionary activities from an early age and after publishing an article in a Kronstadt newspaper in 1903 , was arrested from spreading " subversive propaganda " . However , due to the Russo - Japanese War of 1904 – 05 , he was soon released , and with his records marked " unreliable " was transferred to the 2nd Pacific Squadron ’ s battleship , on which he participated at the climatic Battle of Tsushima . Taken as a prisoner - of - war by the Japanese , while in prison camp he began gathering stories from fellow survivors . After the war , he returned to his hometown and began writing , and his first works describing the war in highly critical terms were published in 1906 . However , he soon fell afoul with the tsarist authorities who banned his works , and Novikov - Priboi was forced to go into hiding . He fled to Finland in 1907 , and between 1907 - 1913 lived in England , visiting France , Spain , North Africa and Capri , where he befriended the exiled Maxim Gorky , who provided him with advice on his writing . Novikov - Priboi supported himself working part - time as a blacksmith , accountant , and as a merchant sailor . He returned to Russia in 1913 under a false passport . During World War I , from 1915 – 1918 , Novikov - Priboi worked on hospital train s , and afterwards settling at Barnaul , where he lived to 1920 in a commune with fellow writers and artists . His first collection of short stories , Sea Stories , was published in 1917 after some difficulties with the publishers . Novikov - Priboi ’ s early works were influenced by Gorky and are part of the mainstream of Russian realistic literature . These include classic " seafaring " works , including ( the novella " The Call of the Sea " ( 1919 ) and the novels " The Submariners " ( 1923 ) and " The Salty Font " ( 1929 ) . From 1920 , Novikov - Priboi began work on a historical epic " Tsushima " , and was able to access government achieves . The first part of the book was published in 1932 , and the 2nd part was awarded the Stalin Prize , ( 2nd degree ) . The novel describes the heroism of Russian sailors and certain officers the increasing of revolutionary activity , and what he considered criminal negligence of the Imperial Russian Naval command . After the start of World War II , Novikov - Priboi continued to publish works about the navy . He died in 1944 in Moscow , with his final novel " Captain First Class " , unfinished . His grave is at the Novodevichy Cemetery . Novikov - Priboi was honored by commemorative postage stamp s issued in 1952 and 1977 , and numerous streets in the former Soviet Union were named after him . His honors include Order of the Red Banner of Labour and Medal " For the Defence of Moscow " . In 1969 , his daughter opened a private museum in his honor , at his former " dacha " at Cherkizovo , near Pushkino , Moscow Oblast .