Mikhail Alexandrovich Sholokhov- Russian writer and public figure, one of the largest authors of Soviet “official” literature, laureate Nobel Prize. Endowed with an original epic talent, he acted as a successor to the traditions of L. Tolstoy’s realism using new life material and in the conditions of a new historical era. Sholokhov brought world fame epic “Quiet Don”, ranked among the most powerful novels of the twentieth century.
Life of M. Sholokhov in dates and facts
May 24, 1905 - was born in the Kruzhilin farmstead of the Donetsk district of the Don Army Region (now Sholokhovsky district of the Rostov region), in the family of a clerk-manager of a steam mill.
1914 —1918 — studied in Moscow, in the city of Boguchar, Voronezh province, and also in the village of Vyoshenskaya. He graduated from the 4th grade of the gymnasium, after which for two years he tried himself in various small positions that required basic knowledge: he taught adult farmers to read and write, conducted a population census, served in the village revolutionary committee, and worked as a teacher. primary school, clerk of a procurement office. After completing tax courses, he served for some time as a food inspector, after which he took part in food allocation as part of a food detachment.
IN 1922 For “excesses” in the food appropriation system, the revolutionary tribunal sentenced Sholokhov to death, however, taking into account the minor age of the offender, he replaced the death penalty with a suspended sentence. That same year, Sholokhov left for Moscow in the hope of continuing his education and pursuing literary activity. But to enter the workers' school, the writer did not have enough work experience and Komsomol direction, so he was forced to earn a living by hard work as a loader, mason, and laborer. A artistic creativity required self-education and work on oneself, which Sholokhov sought to make up for by participating in work literary group“Young Guard” and visiting training sessions conducted by V. B. Shklovsky, O. M. Brik, N. N. Aseev.
1923 — Sholokhov’s first feuilletons were published in the newspaper “Yunosheskaya Pravda”.
1924 G. — published his first story "Mole". At the end of the same year, the writer moved to the Karginskaya village, from where he moved to the Bukanovskaya village, where he married M.P. Gromoslavskaya, the daughter of the former village ataman.
1926 - books by Sholokhov appeared "Don Stories" And "Azure Steppe".
1928 —1940 - created an epic novel "Quiet Don", for which he was awarded the Stalin Prize in 1941. The writer donated this award to the National Defense Fund. Material from the site
1931 —1959 - worked on a novel "Virgin Soil Upturned".
1941 —1945 - was a war correspondent for the Krasnaya Zvezda newspaper. Started writing a novel based on personal impressions "They fought for their homeland", excerpts from which he published from time to time until 1954. The novel remained unfinished.
1956 — wrote a story "The Fate of Man".
1965. - was awarded the Nobel Prize with the wording “for artistic power and the integrity of the epic about Don Cossacks at a turning point for Russia."
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- biografiya v datah wolohova
- biography of M. Sholokhov
- Brief biography of Sholokhov by dates
- facts about Sholokhov
- Sholokhov's biography by dates briefly
- Mikhail Aleksandrovich Sholokhov was born on May 24 (11), 1905 in the Kruzhilino village of the Veshenskaya region of the Don Army.
- Sholokhov's father, Alexander Mikhailovich, came from a family of Sholokhov merchants, and was also engaged in trade.
- Sholokhov's mother, Anastasia Danilovna, came from a family of serfs. She served as a maid in the house of landowner Popov.
- 1910 - the Sholokhov family moves to the Kargin farm. Seven-year-old Mikhail was accepted into a one-class men's parish school. Then he goes to the Bogucharsky men's gymnasium.
- Due to the Civil War, Mikhail Sholokhov's education is limited to four classes. The writer said about himself: “I... was born out of the civil war on the Don.”
- 1919 – Upper Don Cossack uprising. Sholokhov will describe everything he saw at this time in the novel “Quiet Don”.
- 1920 - Sholokhov begins to work. Over the course of a year, he changes several jobs: a teacher at an educational school, an employee of the village revolutionary committee, an accountant, and a journalist.
- 1921 - Mikhail Sholokhov becomes a tax inspector at the food appropriation system in the village of Bukanovskaya. He is soon removed from office. According to one version, for reducing taxes for the poor. According to the second, he is tried and even sentenced to death for abuse of power in grain procurements, which, however, is soon replaced by a suspended prison sentence.
- Autumn 1922 - Sholokhov arrives in Moscow with the goal of enrolling in the workers' school. They don’t take him because he is not a member of the Komsomol. He decides to stay in Moscow and spends several years here, doing odd jobs: as a loader, accountant, bricklayer. At the same time, he tries to write, publishes essays and feuilletons in the capital’s press, and visits literary circle"Young Guard".
- 1923 - Sholokhov’s feuilletons “Test” and “Three” were published in the newspaper “Yunosheskaya Pravda”.
- 1924 - Mikhail Sholokhov gets married. His wife's name is Maria Petrovna, he will live with her until the end of his life.
- 1925 - Mikhail Sholokhov returns to his homeland and publishes his first collection “Don Stories”, which immediately attracts attention to his work young writer. In the same year he began to create his main work, the novel “Quiet Don”.
- 1926 – a collection of stories “Azure Steppe” was published.
- 1928 - the first two books are published in the magazine "October" Quiet Don" The work causes heated debate in the professional literary community. The author is only 23 years old, but the novel was written, in the words of M. Gorky, “anathemically talented” and professionally.
- The third book of the novel was not published immediately. The censorship points to Sholokhov's overly sympathetic portrayal of the 1919 Verkhnedon Cossack uprising.
- There was a pause in the work on Quiet Don, and Sholokhov began writing another novel, Virgin Soil Upturned, dedicated to collectivization on the Don.
- 1932 – “Virgin Soil Upturned” was published. In the same year, I.V. himself drew attention to the novel “Quiet Don”. Stalin. By his order, publication is resumed. The writer joins the party.
- 1940 - released last book"Quiet Don"
- The controversy that flared up around this work back in the late 1920s has not subsided. Some writers, including A. Solzhenitsyn, accuse Sholokhov of plagiarism. Allegedly, the novel was copied from the manuscripts of the Cossack writer F.D. Kryukov, found by Sholokhov back in Grazhdanskaya. The version of plagiarism is also supported by the fact that throughout his life the writer failed to create anything else even similar to “Quiet Don”, except perhaps the story “The Fate of a Man”... However, several examinations are carried out that show that the author of the epic is Mikhail Alexandrovich Sholokhov.
- 1941 - Sholokhov was awarded the Order of Lenin for the novel “Quiet Don”, he was awarded the 1st degree Stalin Prize in the field of literature.
- The Great Patriotic War - service as a war correspondent for the newspapers Pravda and Krasnaya Zvezda. The writer manages to visit five fronts. At the end of 1942, immediately after Battle of Stalingrad, they started the novel “They Fought for their Motherland.” The work was published in excerpts in 1943–1944 and 1949–1954.
- 1945 - Mikhail Alexandrovich Sholokhov becomes a holder of the Order of Glory for military merit.
- 1955 - awarded the Order of Lenin.
- 1957 - the story “The Fate of Man” was written.
- 1960 - Mikhail Sholokhov receives the Lenin Prize for the second book of Virgin Soil Upturned.
- 1965 – Sholokhov was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature for “Quiet Don”. In the same year, the writer received the degree of Doctor of Philological Sciences in Rostov State University, and the University of Leipzig (GDR) elects him Honorary Doctor.
- 1967 and 1980 - Sholokhov was awarded the title of Hero of Socialist Labor.
- June 1973 - in Bulgaria, Mikhail Alexandrovich receives the Order of Cyril and Methodius, 1st degree.
- May 1975 - The Presidium of the World Peace Council in Stockholm awards Sholokhov the International Peace Prize in the field of culture for his outstanding contribution to strengthening peace and friendship between peoples.
- May 23, 1981 - a monument-bust of twice Hero of Socialist Labor M.A. Sholokhov was unveiled in the village of Veshenskaya.
- February 21, 1984 - Mikhail Alexandrovich Sholokhov dies in his homeland, in the village of Veshenskaya. He was buried there.
Mikhail Alexandrovich Sholokhov - public figure, famous writer, classic"official" Soviet literature, Hero of Socialist Labor twice, Nobel Prize laureate, owner of a unique epic talent who widely revealed himself at a difficult turning point for Russia. He is known as successor to the traditions of realism by L. N. Tolstoy in new life material and in historical era countries. Sholokhov gained worldwide fame thanks to his main work - the novel “Quiet Don”, which is considered to the most powerful novels of the twentieth century.
Mikhail Alexandrovich was born on May 11 (24), 1905 on the Kruzhilin farm of the Don Army, Veshenskaya region, into a Cossack family. The mother, originally from a Ukrainian peasant family, served as a maid who was married against her will to a Cossack ataman Kuznetsov, but she left him for a rich “out-of-town” clerk, manager of a steam mill, Sholokhov, a native of the Ryazan province, who grew wheat on Cossack land.
Their newborn illegitimate son Mikhail was initially given the surname of his mother’s first husband and the boy was considered the “son of a Cossack” according to all Cossack privileges, and only in 1912 he began to be called the “son of a tradesman” after Kuznetsov passed away and his real father adopted him.
Sholokhov's childhood and youth impressions had a great influence on the formation of his personality as a writer. Limitless spaces native land, the Don steppes and the green banks of the Don won his heart forever. From an early age, he absorbed daily work on the land, his native dialect and soulful Cossack songs.
A four-grade education and an uninvited war are the hard fate of a purposeful writer. Later he will say, “Poets are born in different ways,” or “I, for example, was born out of the Civil War...”
Before the revolution, the entire Sholokhov family settled in Pleshakovo, Elanskaya village, on a farm, where the head of the family worked as a mill manager. The father often took his son on trips around the Don and spent a lot of time with him on vacation. On these trips, the future writer met the captured Czech Ota Gins and David Mikhailovich Babichev, who many years later were included in his novel “Quiet Don” under the names of Shtokman and Davydka the Roller. Later, Sholokhov studied at the gymnasium and parochial school.
Already a high school student, Sholokhov met the Drozdov family and his good friends become brothers Pavel and Alexey. But the friendship turns out to be short-lived due to tragic circumstances, which were associated with Civil War, which unfolded on the Don. The elder brother Pavel Drozdov dies in the first battles when the Red Army entered his native farms. Later, Sholokhov would write about him in “Quiet Don” under the name of Pyotr Melekhov.
Writer's goals and achievements
In June 1918, young Sholokhov would become a personal witness to an acute class war when the German cavalry entered county town Boguchary, located next to the parent farm. In the summer of the same year, the White Cossacks would occupy the Upper Don, and in the winter of 1919 the Red Army would enter the lands of Pleshakov, and in the spring the Veshensky uprising would break out.
During the uprising, Sholokhov moved to Rubezhnoye and observed the retreat of the rebels and the escape of the White Cossacks. He becomes an eyewitness to how they cross the Don, as he watches everything that happens from the front line.
In 1920, when Soviet power existed on the Don, the Sholokhovs moved to the village of Karginskaya, where later the brave son took an active part in the formation of power. He enters the Karginsky elementary school and receives knowledge in the class taught by Mikhail Grigorievich Kopylov (about whom Sholokhov writes in the novel “Quiet Don” under his own name).
Having not graduated from the Karginsky School due to a serious illness of inflammation of the eyes, and due to a forced trip to the Moscow eye hospital, which is also mentioned in the future novel, he remains in Moscow. After recovery, he entered the preparatory class of the Shelaputin gymnasium, then studied at the Bogucharovskaya gymnasium. During his fascinating studies, he is interested in the books of foreign and Russian classic writers, especially the works of Leo Nikolaevich Tolstoy.
Sholokhov named literature and history as his favorite sciences taught in the gymnasium, with the greatest preference given to literary studies; begins to write poems and stories, compose humorous skits. Later, he tries himself in the profession of a teacher at an educational school, an accountant, a journalist, an employee of the village revolutionary committee, etc. A little later, at the food appropriation system, he is a “commissar for bread.”
In the fall of 1920, when Makhno’s detachment crossed the borders of the district and the bandits plundered and occupied the Karginskaya village, Sholokhov was taken prisoner. The interrogation was conducted by Nestor Makhno and he threatened to be hanged in case of another meeting with him.
The next year of Sholokhov’s life turned out to be even more difficult, local gangs of Melikhov, Makarov Kondratiev, Makarov and Fomin were formed; The detachments of Kurochkin, Maslakov and Kolesnikov broke through to the Don. Sholokhov actively participated in the fight against them until their complete disappearance.
In 1922, he came to Moscow again to enter the workers' school, but he was not accepted, since he was not a member of the Komsomol. The writer lives by doing odd jobs, goes to a literary circle called “Young Guard”, develops his writing skills, publishes essays and feuilletons in newspapers, and then creates “Don Stories”, which in 1926 aroused great interest among readers.
In 1925, the writer returned to his native farm and began his most important work - the novel "Quiet Don", for whose place in literature he fought until 1940. Due to various kinds of criticism, the book goes through a long and difficult journey. The description of the events taking place on the Don is called “anathemically talented”; the description of the Cossack uprising of 1919 is not released, and only after Stalin intervenes in its fate, it becomes fully published and published.
For “Quiet Don” the writer received the Order of Lenin, and in 1941 the Stalin Prize, 1st degree.
In 1957 he published the story “The Fate of a Man”. Towards the end of his life he received the Lenin Prize for “Virgin Soil Upturned” and the Nobel Prize for the famous “Quiet Don”.
Twice Hero of Labor, honorary doctor of European universities and holder of 6 orders of Lenin M. A. Sholokhov dies in 1984 due to illnesses (diabetes, stroke and throat cancer), however, doctors were surprised at his perseverance and desire to write.
Sholokhov. Interesting facts from life
Creative path The writer made a huge contribution to Russian literature. The spirit of the people is felt in Sholokhov’s works, which today is a poetic heritage that reflects the real events of the 19th and 20th centuries. Sholokhov discovered new connections in spiritual and material principles between the world and man. His novels, for the first time in the history of literature, showed the working people in all their diversity, morality and the emotional nature of life.
Sholokhov’s work, along with famous world classics, is an example of world literature, and testifies to the boundless desire to express history through example own life writer at all its stages.
- First published works date back to 1923. After the publication of his feuilletons and poems in newspapers and metropolitan magazines, the newspaper “Young Leninist” published Sholokhov’s stories under the title “Birthmark”, later they were all combined into collections: “Don Stories”, “Azure Steppe”, “About Kolchak, nettles and other things" (1926-1927).
- Most famous The writer was brought by his novel “Quiet Flows the Don,” which he wrote from 1928 to 1932. His second famous novel“Virgin Soil Upturned”, he worked on it until 1959 of his life.
- During World War II Sholokhov published such stories as “The Science of Hate”, “Cossacks”, “On the Don”, etc. In 1956, he wrote the story “The Fate of a Man” and began writing the novel “They Fought for the Motherland”, which are also famous to a wide circle readers. Towards the end of his life he retired from literature due to illness, and donated the awards he received to the construction of new schools.
Sholokhov. Chronological table of life and creativity
Role and place in literature
Mikhail Alexandrovich Sholokhov - Soviet writer, a Nobel Prize winner, who in his works revealed the theme of the fierce struggle between the proprietary world and the socialist world that was just emerging at that time. The author wrote about the people and for the people. Therefore, he did not strive for pretentiousness artistic word in literature. The main goal is to convey your simple but truthful word to the working masses.
Alexei Tolstoy noted the merits of the writer, saying that he is “a wonderful phenomenon of our literature.”
Origin and early years
Mikhail Sholokhov was born on May 11 (24), 1905 on the Kruzhilin farmstead (now Kruzhilinsky) in the Rostov region. At first, the boy was given the surname Kuznetsov, because his mother, Anastasia Danilovna, was formally married to the son of Ataman Kuznetsov. She was forcibly married because she was the daughter of a serf. But years later, she went to the real father of the future writer - a wealthy commoner Alexander Mikhailovich Sholokhov. In 1912, Mikhail received the surname Sholokhov. Children like Mikhail, who were born out of wedlock and from socially different parents, were called nakhalyat by the Cossacks. Mikhail Sholokhov will later write about this in his story “Nakhalenok”.
As a child, Sholokhov felt that he was growing up in an atmosphere of ambiguity. What he illegitimate son Cossack mother and tradesman will confuse him all his life.
Education
Mikhail's first teacher was Timofey Mrykhin, hired by his father, who taught literacy. In 1914, he received his first education in a gymnasium in Moscow. And from 1915 to 1918 he studied at a gymnasium in the city of Boguchar. Returning to Moscow, Sholokhov tried to continue his education, but it did not work out. Therefore, he tries himself in different working specialties in order to survive. At the same time, he is engaged in self-education.
Creation
The year 1923 marked the beginning of the path to literary recognition for Sholokhov. At this time, his works were published for the first time. In 1924, the publishing house of the newspaper “Young Leninist” published Sholokhov’s story “The Birthmark,” which became the first in a series of Don stories. Then the writer will combine all these works into three collections: “Don Stories” (1926), “Azure Steppe” (1926) and “About Kolchak, Nettles and Others” (1927).
Major works
Sholokhov’s real popularity came after the publication of the novel “Quiet Don” (1928-1932) about the life of the Don Cossacks during the war. After a while, this epic became famous not only in its homeland, but also far beyond the borders of the USSR and was translated into different languages. And in 1965, Sholokhov received the Nobel Prize for his novel Quiet Don.
Sholokhov’s novel “Virgin Soil Upturned” also gained fame. The author describes the period of collectivization so realistically that his work was awarded the Lenin Prize.
During World War II, Mikhail Sholokhov worked as a war correspondent. In addition to the horrors of war, he also saw the heroic destinies of people who fought for their homeland. The works of this period are especially touching. It is worth noting the story “The Fate of Man.” The author shows us tragic fate one hero, but does not include his name in the title, because such a fate was shared by most of the people during the war.
Recent years
Since the beginning of the 60s, Mikhail Alexandrovich was no longer engaged in literary activities, but devoted more time to hunting and fishing. The awards that the author received for his works were used to build new schools.
Chronological table (by date)
| Year(s) | Event |
| 1905 | Year of birth of M. Sholokhov |
| 1912 | Mikhail Kuznetsov received the surname of his real father - Sholokhov. |
| 1914 | Received his first education |
| 1915-1918 | Years of study at the gymnasium in the city of Boguchar |
| 1922 | Moving to Moscow, self-education, work in the Young Guard group |
| 1923 | First published work "Test" |
| 1926 | The beginning of printing of “Don Stories” |
| 1928 | Start of printing "Quiet Don" |
| 1932 | Release of the first book “Virgin Soil Upturned” |
| 1941-1945 | Working as a war correspondent |
| 1956 | The story "The Fate of Man" |
| 1965 | Presentation of the Nobel Prize |
| 1984 | The writer is gone |
Interesting facts from the life of Mikhail Sholokhov
- Sholokhov wooed the youngest daughter of Ataman Gromoslavsky, but ended up marrying the eldest at the suggestion of her father.
- Stalin himself showed sympathy for Sholokhov, although he was not afraid to tell him the truth.
- When the novel “Quiet Don” was published, a discussion arose about authorship. Many could not believe that Sholokhov, still young at that time, could write such a grandiose work. But the commission confirmed his authorship.
- In 1965, Sholokhov was awarded the Nobel Prize.
Writer's Museum
In 1979, the first museum of the writer was opened. It is located in Western Kazakhstan. In 1984, it was opened in the Rostov region State Museum-Reserve Mikhail Sholokhov. The Sholokhov house-museum in the city of Nikolaevsk is also known.
Mikhail Sholokhov is the greatest writer of the 20th century, the author of cult works (“Quiet Don”, “Virgin Soil Upturned”), which were published not only in the USSR, but also in foreign countries. Winner of the Nobel Prize in Literature. Mikhail Alexandrovich Sholokhov was born on May 11 (24 according to the new style) in 1905 in the north of the Rostov region, in the picturesque village of Veshenskaya.
The future writer grew up and was raised as the only child in the family in a small house in the Kruzhilinsky farmstead, where commoner Alexander Mikhailovich Sholokhov and his wife Anastasia Danilovna lived. Due to the fact that Sholokhov’s father worked for hire and had no official income, the family often traveled from place to place.
Anastasia Danilovna is an orphan. Her mother came from a Cossack family, and her father came from serf peasants in the Chernigov province, and later moved to the Don. At the age of 12, she went to serve a certain landowner Popova and was married not out of love, but out of convenience, to the rich village ataman Kuznetsov. After the woman’s daughter was stillborn, she did an extraordinary thing for those times - she went to Sholokhov.
Anastasia Danilovna was an interesting young lady: she was original and illiterate, but at the same time she was naturally endowed with a sharp mind and insight. The writer’s mother learned to read and write only when her son entered the gymnasium, so that she could independently write letters to her child, without the help of her husband.
Mikhail Aleksandrovich was considered an illegitimate child (in the Don such children were called “nakhalenki”, and, it is worth saying, the Cossack guys did not like them), initially had the surname Kuznetsov and thanks to this he had the privilege of receiving a “Cossack” plot of land. But after the death of Anastasia Danilovna’s previous husband in 1912, the lovers were able to legitimize their relationship, and Mikhail became Sholokhov, the son of a tradesman.
Alexander Mikhailovich’s homeland is the Ryazan province, he comes from a rich dynasty: his grandfather was a merchant of the third guild, engaged in buying grain. Sholokhov Sr. worked as a cattle buyer and also sowed grain on Cossack lands. Therefore, there was enough money in the family; at least the future writer and his parents did not live from hand to mouth.
In 1910, the Sholokhovs left the Kruzhilinsky farm due to the fact that Alexander Mikhailovich went to serve a merchant in the village of Karginskaya, which is located in the Bokovsky district of the Rostov region. At the same time, the future writer studied preschool literacy, home teacher Timofey Mrykhin was invited for these purposes. The boy liked to pore over textbooks, he studied writing and learned to count.
Despite his diligence in his studies, Misha was mischievous and loved to play in the street with the neighboring boys from morning to evening. However, Sholokhov’s childhood and youth are reflected in his stories. He meticulously described what he had to observe, and what gave inspiration and endlessly pleasant memories: fields with golden rye, the breath of a cool breeze, the smell of freshly cut grass, the azure banks of the Don and much more - all this provided a basis for creativity.
Mikhail Sholokhov with his parents Mikhail Alexandrovich entered the Karginsky parish school in 1912. It is noteworthy that the young man’s teacher was Mikhail Grigorievich Kopylov, who became the prototype of the hero from the world famous “Quiet Don”. In 1914, he fell ill with eye inflammation, after which he went to the capital for treatment.
Three years later he was transferred to the Bogucharsky gymnasium for boys. Graduated from four classes. During his studies, the young man became engrossed in the works of the great classics, and especially adored the works of and.
In 1917, the seeds of revolution began to appear. Socialist ideas, and, which wanted to overthrow and get rid of the monarchical system, were not easy for the peasants and workers. The demands of the Bolshevik revolution were partially fulfilled, and the life of the common man changed before our eyes.
In 1917, Alexander Mikhailovich became the manager of a steam mill in the village of Elanskaya, in the Rostov region. In 1920, the family moved to the village of Karginskaya. It was there that Alexander Mikhailovich died in 1925.
As for the revolution, Sholokhov did not take part in it. He was not for the Reds and was indifferent to the Whites. I took the winning side. In 1930, Sholokhov received a party card and became a member of the All-Union Communist Bolshevik Party.
Showed himself with best side: did not participate in counter-revolutionary movements, had no deviations from the ideology of the party. Although there is a “black spot” in Sholokhov’s biography, at least the writer did not refute this fact: in 1922, Mikhail Alexandrovich, being a tax inspector, was sentenced to death for exceeding his official powers.
Later, the punishment was changed to a year of compulsory labor thanks to the cunning of the parents, who brought a fake birth certificate to the court so that Sholokhov could be tried as a minor. After this, Mikhail Alexandrovich wanted to become a student again and get higher education. But young man was not accepted into the preparatory courses at the workers' faculty because he did not have the appropriate papers. Therefore, the fate of the future Nobel Prize laureate was such that he earned his living through hard physical labor.
Literature
Mikhail Alexandrovich began to write seriously in 1923, creative career began with small feuilletons in the newspaper “Yunosheskaya Pravda”. At that time, three satirical stories were published under the signature of Mich. Sholokhov: “Test”, “Three”, “Inspector”. The story by Mikhail Sholokhov, entitled “The Beast,” tells the story of the food commissar Bodyagin, who, upon returning to his homeland, learned that his father was an enemy of the people. This manuscript was being prepared for publication in 1924, but the almanac “Molodogvardeets” did not consider it necessary to print this work on the pages of the publication.
Therefore, Mikhail Alexandrovich began to collaborate with the newspaper “Young Leninist”. He was also published in other Komsomol newspapers, where stories included in the “Don” series and the collection “Azure Steppe” were sent. Speaking about the work of Mikhail Aleksandrovich Sholokhov, one cannot help but touch upon the epic novel “Quiet Don,” which consists of four volumes.
It is often compared in importance to another work of Russian classics - the manuscript “War and Peace”. “Quiet Don” is one of the key novels in the literature of the 20th century, which to this day is required reading in educational institutions and universities.
Mikhail Sholokhov's novel "Quiet Don" But few people know that because of the book telling about the life of the Don Cossacks, Sholokhov was accused of plagiarism. However, the debate about Mikhail Alexandrovich’s literary theft has not subsided to this day. After the publication of “Quiet Don” (the first two volumes, 1928, “October” magazine), discussions began in literary circles regarding the problem of the authorship of M. A. Sholokhov’s texts.
Some researchers, and just lovers of literature, believed that Mikhail Alexandrovich, without a twinge of conscience, appropriated for himself the manuscript, which was found in the field bag of a white officer who was shot by the Bolsheviks. Rumor has it that anonymous calls were received. A certain unknown old woman spoke into the telephone receiver to the editor of the newspaper A. Serafimovich that the novel belonged to her murdered son.
Alexander Serafimovich did not react to provocations and believed that such a resonance occurred due to envy: people could not understand how a 22-year-old author acquired fame and universal recognition in the blink of an eye. Journalist and playwright Joseph Gerasimov pointed out that Serafimovich knew that “Quiet Don” did not belong to Sholokhov, but did not want to add fuel to the fire. Sholokhov scholar Konstantin Priyma was sure that in fact stopping the publication of the third volume was beneficial to Trotsky’s comrades: the people should not have known about the real events that took place in Veshenskaya in 1919.
It is noteworthy that the eminent Russian publicist has no doubt that the true author of “Quiet Don” is Mikhail Sholokhov. Dmitry Lvovich believes that the technique underlying the novel is very primitive: the plot revolves around the confrontation between the Reds and the Whites and the main character’s tossing between his wife and his mistress.
“A very simple, absolutely constructive children's scheme. When he writes the life of the nobility, it is clear that he does not know it absolutely... When, therefore, dying, an officer on the battlefield bequeaths his wife to a friend, it is clear that he has shortchanged the French,” said literary critic on the program "Visiting".
In the 1930-1950s, Sholokhov wrote another brilliant novel dedicated to the collectivization of peasants, “Virgin Soil Upturned.” War works were also popular, for example “The Fate of Man” and “They Fought for the Motherland.” Work on the latter was carried out in several stages: 1942-1944, 1949 and 1969. Shortly before his death, Sholokhov, like Gogol, burned his work. Therefore, the modern reader can only be content with individual chapters of the novel.
Mikhail Sholokhov's novel "Virgin Soil Upturned" But with the Nobel Prize, Sholokhov had a very original story. In 1958, he was nominated for the prestigious award for the seventh time. In the same year, members of the Writers' Union visited Sweden and learned that Sholokhov and other authors were being nominated along with Boris Leonidovich. In the Scandinavian country, there was an opinion that the prize should go to Pasternak, but in a telegram addressed to the Swedish ambassador, it was said that in the USSR the award to Mikhail Alexandrovich would be widely appreciated.
It was also said that it is high time for the Swedish public to understand that Boris Leonidovich is not popular among Soviet citizens and that his works are not worthy of any attention. It’s easy to explain: Pasternak was repeatedly harassed by the authorities. The prize awarded to him in 1958 added firewood. The author of Doctor Zhivago was forced to refuse the Nobel Prize. In 1965, Sholokhov also received laurels of honor. The writer did not bow to the Swedish king, who presented the award. This was explained by the character of Mikhail Alexandrovich: according to some rumors, such a gesture was made intentionally (Cossacks do not bow to anyone).
Personal life
Sholokhov married Maria Gromoslavskaya in 1924. However, he wooed Lydia, her sister. But the girls’ father, the village ataman P. Ya. Gromoslavsky (postman after the revolution), insisted that Mikhail Alexandrovich should offer his hand and heart eldest daughter. In 1926, the couple had a girl, Svetlana, and four years later, a boy, Alexander, was born.
It is known that during the war the writer served as a war correspondent. Received an award Patriotic War 1st degree and medals. By character, Mikhail Alexandrovich was similar to his heroes - courageous, honest and rebellious. They say that he was the only writer who was not afraid and could look the leader straight in the eyes.
Death
Shortly before his death (the cause was laryngeal cancer), the writer lived in the village of Veshenskaya, was engaged in writing very rarely, and in the 1960s he actually abandoned this craft. loved to walk on fresh air, was fond of hunting and fishing. The author of "Quiet Flows the Don" literally gave away his prizes to society. For example, the Nobel Prize “went” to build a school.
Great writer Mikhail Alexandrovich Sholokhov died in 1984. Sholokhov's grave is not in the cemetery, but in the courtyard of the house in which he lived. An asteroid was named in honor of the master of the pen, filmed documentaries and monuments were erected in many cities.
Bibliography
- "Don Stories" (1925);
- "Azure Steppe" (1926);
- "Quiet Don" (1928–1940);
- “Virgin Soil Upturned” (1932, 1959);
- “They Fought for the Motherland” (1942–1949);
- "The Science of Hate" (1942);
- “The Word about the Motherland” (1948);
- "Man's Fate" (1956)