“About sixty years of our friendship ... We met again when I was a young and novice artist, and he was already a professional artist.
Since then, all these six decades, Valentin has been unchanged in his childish openness, insecurity and unbending inner core, "Burlyaev noted.
According to him, the fact that Gaft was an amazing artist was clear even during his lifetime, but the fact that he is an amazing and wonderful poet "will only be obvious now that he has passed into eternity."
“His poems are special poems, Gaft's poems.
They are full of deep wisdom, philosophy, compassion, sarcasm, humor, a keen look at this world around them.
Gaft is one of those people of the era whom we will miss, to us, those who knew and loved our friend Valentine, but to the young generation - this is an example of what amazing, loving, generous, kind, talented cultural figures were ”, - concluded Burlyaev.
Soviet and Russian theater and film actor, theater director, People's Artist of the RSFSR Valentin Gaft died on December 12 at the age of 85.