Museum of the History of Tatar Literature with Sharif Kamal Memorial Apartment

Sharif Kamal (Baigildeev) (1884-1942) was a prominent writer, a classic of Tatar Soviet literature, a public figure. The museum was opened in 1950 in the apartment where he and his family lived from 1927 to 1942. It was the first museum of the republic dedicated to the Tatar writer.

The exposition is based on the memorial collection of Sharif Kamal, transferred by the daughter of the writer Z.Sh. Baigildeeva. It contains rich archival materials and personal belongings of the writer.

The furnishings of the museum-apartment convey the life and way of life of S. Kamal, which was characteristic of the Kazan intelligentsia of that time. In 1930-40 years this apartment was a meeting place for writers, composers, actors. At different times there were: German playwright Friedrich Wolf, Russian writer Alexander Fadeev, Tatar writers and playwrights, including Kavi Najmi, Musa Jalil, Karim Tinchurin and others.

Portraits of many of these people, a piano, a writer’s desk, a typewriter Royal, a rich library, books and manuscripts of the writer, etc., form part of the most valuable exhibits of the museum.

The continuation of the exposition is the house where the museum is located, and the entire street Ostrovsky. The museum occupies part of the former merchant mansion K. XIX - nach. XX centuries, and the former merchant street of Kazan, located in the very center of the city, attracts with its originality and architecture. It is also interesting because Soviet writers S. Marshak, V. Bakhmetyev and internationalists D. Germanetto and V. Bredel lived here during the evacuation years.