List of Sholokhov's works. Mikhail Alexandrovich SholokhovDon Stories

Mikhail Alexandrovich Sholokhov is one of the most famous Russians of the period. His work covers the most important events for our country - the revolution of 1917, the Civil War, the formation of a new government and the Great Patriotic War. In this article we will talk a little about the life of this writer and try to look at his works.

Short biography. Childhood and youth

During the Civil War he was with the Reds and rose to the rank of commander. Then, after graduation, he moved to Moscow. Here he received his first education. After moving to Boguchar, he entered the gymnasium. Upon graduation, he returned to the capital again, wanted to get a higher education, but was unable to enroll. To feed himself, he had to get a job. During this short period, he changed several specialties, continuing to engage in self-education and literature.

The writer's first work was published in 1923. Sholokhov begins to collaborate with newspapers and magazines, writing feuilletons for them. In 1924, the story “Mole”, the first of the Don cycle, was published in “Young Leninist”.

Real fame and last years of life

The list of works by M. A. Sholokhov should begin with “Quiet Don”. It was this epic that brought the author real fame. Gradually it became popular not only in the USSR, but also in other countries. The writer’s second major work was “Virgin Soil Upturned,” which was awarded the Lenin Prize.

During the Great Patriotic War, Sholokhov was at this time and wrote many stories dedicated to this terrible time.

In 1965, it became significant for the writer - he was awarded the Nobel Prize for the novel “Quiet Don”. Starting in the 60s, Sholokhov practically stopped writing, devoting his free time to fishing and hunting. He donated most of his income to charity and led a quiet lifestyle.

The writer died on February 21, 1984. The body was buried on the banks of the Don in the courtyard of his own house.

The life that Sholokhov lived is full of unusual and bizarre events. We will present a list of the writer’s works below, and now let’s talk a little more about the author’s fate:

• Sholokhov was the only writer who received the Nobel Prize with the approval of the authorities. The author was also called “Stalin’s favorite”.
• When Sholokhov decided to woo one of the daughters of Gromoslavsky, a former Cossack ataman, he offered to marry the eldest of the girls, Marya. The writer, of course, agreed. The couple lived in marriage for almost 60 years. During this time they had four children.
• After the release of Quiet Flows the Flow, critics had doubts that the author of such a large and complex novel was really such a young author. By order of Stalin himself, a commission was established that conducted a study of the text and made a conclusion: the epic was indeed written by Sholokhov.

Features of creativity

The works of Sholokhov are inextricably linked with the image of the Don and the Cossacks (the list, titles and plots of the books are direct evidence of this). It is from the life of his native places that he draws images, motifs and themes. The writer himself spoke about it this way: “I was born on the Don, there I grew up, studied and was formed as a person...”.

Despite the fact that Sholokhov focuses on describing the life of the Cossacks, his works are not limited to regional and local themes. On the contrary, using their example, the author manages to raise not only the problems of the country, but also universal and philosophical ones. The writer’s works reflect deep historical processes. Connected with this is another distinctive feature of Sholokhov’s work - the desire to artistically reflect the turning points in the life of the USSR and how the people who found themselves in this whirlpool of events felt.

Sholokhov was inclined towards monumentalism; he was attracted to issues related to social changes and the destinies of peoples.

Early works

Mikhail Aleksandrovich Sholokhov began writing very early. The works (prose always remained preferable for him) of those years were dedicated to the Civil War, in which he himself took a direct part, although he was still quite a youth.

Sholokhov mastered his writing skills from a small form, that is, from stories that were published in three collections:

• "Azure Steppe";
• "Don Stories";
• “About Kolchak, nettles and other things.”

Despite the fact that these works did not go beyond the boundaries of social realism and largely glorified Soviet power, they stood out strongly against the background of other works of Sholokhov’s contemporary writers. The fact is that already in these years Mikhail Alexandrovich paid special attention to the life of the people and the description of people's characters. The writer tried to portray a more realistic and less romanticized picture of the revolution. There is cruelty, blood, betrayal in his works - Sholokhov tries not to smooth out the harshness of the time.

At the same time, the author does not at all romanticize death or poeticize cruelty. He places emphasis differently. The main thing remains kindness and the ability to preserve humanity. Sholokhov wanted to show how “ugly the Don Cossacks perished in the steppes.” The uniqueness of the writer’s work lies in the fact that he raised the problem of revolution and humanism, interpreting actions from a moral point of view. And what worried Sholokhov most was the fratricide that accompanies any civil war. The tragedy of many of his heroes was that they had to shed their own blood.

"Quiet Don"

Perhaps the most famous book that Sholokhov wrote. We will continue the list of works with it, since the novel opens the next stage of the writer’s work. The author began writing the epic in 1925, immediately after the publication of the stories. Initially, he did not plan such a large-scale work, wanting only to depict the fate of the Cossacks in revolutionary times and their participation in the “suppression of the revolution.” Then the book received the name “Donshchina”. But Sholokhov did not like the first pages he wrote, since the motives of the Cossacks would not be clear to the average reader. Then the writer decided to start his story in 1912 and end in 1922. The meaning of the novel has changed, as has the title. Work on the work took 15 years. The final version of the book was published in 1940.

"Virgin Soil Upturned"

Another novel that M. Sholokhov created for several decades. A list of the writer’s works is impossible without mentioning this book, since it is considered the second most popular after “Quiet Don”. “Virgin Soil Upturned” consists of two books, the first was completed in 1932, and the second in the late 50s.

The work describes the process of collectivization on the Don, which Sholokhov himself witnessed. The first book can generally be called a report from the scene. The author very realistically and colorfully recreates the drama of this time. Here there is dispossession, and meetings of farmers, and murders of people, and slaughter of cattle, and the theft of collective farm grain, and a women's revolt.

The plot of both parts is based on the confrontation between class enemies. The action begins with a double plot - the secret arrival of Polovtsev and the arrival of Davydov, and also ends with a double denouement. The entire book is based on the confrontation between the Reds and the Whites.

Sholokhov, works about the war: list

Books dedicated to the Great Patriotic War:

• Novel “They Fought for the Motherland”;
• Stories “The Science of Hate”, “The Fate of Man”;
• Essays “In the South”, “On the Don”, “Cossacks”, “On Cossack collective farms”, “Infamy”, “Prisoners of War”, “In the South”;
• Journalism - “The struggle continues”, “The Word about the Motherland”, “The executioners cannot escape the judgment of the people!”, “Light and darkness”.

During the war, Sholokhov worked as a war correspondent for Pravda. The stories and essays describing these terrible events had some distinctive features that identified Sholokhov as a battle writer and were even preserved in his post-war prose.

The author's essays can be called a chronicle of the war. Unlike other writers working in the same direction, Sholokhov never directly expressed his views on events; the heroes spoke for him. Only at the end did the writer allow himself to draw a small conclusion.

Sholokhov's works, despite the subject matter, retain a humanistic orientation. At the same time, the main character changes a little. He becomes a person who is able to realize the significance of his place in the world struggle and understand that he is responsible to his comrades, relatives, children, life itself and history.

"They fought for their homeland"

We continue to analyze the creative legacy that Sholokhov left (list of works). The writer perceives war not as a fatal inevitability, but as a socio-historical phenomenon that tests the moral and ideological qualities of people. The fates of individual characters form a picture of an epoch-making event. Such principles formed the basis of the novel “They Fought for their Motherland,” which, unfortunately, was never completed.

According to Sholokhov's plan, the work was to consist of three parts. The first was supposed to describe the pre-war events and the fight of the Spaniards against the Nazis. And already in the second and third the struggle of the Soviet people against the invaders would be described. However, none of the parts of the novel were ever published. Only individual chapters were published.

A distinctive feature of the novel is the presence of not only large-scale battle scenes, but also sketches of everyday soldier life, which often have a humorous overtones. At the same time, the soldiers are well aware of their responsibility to the people and the country. Their thoughts about home and their native places become tragic as their regiment retreats. Consequently, they cannot justify the hopes placed on them.

Summing up

Mikhail Alexandrovich Sholokhov has come a long way in his career. All of the author's works, especially if considered in chronological order, confirm this. If you take the early stories and the later ones, the reader will see how much the writer’s skill has grown. At the same time, he managed to preserve many motives, such as loyalty to his duty, humanity, devotion to family and country, etc.

But the writer’s works have not only artistic and aesthetic value. First of all, Mikhail Aleksandrovich Sholokhov aspired to be a chronicler (biography, list of books and diary entries confirm this).

Biography and creative path:

Mikhail Alexandrovich Sholokhov is a great Russian writer, the greatest Russian prose writer, a classic of Russian Soviet literature, academician of the USSR Academy of Sciences, twice Hero of Socialist Labor, reserve colonel.
Russian writer Mikhail Aleksandrovich Sholokhov was born on May 11 (24), 1905 on the Kruzhilin farm of the Cossack village of Vyoshenskaya Don Army (now Sholokhov district of the Rostov region), in the south of Russia. Sholokhov is the illegitimate son of a Ukrainian woman, the widow of a Don Cossack, A. D. Kuznetsova (1871 -1942) and a rich clerk, sowing grain on rented Cossack land, the manager of a steam mill (the son of a merchant, from the Ryazan province) A. M. Sholokhov (1865 - 1925).
In early childhood he bore the surname Kuznetsov and received a plot of land as a “Cossack son.” In 1913, after being adopted by his own father, he lost his Cossack privileges, becoming the “son of a tradesman.” He grew up in an atmosphere of obvious ambiguity, which obviously gave rise to a craving for truth and justice in Sholokhov’s character, but also at the same time the habit of hiding as much as possible about himself.
From 1915 to March 1918 he studied at the Bogucharsky men's classical gymnasium. He lived on 2nd Meshchanskaya Street (now Prokopenko Street) in the house of priest D.I. Tishansky. Sholokhov's mother, endowed by nature with a lively mind, learned to read and write in order to correspond with her son when he went to study in Voronezh. He graduated from less than three classes of the gymnasium, but the Civil War interfered (according to official sources, he graduated from four classes). During the Civil War, the Sholokhov family could have been under attack from two sides: for the white Cossacks they were “out-of-towners”, for the red ones they were “exploiters”. Young Sholokhov had no passion for hoarding (like his hero, the son of a rich Cossack Makar Nagulnov) and took the side of the victorious force, which established at least relative peace, and in 1918 he joined the Red Army - and this despite the fact that many Don Cossacks joined the white army fighting against the Bolsheviks. The future writer first served in a logistics support detachment, and then became a machine gunner and participated in bloody battles on the Don, served in a food detachment, but arbitrarily reduced the tax rate of people in his circle; was sentenced (suspended for 1 year).
In his works, the writer immortalized the Don River and the Cossacks who lived here and defended the interests of the Tsar in pre-revolutionary Russia and opposed the Bolsheviks during the Civil War.
In 1922, when the Bolsheviks finally took power into their own hands, Mikhail came to Moscow. Here he took part in the work of the literary group “Young Guard”, worked as a loader, laborer, and clerk. In 1923, Sholokhov published feuilletons, and from the end of 1923 - stories in which he immediately switched from feuilleton comedy to sharp drama, reaching the point of tragedy. In 1923, his first feuilletons were published in the newspaper Yunosheskaya Pravda, and in 1924, in the same newspaper, his first story “Mole” was published.
At the same time, the stories were not without elements of melodrama. Most of these works were collected in the collections “Don Stories” (1925) and “Azure Steppe” (1926, expanded from the previous collection). With the exception of the story “Alien Blood” (1926), where the old man Gavrila and his wife, who lost their son, a White Cossack, nurse a communist food contractor and begin to love him like a son, and he leaves them. In Sholokhov's early works, Sholokhov's heroes are mainly sharply divided into positive (red fighters, Soviet activists) and negative, sometimes pure villains (whites, “bandits”, kulaks and kulak members). Many characters have real prototypes, but Sholokhov sharpens and exaggerates almost everything: death, blood, torture, hunger pangs are deliberately naturalistic. The young writer’s favorite plot, starting with “Mole” (1923), is a deadly clash between close relatives: father and son, siblings.
His senior friend and mentor, a member of the RSDLP (b) since 1903, E. G. Levitskaya, to whom the story “The Fate of a Man” was later dedicated, believed that there was a lot of autobiography in Grigory Melekhov’s “vacillations” in “Quiet Don”. Sholokhov changed many professions, especially in Moscow, where he lived for a long time from the end of 1922 to 1926.
In December 1923, M. A. Sholokhov returned to Karginskaya, and then to the village of Bukanovskaya, where on January 11, 1924 he married Maria Petrovna Gromoslavskaya, the daughter of the former village ataman. After returning to Karginskaya, the Sholokhovs had their eldest daughter Svetlana (1926), then sons Alexander (1930, Rostov-on-Don), Mikhail (1935, Moscow), daughter Maria (1938, Vyoshenskaya station).

In the summer of 1924, after gaining a foothold in literature, he returned and settled in his homeland in the village of Veshenskaya, where he lived, almost forever, for the rest of his life.
In 1925, a collection of feuilletons and stories by the writer about the civil war entitled “Don Stories” was published in Moscow. In History of Soviet Literature, critic Vera Aleksandrova writes that the stories in this collection impress with “lush descriptions of nature, rich speech characteristics of characters, lively dialogues,” noting, however, that “already in these early works one can feel that Sholokhov’s “epic talent” is not fits within the narrow framework of the story.”
Sholokhov clumsily confirms his loyalty to the communist idea by emphasizing the priority of social choice in relation to any other human relationships, including family ones. In 1931, he republished Don Stories, adding new ones that emphasized the comic in the behavior of the characters (later, in Virgin Soil Upturned, he combined comedy with drama, sometimes quite effectively). Then, for almost a quarter of a century, the stories were not republished.
In 1925, Sholokhov began a work about the Cossacks in 1917, during the Kornilov rebellion, called Quiet Don (and not Donshchina, according to legend). However, this plan was abandoned, but a year later the writer took up “Quiet Don” again, widely unfolding pictures of the pre-war life of the Cossacks and the events of the First World War, revolution, civil war, and the attitude of the Cossacks to these events.
From 1926 to 1940 Sholokhov is working on Quiet Don, a novel that brought the writer world fame. "Quiet Don" was published in the Soviet Union in parts: The first two books of the epic novel were published in 1928-1929, in the magazine "October", the third - in 1932-1933, and the fourth - in 1937-1940 g.g. In the West, the first two volumes appeared in 1934, and the next two in 1940.
One of the main characters of the novel, Grigory Melekhov, is a hot-tempered, independently-minded Cossack who bravely fought the Germans on the fronts of the First World War, and then, after the overthrow of the autocracy, faced with the need to choose - he fights first on the side of the Whites, then on the side of the Reds and in In the end he ends up in the "green" squad. After several years of war, Gregory, like millions of Russian people, found himself spiritually devastated. Melekhov's duality, his inconsistency, and mental turmoil make him one of the most famous tragic heroes of Soviet literature.
Initially, Soviet criticism reacted to the novel rather reservedly. The first volume of Quiet Don caused criticism because it described the events of pre-revolutionary life from “alien,” as they put it then, positions; the second volume did not suit official critics, since, in their opinion, it was distinguished by an anti-Bolshevik orientation. In a letter to Sholokhov, Stalin wrote that he did not agree with the interpretation of the images of two communists in the novel. However, despite all these critical remarks, a number of famous figures of Soviet culture, including M. Gorky, the founder of socialist realism, warmly supported the young writer and contributed in every possible way to the completion of the epic.
Almost immediately doubts arise about their authorship; a work of such magnitude required too much knowledge and experience. Sholokhov brings the manuscripts to Moscow for examination (in the 1990s, Moscow journalist L. E. Kolodny gave their description, although not strictly scientific, and comments on them). The young writer was full of energy, had a phenomenal memory, read a lot (in the 1920s even the memoirs of white generals were available), asked Cossacks in Don villages about the “German” and civil wars, and knew the life and customs of his native Don like no one else .
The events of collectivization (and those preceding it) delayed work on the epic novel. In the 30s, Sholokhov interrupted work on Quiet Don and wrote a novel about the resistance of the Russian peasantry to forced collectivization, carried out in accordance with the first five-year plan (1928 -1933). In letters, including to Stalin, Sholokhov tried to open his eyes to the true state of things: the complete collapse of the economy, lawlessness, torture applied to collective farmers. However, he accepted the very idea of ​​collectivization and in a softened form, with undeniable sympathy for the main communist characters, showed it using the example of the Gremyachiy Log farm in the first book of the novel Virgin Soil Upturned (1932), this novel, like Quiet Don, began to be published in parts in periodicals, when the first volume was not yet completed. Like Quiet Don, Virgin Soil Upturned was met with hostility by official critics, but members of the Party Central Committee considered that the novel gave an objective assessment of collectivization, and in every possible way contributed to the publication of the novel (1932). In the 40-50s the writer subjected the first volume to significant revision, and in 1960 he completed work on the second volume.
Even a very smooth depiction of dispossession (the “right draft dodger” Razmetny) was very suspicious for the authorities and official writers; in particular, the magazine Novy Mir rejected the author’s title of the novel “With Blood and Sweat.” But in many ways the work suited Stalin. The high artistic level of the book seemed to prove the fruitfulness of communist ideas for art, and its courage within the limits of what was permitted created the illusion of freedom of creativity in the USSR. “Virgin Soil Upturned” was declared a perfect example of the literature of socialist realism and was soon included in all school curricula, becoming a required work for study.
This directly or indirectly helped Sholokhov continue work on Quiet Don, the release of the third book (sixth part) of which was delayed due to a rather sympathetic portrayal of participants in the anti-Bolshevik Upper Don uprising of 1919. Sholokhov turned to M. Gorky and with his help obtained permission from I.V. Stalin to publish this book without cuts (1932), and in 1934 he basically completed the fourth and last, but began to rewrite it again, probably not without toughening ideological pressure. In the last two books of Quiet Don (the seventh part of the fourth book was published in 1937-1938, the eighth in 1940) many journalistic, often didactic, unequivocally pro-Bolshevik declarations appeared, often contradicting the plot and figurative structure of the epic novel . But this does not add arguments to the theory of “two authors” or “author” and “co-author”, developed by skeptics who irrevocably do not believe in Sholokhov’s authorship (among them A. I. Solzhenitsyn, I. B. Tomashevskaya). Apparently, Sholokhov himself was his own “co-author,” preserving mainly the artistic world he created in the early 1930s, and attaching an ideological orientation in a purely external way.
In 1932 he joined the Communist Party. In 1935, E. G. Levitskaya admired Sholokhov, finding that he had turned “from a “doubting”, wavering person into a firm communist who knows where he is going, clearly seeing both the goal and the means to achieve it.” Undoubtedly, the writer convinced himself of this and, although in 1938 he almost fell victim to a false political accusation, he found the courage to end Quiet Don with the complete collapse of his beloved hero Grigory Melekhov, crushed by the wheel of cruel history.
There are more than 600 characters in the epic novel, and most of them perish or die from grief, deprivation, absurdities and unsettled life. The civil war, although at first it seems like a “toy” to the “German” veterans, takes the lives of almost all the memorable, beloved heroes of the reader, and the bright life for which it was supposedly worth making such sacrifices never comes.
Both fighting sides are to blame for what is happening, inciting bitterness in each other. Among the Reds, Sholokhov does not have such born executioners as Mitka Korshunov; the Bolshevik Bunchuk engages in executions out of a sense of duty and gets sick on such “work,” but was the first to kill his comrade in arms, Captain Kalmykov. The Reds were the first to chop up the prisoners, shoot the arrested farmers, and Mikhail Koshevoy pursues his former friend Grigory, although he even forgave him for the murder of his brother Peter. It is not only the agitation of Shtokman and other Bolsheviks that is to blame; misfortunes cover people like an avalanche sweeping away everything in its path as a result of their own bitterness, due to mutual misunderstanding, injustices and insults.
The epic content in Quiet Don did not supplant the novelistic, personal content. Sholokhov, like no one else, managed to show the complexity of the common man (intellectuals do not inspire sympathy in him; in Quiet Don they are mostly in the background and invariably speak bookish language even with Cossacks who do not understand them). The passionate love of Grigory and Aksinya, the faithful love of Natalya, the dissipation of Daria, the absurd mistakes of the aging Pantelei Prokofich, the mother’s mortal longing for her son who is not returning from the war (Ilinichny’s version of Grigory) and other tragic life intertwinings make up a rich range of characters and situations. The life and nature of the Don are meticulously and, of course, lovingly depicted. The author conveys sensations experienced by all human senses. The intellectual limitations of many heroes are compensated by the depth and severity of their experiences.
In 1937, he was elected to the Supreme Soviet of the USSR, and two years later, in 1939, Sholokhov was elected a full member (academician) of the USSR Academy of Sciences.
By a resolution of the Council of People's Commissars of March 15, 1941, Sholokhov was awarded the Stalin (State) Prize, 1st degree, for the novel Quiet Don.
During the Second World War, Mikhail Alexandrovich was a war correspondent for the Sovinformburo, the newspapers Pravda and Krasnaya Zvezda, and the author of articles and reports on the heroism of the Soviet people. The story Science of Hate (1942), which advocated hatred of the Nazis, was below the average of the Don Stories in artistic quality. After the Battle of Stalingrad, the writer begins work on the third novel - the trilogy “They Fought for the Motherland.” The level of chapters from the novel “They Fought for the Motherland” published in 1943-1944 on the pages of Pravda, conceived as a trilogy, but unfinished (and also in 1949 and 1954, but the first volume of the trilogy was published as a separate edition only in 1958, in the 1960s, Sholokhov attributed the “pre-war” chapters with conversations about Stalin and the repressions of 1937 in the spirit of the already ended “thaw”; they were printed with banknotes, which completely deprived the writer of creative inspiration), was much higher. The work consists mainly of soldiers' conversations and tales, oversaturated with jokes. In general, Sholokhov’s failure in comparison not only with the first, but also with the second novel is obvious.
The trilogy remained unfinished - in the post-war years, the writer significantly reworked Quiet Don, softened his rich language, and tried to “whitewash” the bearers of the communist idea.
After the war, Sholokhov the publicist paid a generous tribute to the official state ideology, but he celebrated the “thaw” with a work of high merit - the story “The Fate of a Man” (1956). An ordinary person, a typical Sholokhov hero, appeared in genuine moral greatness that he himself did not realize. Such a plot could not have appeared in the “first post-war spring”, which coincided with the meeting of the author and Andrei Sokolov: the hero was in captivity, drank vodka without a snack, so as not to humiliate himself in front of the German officers - this, like the humanistic spirit of the story itself, was by no means not in line with the official literature nurtured by Stalinism. “The Fate of Man” turned out to be at the origins of a new concept of personality, and more broadly, of a new big stage in the development of literature.
In 1956, Sholokhov spoke at the 20th Congress of the CPSU, and in 1959 he accompanied Soviet leader N. S. Khrushchev on his trips to Europe and the USA. In 1961, Sholokhov became a member of the CPSU Central Committee.
The second book, “Virgin Soil Upturned,” completed with publication in 1960, remained basically just a sign of the transition period, when humanism was emphasized in every possible way, but thereby wishful thinking was passed off as reality. “Warming” of the images of Davydov (sudden love for “Varyukha-goryukha”), Nagulnov (listening to a rooster’s crow, hidden love for Lushka), Razmetnov (shooting cats in the name of saving pigeons—the “birds of the world” popular at the turn of the 1950s and 1960s) ) was emphasized as “modern” and did not fit in with the harsh realities of 1930, which formally remained the basis of the plot. In April 1960, Sholokhov was awarded the Lenin Prize for his novel Virgin Soil Upturned.
In October 1965, “for the artistic strength and integrity of the epic about the Don Cossacks at a turning point for Russia,” Mikhail Sholokhov was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature, as stated in the laureate’s diploma, “in recognition of the artistic strength and honesty that he showed in his Don an epic about the historical phases of the life of the Russian people!”
On December 10, 1965, in Stockholm, the King of Sweden presented Mikhail Alexandrovich with a diploma and a gold medal as a Nobel Prize laureate, as well as a check for a sum of money. Sholokhov did not bow to Gustav Adolf VI, who was presenting the prize. According to some sources, this was done intentionally, with the words: “We, Cossacks, do not bow to anyone. In front of the people, please, but I won’t do it in front of the king, that’s all...” According to others, he was not warned about this detail of etiquette. In his speech during the awards ceremony, the writer said that his goal was to "exalt a nation of workers, builders and heroes." Sholokhov is the only Soviet writer who received the Nobel Prize with the consent of the USSR authorities.

He donated the Stalin Prize of the first degree (June 23, 1943) to the USSR Defense Fund, and the Nobel Prize to the construction of a school in Vyoshenskaya.
Since the 1960s, he actually moved away from literature. In 1966, he spoke at the XXIII Congress of the CPSU and spoke about the case of A. D. Sinyavsky and Yu. M. Daniel: “Others, hiding behind words about humanism, moan about the severity of the sentence... If these young men with a black conscience were caught in the memorable twenties, when they tried , not relying on strictly delimited articles of the Criminal Code, but “guided by revolutionary legal consciousness,” oh, these werewolves would have received the wrong punishment!” This statement made the figure of Sholokhov odious for a significant part of the intelligentsia in the USSR and in the West.
By decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR dated February 23, 1967, Mikhail Aleksandrovich Sholokhov was awarded the title of Hero of Socialist Labor with the Order of Lenin and the Hammer and Sickle gold medal.
What Sholokhov wrote in his best time is a high classic of 20th-century literature, despite all the shortcomings that mark even his most outstanding works. One of the most significant features of Sholokhov’s talent is his ability to see in life and reproduce in art the entire wealth of human emotions - from tragic hopelessness to cheerful laughter.
The contribution of Sholokhov, one of the leading masters of the literature of socialist realism, to world art is determined, first of all, by the fact that in his novels, for the first time in the history of world literature, the working people appear in all the richness of types and characters, in such a completeness of social, moral, emotional life, which puts them among the undying images of world literature. In his novels, the poetic heritage of the Russian people was combined with the achievements of the realistic novel of the 19th and 20th centuries; he discovered new, previously unknown connections between the spiritual and the material, between man and the outside world. In Sholokhov's epic, man, society, nature appear as manifestations of the ever-creating flow of life; their unity and interdependence determine the originality of Sholokhov’s poetic world. The writer's works have been translated into almost all languages ​​of the peoples of the USSR, as well as foreign languages.
By decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR of May 23, 1980, for outstanding services in the development of Soviet literature and in connection with his seventy-fiveth birthday, Mikhail Aleksandrovich Sholokhov was awarded the Order of Lenin and the second gold medal “Hammer and Sickle”.
Member of the CPSU (b)/CPSU since 1932, member of the CPSU Central Committee since 1961, deputy of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR of the 1st-9th convocations. Colonel (1943). Awarded six Orders of Lenin (01/31/1939, 05/23/1955, 05/22/1965, 02/23/1967, 05/22/1975, 05/23/1980), the Order of the October Revolution (1972), the Order of the Patriotic War 1st degree (09/23/19 45), medals, as well as orders and medals of foreign countries, including the GDR Order of the Great Golden Star of Friendship of Peoples (1964), the Bulgarian orders of Georgi Dimitrov (1975) and Cyril and Methodius, 1st degree (1973).
Laureate of the Lenin Prize (1960), Stalin Prize 1st degree (1941), Nobel Prize in Literature (1965), Sofia International Literary Prize (1975), International Peace Prize in the field of culture of the World Peace Council (1975), International Prize "Lotus" by the Asian and African Writers Association (1978).
Honorary citizen of the city of Boguchar, Voronezh region (1979).
Until the end of his life he lived in his house (now part of the museum complex) in the village of Veshenskaya, Rostov region. He died on February 21, 1984, at the age of 78, from throat cancer caused by smoking. He was buried in the courtyard of the estate house in which he lived, on the high bank of the Don, which he glorified.
In the year of the writer’s death, the State M. A. Sholokhov Museum-Reserve was established in his homeland in the village of Veshenskaya.
A bronze bust of M. A. Sholokhov was installed in the village of Vyoshenskaya, Rostov region; monuments - in Moscow on Volzhsky and Gogolevsky boulevards, Rostov-on-Don, Millerovo in the Rostov region, Boguchar in the Voronezh region; a symbolic memorial sign on the territory of a boarding school (former men's gymnasium) in the city of Boguchar, Voronezh region; memorial plaques - in the city of Boguchar, Voronezh region, on the building in which he studied and on the house in which he lived during his studies, as well as in Moscow on the house in which he lived during his visits to the capital. Streets in many cities are named after him.
Asteroid 2448 Sholokhov is named after the writer.
2005 was declared by UNESCO as the Year of Sholokhov (on the 100th anniversary).

Museum of M. A. Sholokhov:
State Museum-Reserve of M. A. Sholokhov

A rare monument of Russian culture, history and nature. This is the only museum of the great Russian writer of the twentieth century, twice Hero of Socialist Labor, winner of most awards in the field of literature, including the Nobel Prize.
The State Museum-Reserve of M. A. Sholokhov was founded in 1984. The creation of a museum-reserve in the writer’s homeland was a recognition of M. A. Sholokhov’s outstanding services to Russian literature and world spiritual culture.
In 1995, by Decree of the President of the Russian Federation, all objects of the museum-reserve were classified as objects of historical and cultural heritage of federal (all-Russian) significance.
The uniqueness of the museum-reserve, first of all, lies in the fact that it preserves everything connected with the life and work of the writer (personal belongings, manuscripts, letters, houses in which he lived, nature, farms and villages depicted in his works ).
The collection of museum objects consists almost entirely of original items that belonged to the writer himself and his family; it amounts to more than 52,000 storage units, of which more than 25,000 are fixed assets. Annual receipts - 2500 - 3000 storage units.
On a functional and territorial basis, the museum-reserve includes ten main structural and planning zones, which most fully reflect the life and work of M. A. Sholokhov on the Don Land: Art. Veshenskaya, h. Kruzhilinsky, st. Karginskaya, st. Elanskaya, h. Lebyazhy, x. Pleshaki, x. Shchebunyaevsky, lake Ostrovnoye, Vyoshensky centuries-old oak.
Address: 346270, Rostov region, Sholokhovsky district, Veshenskaya village, lane. Rosa Luxemburg, 41.

Brief chronicle of life:

1905 , May 24 - Born in the village of Kruzhilin, village of Veshenskaya, Donetsk district (now Sholokhov district, Rostov region).
1906–1910 - Childhood years in the Kruzhilino farm.
1910 - Moved with his family to the Karginsky farm.
1912 - Entered the Karginsky primary school.
1914–1918 - He studied at men's gymnasiums in Moscow, Boguchar and Veshenskaya.
1920–1921 - He worked as an employee in the village revolutionary committee, a teacher to eliminate illiteracy among adults in the Latyshev farm, and a clerk in the procurement office of the Don Food Committee.
He volunteered for the food brigade.
He worked in the drama club of the village of Karginskaya, wrote plays for it.
1922–1923 - Came to Moscow. He worked as a loader, laborer, and clerk at Krasnaya Presnya.
Published the first feuilleton “Test” in the newspaper “Yunosheskaya Pravda”.
He took an active part in the life of the literary group of Komsomol writers and poets “Young Guard”.
1924 , December - Published his first work of fiction - the story “Mole” in the newspaper “Young Leninist”.
Became a member of the Russian Association of Proletarian Writers.
1925 - Published in the magazines Ogonyok, Searchlight, Smena, Journal of Peasant Youth, and in the newspaper Young Leninist, where he published his first story, The Little Road.
Sholokhov’s first books were published in mass editions at the state publishing house:
"Alyoshka's Heart" (Alyoshka). Story. M. - L., 1925;
Bigamous. Story. M. - L., 1925;
Against the Black Banner (the second part of the story “The Little Path”). M. - L., 1925;
Nakhalenok. Story. M. - L., 1925;
Red Guards (Kolovert). Story. M.–L., 1925.
1926 - The publishing house “New Moscow” published collections of M.A. Sholokhov's Don Stories and Azure Steppe.
The writer's work on the novel "Quiet Don" begins.
1927 - Worked hard on the novel “Quiet Don”.
He published stories in Komsomol newspapers and in the almanac Molodost.
1927 , June–September - Worked in the editorial office of the Journal of Peasant Youth.
1928 , January–April - The first book of the novel “Quiet Don” was published in the magazine “October”.
1928 , May–October - The second book of the novel “Quiet Don” was published in the magazine “October”.
1928 , June - A separate edition of the first book of the novel “Quiet Don” was published. (M. - L.: Moscow worker, 1928).
1929 - The magazine "October" published the first twelve chapters of the third book of the novel "Quiet Don".
The first separate edition of the second book of the novel “Quiet Don” has been published.
In Moscow, M. Sholokhov’s story “Alyoshka’s Heart” was published in translation into Polish; in Berlin, translated into German, the first book of the novel “Quiet Don” (the first foreign edition of the novel) was published.
1930 - He actively participated in the collective farm movement on the Don, worked on the novel “Quiet Don”.
The first book of Quiet the Don was published abroad (in Madrid, Paris, Prague, Stockholm and The Hague) in translation into foreign languages.
1931 - Worked on “Virgin Soil Upturned.”
1932 - The magazine “New World” published the first book of the novel “Virgin Soil Upturned”, the magazine “October” published the third book of the novel “Quiet Don”.
The first parts of Quiet the Don, translated into Danish, were published in Copenhagen.
1932 , November 2 - M. A. Sholokhov joined the ranks of the Communist Party.
1933 - Actively participated in the fight against excesses in the collective farm movement.
The first separate edition of the third book of Quiet Don has been published.
Readers and critics gave high marks to the novel “Virgin Soil Upturned”; dramatizations based on the novel were staged in a number of theaters across the country.
M. A. Sholokhov became a member of the All-Union Organizing Committee of the Union of Soviet Writers.
1934 - Took part in the work of the First All-Union Congress of Soviet Writers, where he was elected to the board of the Union of Soviet Writers.
1934 , november- 1935 , January - M.A. Sholokhov traveled abroad (Stockholm, Copenhagen, London, Paris).
1935–1937 - Worked hard on the fourth book of Quiet Don.
1935 - At the International Congress of Writers for the Defense of Culture in Paris, he was elected to the Permanent Bureau of the International Association of Writers.
He met with young people, collective farmers, workers of Moscow, Novocherkassk, Veshenskaya and Kushchevsky districts.
1936 - Attended the premiere of I. I. Dzerzhinsky’s opera “Quiet Don” at the Moscow Musical Theater. V. I. Nemirovich-Danchenko and at the staging of “Virgin Soil Upturned” at the Veshensky Cossack Youth Theater, organized on the initiative of M. A. Sholokhov.
1937 , June - Participated in the work of the Azov-Black Sea regional party conference, was elected to its secretariat.
Attended the dress rehearsal of I. I. Dzerzhinsky's opera Virgin Soil Upturned at the Bolshoi Theater of the USSR.
1937 , November–December - The seventh part of the fourth book of “Quiet Don” was published in the magazine “New World”.
He was elected as a deputy of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR.
1938 - Took part in the work of the first session of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR.
The seventh part of the novel “Quiet Don” was published in the publication “Roman-Gazeta”.
M. A. Sholokhov, together with S. Ermolinsky and Y. Raizman, worked on the script for the film “Virgin Soil Upturned”.
1939 - Was elected a full member of the USSR Academy of Sciences.
1939 , January - For outstanding successes and achievements in the development of Soviet fiction, he was awarded the Order of Lenin by Decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR.
1939 , March - Delivered a speech at the XVIII Congress of the CPSU (b).
1940 - Worked on the second book of the novel “Virgin Soil Upturned”.
M. A. Sholokhov became a member of the Committee for State Prizes in the field of literature and art.
The fourth book of the novel “Quiet Don” was published separately.
1941 , March 15 - For the novel “Quiet Don”, by a resolution of the Council of People's Commissars, M. A. Sholokhov was awarded the State Prize.
1941 , June 23 - He donated the State Prize of the first degree awarded to him to the USSR Defense Fund.
1941-1945 - Participated in the Great Patriotic War (on the Smolensk direction of the Western Front, on the Southern and Southwestern, Stalingrad, and third Belorussian fronts).
He worked as a war correspondent for the Sovinformburo, the newspapers Pravda and Krasnaya Zvezda.
1942 , June 22 - The story “The Science of Hate” was published in Pravda.
1943 , May - Pravda published chapters from the novel They Fought for the Motherland.
1945 , September 23 - In connection with the publication of the ten thousandth issue of the newspaper Pravda, he was awarded the Order of the Patriotic War, 1st degree.
1945 , December - Demobilized from the ranks of the Soviet Army.
1948 , September - Honoring M. A. Sholokhov in the village of Veshenskaya in connection with the 25th anniversary of his literary activity.
1949 - Finished the first book of the novel They Fought for the Motherland, chapters from which were published in Pravda.
He took part in the work of the First All-Union Conference of Peace Supporters and gave a speech.
1950 , October - The Second All-Union Conference of Peace Supporters elected Sholokhov to the Soviet Peace Committee.
1951 - Continued work on the novel “They Fought for the Motherland.”
Visited Bulgaria and met with Bulgarian writers.
1952 , September - Participated in the work of the VI Rostov Regional Party Conference, made a speech.
He was elected a member of the regional committee of the CPSU and a delegate to the 19th Party Congress.
October 5 – 14 - Took part in the work of the 19th Congress of the CPSU.
December 4 - Delivered a speech at the Fourth All-Union Peace Conference.
1954 - Participated in the work of the congresses of writers of Kazakhstan, Ukraine, the Second All-Union Congress of Soviet Writers, where he made speeches.
1955 , May - For outstanding services in the field of fiction, in connection with the fiftieth anniversary of his birth, he was awarded the Order of Lenin by Decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR.
1956 , January–February - Took part in the work of the XX Congress of the CPSU and the All-Union Meeting of Young Writers, where he made speeches.
1956 , December 31–1957, January 1 - Published the story “The Fate of a Man” in Pravda.
1957 , May–July - Will travel around the Scandinavian countries (Finland, Sweden, Norway, Denmark).
1958–1959 - Worked on the second book of the novel “Virgin Soil Upturned”, published chapters from the novel.
1958 - Was elected as a deputy of the Council of Nationalities of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR.
He took part in the work of the First and Second Sessions of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR of the fifth convocation, the First Congress of Writers of the RSFSR and the Fourth Plenum of the Union of Writers of the USSR.
He made a trip to Czechoslovakia, where he met with party leaders, workers, writers, and scientists.
1959 - Participated in the work of the XXI Congress of the CPSU. Made business trips to European countries (Italy, France, England, Sweden, Finland) and to the USA.
He was elected a member of the board of the USSR Writers' Union.
He spoke at the plenary session of the Anniversary Session of the World Peace Council.
1960 , March - The publishing house "Young Guard" published the novel "Virgin Soil Upturned" (first and second books), nominated for the Lenin Prize in 1960.
1960 , April - M. A. Sholokhov was awarded the Lenin Prize for the novel “Virgin Soil Upturned.”
1960 , October–December - Traveled to Kazakhstan and foreign countries (England, Italy, France).
1961 , October - Delivered a speech on the tasks of Soviet literature at the XXII Congress of the CPSU.
1962–1963 - Elected as a deputy of the Council of Nationalities of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR.
Made trips to Finland and Scotland.
1964 , May - At the invitation of the First Secretary of the SED Central Committee W. Ulbricht and the board of the Union of German Writers, M. A. Sholokhov was in the GDR, where he was awarded the Order of the Republic “Big Golden Star of Friendship of Peoples”.
1965 , March - Delivered a speech at the Second Congress of Writers of the RSFSR.
1965 , April - An international symposium on the theme “Sholokhov and us” took place in Leipzig.
1965 , May - Messages were published about Rostov State University awarding the academic degree of Doctor of Philology to M. A. Sholokhov, and about the election of the writer as an honorary doctor of the University of Leipzig.
1965 , May 23 - For outstanding services in the field of Soviet fiction and in connection with his 60th anniversary, he was awarded the Order of Lenin.
1965 , October - Nobel Prize awarded.
1965 , November 30 - A press conference was held in Moscow by M. A. Sholokhov on the occasion of his being awarded the Nobel Prize.
1965 , December - The ceremony of awarding M. A. Sholokhov the Nobel Prize took place in Stockholm.
1967 , February 23 - By decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR, M. A. Sholokhov was awarded the title of Hero of Socialist Labor.
1967 , May - M. A. Sholokhov took part in the Fourth All-Union Congress of Writers, where he gave a speech.
1971 , April - Delivered a speech at the XXIV Congress of the CPSU.
1972 , March - M. A. Sholokhov was awarded the Order of the October Revolution in the Kremlin.
1973 , June - M. A. Sholokhov was awarded the Bulgarian Order of Cyril and Methodius, 1st degree.
1975 , May - For his outstanding contribution to strengthening peace and friendship between peoples, the Presidium of the World Peace Council in Stockholm awarded M. A. Sholokhov the International Peace Prize in the field of culture.
1975 , May 20–23 - The All-Union Scientific Conference “The Work of M. A. Sholokhov and World Literature” was held in Moscow.
1975 , May 22 - For outstanding services in the field of Soviet fiction and in connection with the 70th anniversary of the birth of M. A. Sholokhov was awarded the Order of Lenin.
The Government of Bulgaria awarded M. A. Sholokhov the Order of Georgiy Dimitrov "...as a sign of deep gratitude to his great literary work, which had a huge impact on the Bulgarian people and the development of socialist realism in Bulgarian literature".
The Sofia City Council of Workers' Deputies awarded M. A. Sholokhov the Sofia International Literary Prize for his outstanding contribution to the development of world literature.
1975 , December - The Second International Sholokhov Symposium was held in Leipzig on the topic: “Sholokhov’s creativity in the international aspect. Sholokhov and world literature".
1978 , May - The 50th anniversary of the novel “Quiet Don” was widely celebrated by the Rostov Regional Committee of the CPSU, the Institute of World Literature, the Union of Writers of the USSR and the public.
For works that help strengthen friendship between peoples, M. A. Sholokhov was awarded the international Lotus Prize.
1980 , May 23 - By Decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR, M. A. Sholokhov was awarded for outstanding services in the development of Soviet literature and in connection with the seventy-fifth anniversary of his birth, the Order of Lenin and the second Gold Medal “Hammer and Sickle”.
1981 year - May 23, in the village of Veshenskaya on the steep bank of the Don, a monument-bust of twice Hero of Socialist Labor M. A. Sholokhov was unveiled. Mikhail Alexandrovich himself was not at the opening.
An anniversary edition of the story “The Fate of a Man” with illustrations by O. Vereisky is being published in Moscow.
Konstantin Priyma’s book “Equal with the Age” was published in Rostov-on-Don.
“Here is told about Sholokhov the truth that literary scholars for 50 years - some did not know, others were afraid of, and still others - buried in the ground!” K. Priyma
1982 year - The Sovremennik publishing house (Moscow) publishes the second revised edition of S. Semenov’s “The Quiet Don” - Literature and History.”
1982 , november. M. A. Sholokhov was presented with a memorial sign “50 years in the party.”
1983 year - M. A. Sholokhov appeals to Minister I. S. Neporozhny with a request to assist in the construction of the Veshensky sanatorium for 500 places.
On December 27, M. A. Sholokhov, accompanied by a nurse from Veshenskaya T. A. Sidorova, flies to Moscow to the hospital.
1984 , January 18 - M. A. Sholokhov writes from the Central Clinical Hospital to the artist Yu. P. Rebrov: “I received my portrait - your gift, the work you created. Thank you very much, dear Yuri Petrovich. I remember well how you worked on the illustrations of “Quiet Don”. M. A. Sholokhov".
1984 , January 21 - M. A. Sholokhov returns by plane from Moscow to the village of Veshenskaya. The attending physician A.P. Antonova will write later: “It is impossible to operate, it is impossible to save. The treatment, including repeated laser therapy, extended life by more than two years. Eased suffering. And the suffering was severe. Mikhail Alexandrovich was very patient and bravely endured them. And when I realized that a serious illness, a long illness was progressing uncontrollably, I made a firm decision to return to Veshenskaya. During the last week of his stay in the hospital, he slept very little at night and “withdrew into himself.” He told me, the attending physician, in private: “I made the decision... to go home. I ask you to cancel all treatment... nothing more is needed... Ask Maria Petrovna here..." and fell silent. They called Maria Petrovna. She sat down next to the bed, close. Mikhail Alexandrovich put his weakened hand on her hand and said and asked: “Marusya!” Let's go home... I want home-cooked food. Feed me at home... Just like before...”
1984 , February 21 - Mikhail Alexandrovich Sholokhov died.

Sholokhov Mikhail Alexandrovich. Born May 24, 1905 in x. Kruzhilin, Art. Vyoshenskaya, Rostov region.
The father was a trade employee before the revolution, after, that is, under Soviet power, a food worker. Died in 1925. Mother was killed in 1942 during the bombing of the station. Veshenskaya by German planes. Studied at the beginning school, then at the men's gymnasium. He graduated from 4th grade in 1918. Since 1923 he has been a writer. He joined the party in 1930, party card number 0981052. Accepted as a member of the All-Union Communist Party (Bolsheviks) by the Vyoshensky party organization. He was not subject to party penalties, was not a member of the Trotskyist or other counter-revolutionary organizations, and had no deviations from the party line. He was drafted into the army in July 1941 with the rank of regimental commissar. Served as a special military correspondent. Demobilized in December 1945. Awarded the Order of the Fatherland. War I Art., medals. Was not captured.
I was abroad twice, in 1930 and 1935, in connection with the publication of my books in different countries. Been to Germany, France, England, Sweden and Denmark.
In 1922, while serving as food commissar, he was convicted of abuse of power: 1 year suspended sentence. Married since 1924. I have no close relatives on my side. On my wife’s side: my wife’s mother is a housewife, my sister and brother are employees, I don’t have exact information about my wife’s older brother; according to rumors, he is a clergyman in Ukraine. The wife's father died in 1939.
Writer M. Sholokhov (reserve colonel).

Nobel speech M. A. Sholokhova

At this solemn meeting, I consider it my pleasant duty to once again express my gratitude to the Royal Swedish Academy, which awarded me the Nobel Prize.
I have already had the opportunity to publicly testify that this gives me a feeling of satisfaction not only as international recognition of my professional merits and the characteristics inherent in me as a writer. I am proud that this prize was awarded to a Russian, Soviet writer. I represent here a large group of writers from my homeland.
I have already expressed my satisfaction with the fact that this award is indirectly another affirmation of the novel genre. Often in recent years I have heard and read, frankly speaking, speeches that surprised me, in which the form of the novel was declared outdated, not meeting the requirements of modern times. Meanwhile, it is the novel that makes it possible to most fully embrace the world of reality and project on the image one’s attitude towards it, towards its burning problems, the attitude of one’s like-minded people.
The novel, so to speak, most predisposes us to a deep knowledge of the huge life around us, and not to attempts to imagine our small “I” as the center of the universe. This genre by its nature represents the widest springboard for a realist artist. Many young movements in art reject realism, based on the fact that it supposedly has served its purpose. Without fear of reproaches for conservatism, I declare that I hold opposing views, being a convinced adherent of realistic art.
Nowadays they often talk about the so-called literary avant-garde, meaning by this the most fashionable experiments primarily in the field of form. In my opinion, the true avant-garde are those artists who, in their works, reveal new content that defines the features of life in our century. Both realism in general and the realistic novel are based on the artistic experience of the great masters of the past. But in their development they acquired significantly new, deeply modern features.

I’m talking about realism, which carries within itself the idea of ​​renewing life,” remaking it for the benefit of man. I am talking, of course, about the kind of realism that we now call socialist. Its originality lies in the fact that it expresses a worldview that does not accept either contemplation or withdrawal from reality, calling for the struggle for the progress of mankind, making it possible to comprehend goals close to millions of people, to illuminate the paths of struggle for them.
Humanity is not fragmented into a host of loners, individuals floating as if in a state of weightlessness, like astronauts who have gone beyond the limits of gravity. We live on earth, we obey earthly laws, and, as the Gospel says, our day is dominated by its malice, its worries and demands, its hopes for a better tomorrow. Gigantic strata of the earth's population are driven by common aspirations, live by common interests, which unite them to a much greater extent than separate them.
These are people of labor, those who create everything with their own hands and brains. I am one of those writers who see for themselves the highest honor and the highest freedom in the unfettered opportunity to serve the working people with their pen.
Everything stems from here. This leads to conclusions about how I, as a Soviet writer, imagine the place of the artist in the modern world.
We are living in turbulent years. But there is no people on earth who would like war. There are forces that throw entire nations into its fire. Can its ashes not knock in the writer’s heart, the ashes of the vast conflagrations of the Second World War? Can an honest writer not speak out against those who would like to doom humanity to self-destruction?
What is the vocation, what are the tasks of an artist who considers himself not a likeness of a deity indifferent to human suffering, ascended to Olympus above the battle of opposing forces, but a son of his people, a small part of humanity?
To speak honestly with the reader, to tell people the truth - sometimes harsh, but always courageous, to strengthen in human hearts faith in the future, in one’s strength, capable of building this future. To be a fighter for peace throughout the world and to educate such fighters with your word wherever this word reaches. To unite people in their natural and noble desire for progress. Art has a powerful influence on the mind and heart of a person. I think that the one who directs this power to create beauty in the souls of people, for the benefit of humanity, has the right to be called an artist.
My native people on their historical paths did not move forward along the beaten track. These were the paths of the discoverers, the pioneers of life. I saw and see my task as a writer in that with everything that I have written and will write, I should pay tribute to this working people, the builder people, the hero people, who did not attack anyone, but always knew how to defend with dignity what they created, to defend your freedom and honor, your right to build a future for yourself according to your own choice.
I would like my books to help people become better people, become purer in soul, awaken love for people, the desire to actively fight for the ideals of humanism and the progress of mankind. If I succeeded to some extent, I am happy.
I thank everyone who is in this room, everyone who sent me greetings and congratulations on the occasion of the Nobel Prize.

1965

Aphorisms of M. A. Sholokhov:

About health:
Health is the head of everything.

About the world:
We know very well what the earth is. Like the world, it is indivisible, and, lovingly and carefully treating the arable land, the land-nurse, we all need to treat the rest of the land on which we live with the same love and care, and everything that exists on it for the benefit to a person. And these are forests, waters, and everything that inhabits them. We must... make urgent, and where necessary, drastic decisions to preserve the benefits given to us by nature.

About youth and old age:
That’s why youth is given to be ebullient, active, life-affirming.

About the homeland and people:
It is a sacred duty to love the country that gave us water and nurtured us like a mother.

About the meaning of life:
To live means to break away from your former self for the sake of your future self, for the sake of all the unknown tomorrow.
The human world is a world of meanings. A person can tolerate ambiguity, inconsistency, confusion, nonsense, but not the absence of meaning.
Death illuminates our life. And if there is no meaning in death, then there was no meaning in life.
Man must decorate the earth.

List of works by M. A. Sholokhov:

“I would like my books to help people become better, to become purer in soul, to awaken love for people, the desire to actively fight for the ideals of humanism and the progress of mankind. If I succeeded to some extent, I’m happy.”

M. Sholokhov

Aleshka's heart.
Peons.
Melon plant.
Don stories.
Two-husband.
Foal.
Ilyukha.
Galoshes.
Kolovert.
Stitch curve.
Azure steppe.
Spineless.
Nakhalenok.
The science of hate.
About DonProdCom and the misadventures of Deputy DonProdCommissar Comrade Ptitsyn.
About Kolchak, Nettle and so on.
Resentment.
One language.
They fought for their homeland.
Shepherd.
Upturned virgin soil. Book 1.
Upturned virgin soil. Book 2.
Chairman of the Revolutionary Military Council of the Republic.
Food Commissioner.
Path-path (story).
Mole.
Family man.
A word about the Motherland.
Mortal enemy.
The fate of man.
Quiet Don. Book 1
Quiet Don. Book 2.
Quiet Don. Book 3.
Quiet Don. Book 4.
Feuilletons.
Worm-hole.
Someone else's blood.
Shibalkovo seed.

About Sholokhov:

“Judging from the first volume, Sholokhov is talented... Every year he nominates more and more talented people.
This is joy. Rus' is very anathemaly talented.”

M. Gorky

“The work of M. A. Sholokhov rises like a mountain range, becoming the pinnacle of domestic and world literature. Sholokhov created a gallery of images. Which, in their expressiveness and artistic value, stand on a par with the wonderful images of the world classics of all times.”

G. M. Markov

“Like a steppe flower, the stories of Comrade Sholokhov stand out like a living spot. It’s just vivid and you feel what is being told – it’s right before your eyes. Figurative language, that colorful language that the Cossacks speak. Compressed, and this compression is full of life, tension and truth.
There is a sense of proportion in acute moments, and that is why they permeate. The enormous significance of what he talks about.
Subtle grasping eye. The ability to select the most characteristic from many signs.
He (Sholokhov) is strong, first of all, as a major realist artist, deeply truthful, courageous, not afraid of the most acute situations, unexpected collisions of people and events... A huge, truthful writer. And... God knows how talented..."

A. S. Serafimovich

“...I will name the name of Mikhail Sholokhov, dear to all of us! In his works we see diamond deposits of Russian speech. Not found in dictionaries, not stolen from dusty tomes, but taken by the writer from the very master of the language - from the people - that’s what this word is!
With his mother's milk, the writer absorbed the techniques of folk art and brought them into Russian artistic speech. That is why they amaze with their courage and artistic power.
I think that the creative path of Mikhail Sholokhov, his daily communication with his heroes, unity with the life of the people in all its directions - this is the only correct path for a real writer.”

S. N. Sergeev-Tsensky

“The book ("Quiet Don") was a huge success from the very beginning. We all read it then. It reached a wide range of readers. This was the case everywhere in the West. To many of us it seemed not only the first great novel written in Soviet times, but also a great novel in general...”

Charles Snow

“A remarkable phenomenon of our literature is Mikhail Sholokhov. In “Quiet Don” he unfolded an epic, rich in the smells of the earth, picturesque canvas from the life of the Don Cossacks. But this does not limit the larger theme of the novel. “Quiet Don” in language, warmth, humanity, plasticity is an all-Russian, national, folk work.
He came to literature with the theme of the birth of a new society in the throes and tragedies of social struggle.”

A. N. Tolstoy

“Take what a monstrous grasp of life Sholokhov has. You can directly say that when you read it, you experience real creative envy, a desire to steal a lot - it’s so good. You see that this is truly great and unique.”

A. A. Fadeev

“...M. Sholokhov is the undisputed and greatest writer. He knows the most hidden movements of human souls with great skill, and he seriously knows how to show it. Even his most random heroes, whose lives began and ended on the same page, remain in your memory for a long time...
But in every case, in my opinion, “Quiet Don” occupies first place in Soviet literature.”

V. Ya. Shishkov

Audio-video materials about M. A. Sholokhov,
available in the fund of the MUK Myasnikovsky district “MCB”:

Feature films based on works:

Screen adaptation of the works of M. A. Sholokhov:

1. Quiet Don (TV) (2006), novel.
2. Born Free (TV) (2005), story.
3. They fought for their homeland (1975), novel.
4. In the azure steppe (1970), short stories.
5. Unrequested love (1964), short story.
6. The Don Tale (1964), short stories.
7. “When the Cossacks cry” (1963 ).
8. "Nakhalenok" (1961), novel.
9. “Virgin Soil Upturned” (1959), novel.
10. "Foal" (1959), short story.
11. "The Fate of Man" (1959), short story.
12. "Shepherd" (TV) (1957), story.
13. "Quiet Don" (1957), novel.
14. "Virgin Soil Upturned" (1939 ).
15. "Quiet Don" (1931 ).

Publications about M. A. Sholokhov,
(from periodicals 2009-2010,
available in the fund of the MUK Myasnikovsky district "MCB"):

1. Bakhtiyarova, O. Problems, concepts, approaches [Text]: [about the International scientific and practical conference “Sholokhov Readings”, held in the village of Veshenskaya (Rostov region)] / O. Bakhtiyarova // Culture of the Don. – 2009. – Oct. (No. 10). – P. 4.
2. Bakhtiyarova, O. 105 candles floated down the river [Text]: [about the 25th anniversary of the “Sholokhov Spring” in the village of Karginskaya (Bokovsky district)] / O. Bakhtiyarova // Our time. – 2010. – May 25. – P. 2.
3. Bessmertnykh, E. A. Equally great in everything [Text]: on the creation of the “Sholokhov Encyclopedia” [Text] / E. A. Bessmertnykh // Don. – 2009. – No. 11-12. – pp. 229-236.
4. Gubanov, G. Songs of the “Quiet Don” [Text] / G. Gubanov // Hammer. – 2010. – April 2. – P. 5.
5. Gubanov, G. Front-line roads of Mikhail Sholokhov [Text]: [about the chronicle of the service of the Don writer in the army during the Great Patriotic War of 1941-1945] / G. Gubanov // Hammer. – 2010. – April 9. – P. 6, 11.
6. Gurzhieva, I. Temple where Sholokhov was baptized [Text]: [about the lost St. Nicholas Church in the Kruzhilinsky farm, Sholokhov district] / I. Gurzhieva // Culture of the Don. – 2009. – No. 2 (March). – P. 3.
7. Davydenko, V. “Mikhail Alexandrovich, thank you for reading” [Text]: [about the archive of documents of A. Zimovnov, who was the personal secretary of the writer M. A. Sholokhov] / V. Davydenko // Rossiyskaya Gazeta. – 2009. – March 5-11. – P. 21.
8. Dzhichoeva, E. That memorable summer [Text]: [about the filming of the film “They Fought for the Motherland”] / E. Dzhichoeva // Culture of the Don. – 2009. – No. 7 (July). – P. 3, 4.
9. Ivanov, Yu. In an ambush on Sholokhov [Text]: [about the filming of the film “Veshenskaya Land” directed by Yuri Kalugin with the participation of Mikhail Aleksandrovich Sholokhov] / Yu. Ivanov // Our time. – 2009. – May 29. – P. 4.
10. Ivanov, Yu. The bitter truth of war. History with photographs [Text]: [about the film “They Fought for the Motherland,” filmed by director Sergei Bondarchuk based on the work of M. A. Sholokhov] / Yu. Ivanov // Our time. – 2010. – May 21. – P. 14.
11. Ivanov, Yu. Cinema about cinema [Text]: [about the beginning of filming by a group of filmmakers from the Alex-film company (Moscow) in the Upper Don of a documentary film about the filming of a feature film based on the novel by M. A. Sholokhov “They Fought for the Motherland” ] / Yu. Ivanov // Our time. – 2009. – September 9. – P. 1, 2.
12. Ivanov, Yu. Case in the Veshensky forestry [Text]: [about the forester V.F. Perevertkin from the village of Veshenskaya, Sholokhov district] / Yu. Ivanov // Our time. – 2009. – January 13. – P. 2.
13. Karbysheva, E. “Come in, dear guests!” [Text]: [from the history of the State Museum-Reserve of M. A. Sholokhov, on the 15th anniversary of the opening of the writer’s house-estate] / E. Karbysheva // Hammer. – 2009. – February 20. – P. 6.
14. Karbysheva, E., The reality of “Quiet Don” [Text]: [about the prototypes of some heroes of the novel by M. A. Sholokhov] / E. Karbysheva // Don. – 2009. – No. 1-2. – pp. 185-189.
15. Kisel, N. Sholokhovedenie today [Text] / N. Kisel // Don. – 2009. – No. 1-2. – pp. 252-255.
16. Kotovskov, V. Ya. Young guests of Sholokhov (From the Veshensky notebook) [Text]: [the author recalls the meeting of M. A. Sholokhov with cosmonaut Yu. Gagarin and a group of writers] / V. Ya. Kotovskov // Hammer. – 2010. – May 21. – P. 6.
17. Kuznetsova, N. Pages of half a century of friendship [Text]: [about friendship and joint creative activity of M. A. Sholokhov and director-cameraman L. B. Mazrukho] / N. Kuznetsova // Culture of the Don. – 2009. – No. 5 (May). – P. 1, 3.
18. The Museum of M. A. Sholokhov will grow with a mill [Text]: [about plans for the further development of the State Museum-Reserve of M. A. Sholokhov (Sholokhovsky district)] // Evening Rostov. – 2009. – October 2. – P. 4.
19. Olenev, A. Our Southern Federal University alone will not bear two Nobel laureates at once [Text]: [continuation of the discussion of the issue of naming the Southern Federal University named after M.A. Sholokhov or A.I. Solzhenitsyn] / A. Olenev // Evening Rostov. – 2009. – February 10. – P. 2.
20. Olenev, A. “Quiet Don” returns to its homeland after 80 years [Text]: [a facsimile edition of the manuscript of the novel “Quiet Don” was donated to the State Museum-Reserve of M. A. Sholokhov] / A. Olenev // Evening Rostov . – 2009. – May 15. – P. 9.
21. Olenev, A. A quarter of a century without Sholokhov [Text]: [review] / A. Olenev // Evening Rostov. – 2009. – February 20. – P. 4.
22. Osipov, V., Mirror of errors and biases. discussions about L. Saraskina’s book “Alexander Solzhenitsyn” [Text]: (about the relationship between M. A. Sholokhov and A. I. Solzhenitsyn) / V. Osipov // Don. – 2009. – No. 7-8. – pp. 247-252.
23. Osipov, V. How Sholokhov defended Akhmatova [Text]: [about the writer’s attitude to Soviet power and assistance to disgraced writers] / V. Osipov // Rossiyskaya Gazeta. – 2010. – May 21. – P. 1, 9.
24. Perminova, N., Chursina came to star in “The Don Tale” in a miniskirt [Text]: [about the filming of the feature film “The Don Tale” based on the works of M. A. Sholokhov] / N. Perminova // Evening Rostov. – 2009. – September 25. – P. 4.
25. Skobtseva, I. How “The Fate of a Man” connected the biographies of Mikhail Sholokhov and Sergei Bondarchuk [Text]: [interview with the wife of an outstanding director about her husband’s friendship with a genius writer] / I. Skobtseva // Evening Rostov. – 2009. – May 22. – P. 4.
26. Stepanenko, L. The secret power of the Spur spring [Text]: [about the Spur spring, located in the village of Veshenskaya, Sholokhov district (Rostov region)] / L. Stepanenko // Culture of the Don. – 2009. – No. 12 (Dec.). – P. 4.

To help librarians ( scripts) :

1. Emelyanova, I. N. National pride of Russia [Text]: [literary and musical evening dedicated to the 95th anniversary of the birth of M. A. Sholokhov] / I. N. Emelyanova // Read, learn, play. – 2005. - No. 3. - P. 22-24.
2. Kashirina, I. N. The writer and his heroes [Text]: [intellectual game based on the biography and works of M. A. Sholokhov] / I. N. Kashirina // Read, learn, play. – 2005. - No. 3. - P. 25-27.
3. Koroleva, A. T. The story of one dedication [Text]: [scenario of a literary evening for high school students, dedicated to the 95th anniversary of the great Russian writer M. Sholokhov] / A. T. Koroleva // Read, learn, play. – 2000. - No. 2. - P. 52-54.
4. Kubrakova, T.K. Singer of the Quiet Don: a look through time [Text]: [portrait evening for young people dedicated to the 95th anniversary of the birth of M.A. Sholokhov] / T.K. Kubrakova // Read, learn , let's play. – 2000. - No. 2. - P. 43-47.
5. Makarova, B. A. The fate of a person [Text]: [script of a literary and musical composition for high school students, about the life and work of M. A. Sholokhov] / B. A. Makarova // Read, learn, play. – 2010. - No. 2. - P. 48-55.
6. Osipov, V. The greatness and tragedy of M. Sholokhov [Text] // Library. – 1994. - No. 12. - P. 20-24; Library. – 1995. - No. 1. – P. 54-58.
7. Cherepanova, T. V. On the light of the writer [Text]: [theatrical evening for high school students and adults, dedicated to the 95th anniversary of the birth of M. A. Sholokhov] / T. V. Cherepanova // Read, learn, play . – 2000. - No. 2. - P. 48-51.

Sources:

1. Aphorisms of the Nobel Prize laureates in literature [Text] / comp. A. P. Andrievsky. – Mn.: Modern writer, 2000. – 448 p. – (Classical philosophical thought).
2. In the world of wise thoughts [Text] / author. -composition A. O. Davtyan. – St. Petersburg: Neva, 2001. – 608 p. – (Encyclopedia).
3. Veshensky Bulletin [Text]: collection. Art. and doc. / State Museum-Reserve of M. A. Sholokhov. – 2004. – No. 4. – Rostov n/D: Rostizdat. - 20 cm. – 255 pp.: ill., portrait.
4. Veshensky Bulletin [Text]: collection. Art. and doc. / State Museum-Reserve of M. A. Sholokhov. – 2005. – No. 5. – Rostov n/D: Rostizdat. – 287 p.: ill. - In the back. See also: Feder. agency for culture and cinematography. – (100th anniversary of the birth of M. A. Sholokhov). – Bibliography at the end of Art.
5. Veshensky Bulletin [Text]: collection. Art. and doc. / State Museum-Reserve M.A. Sholokhov. – 2006. – No. 6. – Rostov n/D: Rostizdat. – 208 p.: ill. - In the back. See also: Feder. agency for culture and cinematography. – Bibliography at the end of Art.
6. Russian wars of the twentieth century in the image of M. A. Sholokhov [Text] / Fund named after. M. A. Sholokhova (Rostov regional department); State Museum-Reserve of M. A. Sholokhov; Rostov State University; resp. ed. N. I. Glushkov. – Rostov n/a: Publishing house of the Rostov state. University, 1996. – 214 p. – (Sholokhov readings).
7. Voronov, V. Genius of Russia [Text]: pages of the biography of M. A. Sholokhov / V. Voronov. – Rostov n/d: Color printing, 1995. – 160 p.: ill.
8. Glushkov, N. I. Realism of M. Sholokhov [Text] / N. I. Glushkov. – Rostov n/d, 1997. – 60 p.
9. The pride of the trampled Cossacks [Text]: (collection of articles and essays from publications of Russian and Cossack countries abroad) / comp. K. N. Khokhulnikov. – Rostov n/a: Non-profit foundation “Cossack Abroad”, 2005. – 172, p., l. ill.: ill. ; 20 cm. – (Cossack Abroad). – Bibliography sublinearly note
10. Gubanov, G.V. Sholokhov: moments of life [Text] / G.V. Gubanov. – Bataysk: Bataysk book. publishing house, 2003. – 448 pp.: ill. – (To the 100th anniversary of his birth). – (in translation).
11. Gubanov, G.V. Sholokhov M.A.: moments of life [Text] / G.V. Gubanov. – Bataysk: Bataysk Book Publishing House, 2001. – 416 p.
12. Gura, V.V. How “Quiet Don” was created [Text]: Creative history of the novel by M. Sholokhov / V.V. Gura; 2nd ed., corrected. and additional – M.: Soviet writer, 1989. – 464 p.
13. Egorov, N. M. Masters [Text]: Memories of writers / N. M. Egorov. – Rostov n/d: New book, 2005. – 80 p.
14. Zimovnov, A. A. Sholokhov in life [Text]: Diary notes of the secretary / A. A. Zimovnov; 2nd ed., corrected. and additional – Rostov n/d: Rostizdat LLC, 2005. – 272 p.
15. First hand. A Word about Sholokhov [Text] [collection] / Region. society fund for supporting writers and writers of the Don; comp.: A. F. Boyko and others; resp. ed. E. A. Ryabtsev]. – Rostov n/d: Literary fund, 2005. – 272 pp.: portrait, ill., fax. ; 21 cm. – (The genius of Russian literature is 100 years old). – On the 242nd p. two manuscripts corrections. – (in translation).
16. Kalinin, A.V. Requiem [Text]: In memory of M.A. Sholokhov: poem / Anatoly V. Kalinin. – Rostov n/d: South: ViV LLC, 2003. – 18 p.
17. Koryagin, S. “Quiet Don”: black spots. How the history of the Cossacks was mutilated [Text] / S. Koryagin. – M.: Yauza: Eksmo, 2006. – 516 p. - (Quiet Don).
18. Kotovskov, V. Ya. World of Sholokhov: Pages from the diary [Text]: articles / Vladlen Yakovlevich Kotovskov. – Rostov n/d: Rostizdat, 2005. – 255 p.; 21 cm. – (To the 100th anniversary of the birth of M. A. Sholokhov). – (in translation).
19. Kotovskov, V. Ya. Glorious names of native literature [Text]: articles / Vladlen Yakovlevich Kotovskov. – Rostov n/d: Rostizdat, 2006. – 335 p.; 21 cm. – Bibliography. sublinearly note – (in translation).
20. Kuznetsov, F. F. “Quiet Don” [Text]: the fate and truth of the great novel / Felix Feodosievich Kuznetsov; Ross. acad. Sciences, Institute of World Lit. them. A. M. Gorky. – M.: IMLI RAS, 2005. – 863 p., l. fax, portrait: ill., portrait; 25 cm. – Bibliography. in note at the end of ch. - Name. decree: p. 844-859. – (in translation).
21. Azure region [Text]: collection of works. participants of the region liter. competition named after M. Sholokhova. – Rostov n/d: Publication of the magazine “Don”, 2005. – 319 p. – (in translation). – ISBN 5-85216-056-3.
22. Lugovoy, P.K. About Sholokhov [Text]: memories and reflections of the Lugovoy family / P. Petr Kuzmich Lugovoy, E. Lugovoy, V. Lugovoy. – Rostov n/d: Rostizdat, 2005. – 478, p.: ill., portrait; 21 cm. – (To the 100th anniversary of the birth of M.A. Sholokhov). – Bibliography: p. 435-437 (31 titles). – (in translation).
23. People of the Don Land [Text]: [album-catalog] / [author-comp. T. N. Abramova, V. A. Goloshubova, T. I. Konevskaya and others; S. I. Vasilyeva (chief editor) and others; photographer E. Pashin]. – Rostov n/d: Omega-Print, 2008. – 272 p.: ill. – pp. 238-239.
24. Mikhail Sholokhov in memoirs, diaries, letters and articles of contemporaries. Book 2. 1941-1984 [Text] / comp., intro. Art., commentary, note. V. V. Petelina. – M.: Sholokhov Center MGOPU named after. M. A. Sholokhova, 2005. – 972 p.
25. Wisdom of Russia [Text] / author-comp. A. Yu. Kozhevnikov, T. B. Lindberg. – St. Petersburg: Neva, 2005. – 544 p.
26. On the Veshensky land: About the native land of Mikhail Alexandrovich Sholokhov [Text] / comp. V. M. Baklanov. – Rostov n/d: Rostov book publishing house, 1983. – 544 p.
26. Unfading feat: Don front-line writers [Text]: To the 60th anniversary of Victory in the Great Patriotic War. - Rostov n/d: New book, 2005. – 88 p.
27. Osipov, V. O. The secret life of Mikhail Sholokhov... [Text]: document. Chronicle without legends / Valentin Osipovich Osipov. – M.: Liberea: Raritet, 1995. – 415 p. – (in translation).
28. Osipov, V. O. Sholokhov [Text] / Valentin Osipovich Osipov; [Federal target program “Culture of Russia”]. – M.: Young Guard, 2005. – 627, p., l. ill., portrait; 21 cm. – (Life of remarkable people: ZhZL: a series of biographies / founded in 1890 by F. Pavlenkov and continued in 1933 by M. Gorky; issue 1139 (939). – On the front: 100 years since the birth of Mikhail Alexandrovich Sholokhov . – Bibliography: p. 623. – (in translation).
29. Singer of the Don Land [Text]: a book for reading for younger schoolchildren about the life and work of M. A. Sholokhov / [author-comp. Taisiya Andreevna Butenko]. – Rostov n/d: BARO-PRESS, 2005. – 239 p.: ill. – (To the 100th anniversary of the birth of M. A. Sholokhov).
30. Petelin, V.V. Life of Sholokhov. The tragedy of the Russian genius [Text] / V. V. Petelin. – M.: Tsentrpoligraf, 2002. – 895 p. – (Immortal names).
31. Writers of the Don [Text]: Bio-bibliographic collection / comp. G. G. Tyaglenko. – Rostov n/a: Book. publishing house, 1976. – 288 pp.: ill. – pp. 23-26.
32. Priyma, K. I. On par with the century [Text]: Articles about the work of M. A. Sholokhov / K. I. Priyma. – Rostov n/a: Book. publishing house, 1979. – 144 p.: ill.
33. Semanov, S. “Quiet Don”: “white spots”. The true history of the main book of the 20th century [Text] / S. Semanov. – M.: Yauza: Eksmo, 2006. – 416 p. – (Our series).
34. Semenova, S. G. The world of Mikhail Sholokhov’s prose. From poetics to worldview [Text] / Russian Academy of Sciences; Institute of World Literature named after. A. M. Gorky; Svetlana Grigorievna Semenova. – M.: IMLI RAS, 2005. – 352 p.
35. Sivovolov, G. Ya. Mikhail Sholokhov. Biography pages [Text] / G. Ya. Sivovolov. – Rostov n/d: Rostov book publishing house, 1995. – 350 p. – (in translation).
36. Stepanenko, L. G. Sholokhov’s descriptions of nature. Landscapes of the Master and the Explorer [Text]: popular science edition. / L. G. Stepanenko; Dedicated to the 100th anniversary of the writer. – Rostov n/d: Bagir LLC, 2003. – 96 p.: ill.
37. “Quiet Don”: Lessons of the novel [Text]: On the global significance of the novel by M. A. Sholokhov / K. I. Priyma. – Rostov n/a: Book. publishing house, 1981. – 244 pp.: ill.
38. Sholokhov in photographs by Nikolai Kochnev [Text]: (1960-1970s): [album-catalogue] / [author-comp. N. G. Kochnev]. – M.: Princely Island LLC, 2005. – 272 p.: ill. – pp. 238-239.
39. Sholokhov, M. M. About my father [Text]: essays-memoirs of different years / M. M. Sholokhov. – M.: Soviet writer, 2004. – 232 p.: ill.
40. The Sholokhov Age [Text]: dedicated to the 100th anniversary of the birth of M. A. Sholokhov / [State Museum-Reserve of M. A. Sholokhov; photographer K. G. Pashinyan]. – Rostov n/d: Omega Publisher, 2005. – 272 p.: ill.

Mikhail Aleksandrovich Sholokhov (1905 -1984) [Text]: (on the 105th anniversary of his birth): biobibliographic almanac / Myasnikovsky’s MUK “MTsB”; compiler: M. A. Yavruyan; selection of materials: V. A. Bzezyan. – Chaltyr: MUK MR “MCB”, 2010. – 28 p.

Mikhail Sholokhov was born on May 11 (24), 1905 in the Kruzhilin farmstead (now Rostov region) in the family of an employee of a trading enterprise.

The first education in Sholokhov’s biography was received in Moscow during the First World War. Then he studied at a gymnasium in the Voronezh province in the city of Boguchar. Having arrived in Moscow to continue his education and not being admitted, he was forced to change many working specialties in order to feed himself. At the same time, in the life of Mikhail Sholokhov there was always time for self-education.

The beginning of a literary journey

His works were first published in 1923. Creativity has always played an important role in Sholokhov’s life. After publishing feuilletons in newspapers, the writer publishes his stories in magazines. In 1924, the newspaper “Young Leninist” published the first of Sholokhov’s series of Don stories, “The Birthmark.” Later, all the stories from this cycle were combined into three collections: “Don Stories” (1926), “Azure Steppe” (1926) and “About Kolchak, Nettles and Others” (1927).

Creativity flourishes

Sholokhov became widely famous for his work about the Don Cossacks during the war - the novel “Quiet Don” (1928-1932).

Over time, this epic became popular not only in the USSR, but also in Europe and Asia, and was translated into many languages.

Another famous novel by M. Sholokhov is “Virgin Soil Upturned” (1932-1959). This novel about the times of collectivization in two volumes received the Lenin Prize in 1960.

From 1941 to 1945, Sholokhov worked as a war correspondent. During this time, he wrote and published several stories and essays (“The Science of Hate” (1942), “On the Don”, “Cossacks” and others).
Sholokhov’s famous works are also: the story “The Fate of a Man” (1956), the unfinished novel “They Fought for the Motherland” (1942-1944, 1949, 1969).

It is worth noting that an important event in the biography of Mikhail Sholokhov in 1965 was the receipt of the Nobel Prize in Literature for the epic novel “Quiet Don”.

last years of life

Since the 60s, Sholokhov practically stopped studying literature and loved to devote time to hunting and fishing. He donated all his awards to charity (the construction of new schools).
The writer died on February 21, 1984 from cancer and was buried in the courtyard of his house in the village of Veshenskaya on the banks of the Don River.

Chronological table

Other biography options

Biography test

Almost no one can answer all the questions on the test, so check your knowledge of Sholokhov’s short biography.

The work of the famous Don writer Mikhail Sholokhov began with his writing short stories that reflected everything that the writer saw or experienced himself. His first collections were “Azure Steppe” and “Don Stories”. In these stories, Sholokhov depicts everything that happened in his era, when the tragic and terrible events of the post-revolutionary period took place: a person could not find himself, there was a lot of death and violence.

History of the collection

Sholokhov began writing “Don Stories” (a summary of the chapters will be presented in this article) in 1923. Then he was still a young and inexperienced writer. It is known that initially all the stories were published separately, and only in 1926 they were published as a separate book.

Sholokhov republished his collection in 1931. During this time, the number of stories in it changed: initially there were nineteen, but in the second edition there were already twenty-seven. After this, the book was no longer published for twenty-five years.

Collection structure

The collection “Don Stories” by Sholokhov (a brief summary will be presented below) consists of nineteen works. This collection begins with the story “Birthmark,” which is the epigraph to the entire work. The second author placed his work “The Shepherd”, where he shows how helpless a person can be. A world of cows struck by plague. The shepherd and those who come to help are unable to stop the epidemic.

The third story is “Food Commissar”, which is usually the one that readers most often choose to read. Subsequent works are usually known to readers: “Shibalkovo Seed”, “Alyoshka’s Heart”, “Melon Plant”, “The Path is a Little Road”, “Nakhalenok” and others. In the story "Kolovert" the author shows how complex and difficult the fate of the peasants is.

The collection “Don Stories” by Sholokhov (a summary of chapters and parts will be presented below) also includes the following works: “Family Man”, “Chairman of the Revolutionary Military Council of the Republic”, “Crooked Stitch”, “Resentment”, “Mortal Enemy”, “ Foal", "Galoshes", "Wormhole" and "Azure Steppe". The last story in this Sholokhov cycle was the story “The Farmhands.” It tells about the fate of Fyodor, who at first was a farm laborer, and then decided to leave his owner.

Theme and idea of ​​the collection

The main and, probably, the only theme of the entire collection “Don Stories” by Sholokhov, a brief summary of which will be presented in this article, is a description of the life of the Don Cossacks. Before Mikhail Alexandrovich, there were already writers in classical literature who tried to imagine the life and way of life of the Don Cossacks. But Sholokhov did it truthfully and honestly, because he himself grew up and lived among them. Therefore, he did not need to study their life, he knew it perfectly.

In each of his stories in the collection, the author tries to show the main idea: there is nothing more important than educating the younger generation in the traditions of the older one. Once you destroy the old world with blood and death, then it will be difficult to rise and wash yourself from it.

Characteristics of the heroes of “Don Stories”

The heroes of the collection of “Don Stories” by Sholokhov, a brief summary of which will be of interest to both schoolchildren and adults, are most often people who really existed. These real characters, about whom Mikhail Alexandrovich wrote, lived in the village of Kargin near the village of Veshenskaya, Rostov region. But, undoubtedly, the author uses both fiction and means of expression to create a more complete feeling for the reader of the story he is telling.

Sholokhov's heroes have to go through the trials of death, blood and hunger, so most often they are strong personalities. In Sholokhov’s stories, all Cossacks can be divided into two types. The first is the older generation, which is completely immersed in tradition. They think about family well-being. There are a majority of such Cossacks in Sholokhov’s stories. The second, shown by Mikhail Sholokhov in “Don Stories,” a summary of which is in this article, is represented by young and active Cossacks. They are trying to destroy the structure that has developed over the years.

M.A. Sholokhov “Don Stories”: a summary of the chapter “Aleshkin’s Heart”

The main character of the story is a small boy who was barely fourteen years old. But in terms of his physical development, he is weak and does not look his age at all. And all this because his family has been starving for a long time. His close relatives died from malnutrition: his mother and sister. Alexey is trying to fight for life, but it is difficult for him, since his sister was simply killed because of the stew. Alexey saw how people ceased to be humane and humane, and this scared him.

The story of the death of Alyosha’s sister is monstrous. The Polish woman was so hungry that she decided to break into someone else’s house to find at least some food. Makarchika, the owner of the hut, did not tolerate the thief and, swinging, hit him on the head with an iron. Because of this, Polka died. But this woman once bought a house from these children for just a mug of milk and a few handfuls of flour.

After the death of his sister, Leshka had been on hunger strike for five months. But he still tried to withstand the test and survive. He had nowhere to go: the house was sold, and the boy suffered from the cold. Then he went to work as a hired worker, but here he received nothing except beatings. Leshka died saving a child, whom the bandits wanted to hide behind.

The main character of this plot in Sholokhov’s collection “Don Stories” (the contents of the chapters are presented in the article) is Minka, who is already eight years old. He lives with his mother and grandfather. Because of his restless and restless character, everyone around him calls him not by his name, but by Nakhalenko. There is another meaning in the nickname: all the residents of the village know that he was born without a father, and that his mother was never married.

Soon the boy's father returns from the war. Before the war, Thomas was a local shepherd. Very quickly father and son become close. Soon Foma becomes the collective farm chairman. People from the food detachment appear in their village and demand that they give up the wheat. Minkin’s grandfather voluntarily gave the grain, but the pop neighbor did not want to do this. But Nakhalenok showed where the cache was. After this incident, the priest harbored a grudge against him, and all the village children stopped communicating with him.

Sholokhov “Don Stories”: a summary of the chapter “Family Man”

The main character of the story is Mikishara. He married early, and his wife gave him nine sons, but she soon died of fever. When Soviet power was established, the two eldest sons went to fight. And when Mikishara was forced to go to the front, he found his son Danila among the prisoners. And the first one hit him. And he died from the sergeant’s second blow. For the death of his son, Mikishara was promoted in rank.

In the spring, the captive Ivan was also brought. The Cossacks beat him for a long time, and then the father was ordered to take his son to headquarters. On the way, the son asked to escape. At first Mikishara let him go, but when the young man ran, his father shot him in the back and killed him.

The main content of the story “Alien Blood”

An elderly couple once picked up a soldier who was seriously wounded. Before this, a tragedy happened in their family - their son died. Therefore, while nursing the wounded man, they became attached to him as if he were their son. But when the soldier recovered and became a little stronger, despite his affection, he still returned to the city. Grandfather Gabriel worried for a long time, but still Peter turned out to be a stranger.

Then the comrade sends the young man a letter from the Urals, where Peter himself once lived. He invites him to come and together restore the enterprise where they once worked together. The final parting scene is tragic. The old man asks the young man to tell the old woman that he will return. But after Peter left, the road along which he left simply collapsed. And this is symbolic. The author tried to show the reader that the wounded soldier would never return to their farm again.

Analysis of stories

“Don Stories” by Sholokhov, a summary of which can be found in this article, is quite realistic. In them, the author tries to talk about the war, but does it truthfully. There is no romance in what is happening on Grazhdanskaya, and Sholokhov openly states this. But the Don writer sees beauty in something else, showing how beautiful the Cossack people are, their speech, life and way of life.

Mikhail Alexandrovich created his stories so that the reader could think about the meaning of life, what war brings and what every person does to ensure that it does not happen again. Therefore, these Sholokhov works are also relevant for modern society.

It is worth reading them, since Sholokhov in “Don Stories,” a summary of which is presented in this article, demonstrates the main and important lesson that we must not forget the history that was created by death and blood. The author constantly reminds the reader that in any situation it is necessary to remain human.

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The audiobook offered to your attention includes several stories by Mikhail Aleksandrovich Sholokhov from the Don cycle, masterfully read by his fellow countryman Igor Georgievich Taradaikin. Mikhail Sholokhov was a witness and participant in the bloody events of the civil war, swept our country at the beginning of the twentieth century. The attitude of the Cossacks to the revolution, the difficulty of choosing the right side and the need to take up arms against their brothers - all this was experienced by the writer himself. The stories included in the collection - “Birthmark”, “Kolovert”, “Family Man”, “Alien Blood” - are dry, unemotional and therefore incredibly reliable stories of the lives of different people who fell under the merciless wheels of revolutionary changes. Even death is depicted with extreme ordinariness, in which one feels the incredible tragedy of the time, where death is familiar and unremarkable.... Further

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  The audiobook offered to your attention includes most of the stories from the Don cycle of Mikhail Aleksandrovich Sholokhov, performed by Honored Artist of the Russian Federation Vladimir Levashev. Mikhail Sholokhov was a witness and participant in the bloody events of the civil war that swept our country at the beginning of the twentieth century. The attitude of the Cossacks to the revolution, the difficulty of choosing the right side and the need to take up arms against their brothers - all this was experienced by the writer himself. Alyoshka's heart Bakhchevnik Two-husband's Foal Crooked stitch Azure steppe Nakhalyonok About the Don Food Committee and the misadventures of Deputy Don Food Commissar Comrade Ptitsyn About Kolchak, nettles and other things Shepherd Chairman of the Revolutionary Military Council of the Republic Food Commissar Path-road Mortal enemy Wormhole Shibalkov's seed... Further

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  Many generations of readers know Mikhail Alexandrovich Sholokhov primarily as the author of the popularly beloved novel “Quiet Don” and such works as “Don Stories”, “They Fought for the Motherland”, “The Fate of a Man”. In 1965, the writer was awarded the Nobel Prize Prize for literature “for the artistic strength and integrity of the epic about the Don Cossacks at a turning point for Russia.” Sholokhov's novel “Virgin Soil Upturned” is one of the most famous works of Soviet literature. The communist Davydov comes to the village of Gremyachiy Log on instructions from the party. He is ready to begin collectivization, and he is supported by the chairman of the village council, Razmetnov, and the secretary of the party cell, Nagulnov, but all three encounter resistance from local residents. Sholokhov created a book that leaves a far from clear impression: the main characters of his novel are people who are undoubtedly honest and respectable, but at the same time obsessed with the idea of ​​collectivization (“the second Bolshevik revolution”), which for many turned out to be cruel and destructive.... Further

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  Mikhail Sholokhov's epic novel “Quiet Don” is one of the most significant, large-scale and talented works of Russian-language literature, which brought the author a Nobel Prize. The action of the novel takes place against the backdrop of the most important events in the history of Russia in the first half of the twentieth century - revolution and the Civil War, which changed not only the ancient way of life of the Don Cossacks, to which the main character Grigory Melekhov belongs, but also the fate and appearance of the entire country. In this grandiose work, there was a place for almost everything that is most fascinating that fiction can offer the reader: here are great historical realities, love affairs, and descriptions of long-vanished ways of life, numerous heroic and tragic events created with great artistic power and mastery, all the more astonishing because Mikhail Sholokhov was just over twenty years old at the time of creating the first part of the novel.... Further

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  In this book you will read the short story “The Fate of Man” and “Don Stories”. “The Fate of Man” (1956–1957) is a poignant story about the times of the Great Patriotic War. One of the first works of Soviet literature in which the war is shown truthfully and clearly. Captivity, German concentration camps, escape, return to the front, loss of loved ones, difficult post-war times, an attempt to find a soul mate, to escape loneliness. The story was filmed by Sergei Bondarchuk, who also played the main role in it - the film by the aspiring director received the main prize at the Moscow Film Festival in 1959. “Don Stories” (1924–1926) is a collection of six stories describing the events of the Civil War. Although the scene of action remains the Don, with its special flavor and specific Cossack spirit, it is obvious that the events in these short stories can be projected onto the whole of Russia - the war reveals feelings, it is in such a bloody time, when the boundaries of what is permissible are erased, that it becomes clearer who was able to save dignity and to remain Human and who is not.... Further