Mikhail Aleksandrovich Sholokhov was born on May 24, 1905 in the Kruzhilina farm of the village of Vyoshenskaya, Donetsk district of the Don Army region (now Sholokhov district of the Rostov region).
Sholokhov's mother, Anastasia Chernikova, was a Chernigov peasant woman, an orphan, before her marriage she served as a maid for a landowner in the village of Vyoshenskaya and was forcibly married to the Don Cossack Kuznetsov. She left him, having fallen in love with Alexander Sholokhov, who did not belong to the Cossacks, was from the Ryazan province, served as a clerk at a commercial enterprise, and in Soviet times was in charge of the Karginsk procurement office of the Don Food Committee. Initially, their illegitimate son Mikhail was registered in the surname of his mother’s official husband. Only after Kuznetsov’s death in 1912 were the parents able to get married, Mikhail was “adopted” by his real father and received the surname Sholokhov.
In 1910, the Sholokhov family moved to the Kargin farm, where at the age of seven Mikhail was accepted into a men's parish school. In 1914-1918 he studied at men's gymnasiums in Moscow, Boguchar and Vyoshenskaya.
In 1920-1922, Sholokhov worked as an employee in the village revolutionary committee, a teacher to eliminate illiteracy among adults in the village of Latyshev, a clerk in the procurement office of the Don Food Committee in the village of Karginskaya, and a tax inspector in the village of Bukanovskaya.
As part of a food detachment, he traveled to farmsteads, obtaining bread according to the surplus appropriation system. http://dic.academic.ru/dic.nsf/es/64544
At the same time, Sholokhov took part in the handwritten newspaper "New World", played in performances of the Karginsky People's House, for which he anonymously composed the plays "General Pobedonostsev" and "An Extraordinary Day".
In October 1922, he moved to Moscow, where he worked as a loader, mason, and accountant in the housing administration on Krasnaya Presnya. At the same time, he attended classes at the Young Guard literary association.
In December 1924, his story “Mole” was published in the newspaper “Young Leninist”, which opened the cycle of Don stories: “Shepherd”, “Ilyukha”, “Foal”, “Azure Steppe”, “Family Man” and others. They were published in Komsomol periodicals, and then compiled three collections, “Don Stories” and “Azure Steppe” (both 1926) and “About Kolchak, Nettles and Others” (1927). “Don Stories” was read in manuscript by Sholokhov’s fellow countryman, writer Alexander Serafimovich, who wrote the preface to the collection.
In 1925, the writer began to create the novel "Quiet Don" about the dramatic fate of the Don Cossacks during the First World War and the Civil War. During these years, he lived with his family in the village of Karginskaya, then in Bukanovskaya, and from 1926 - in Vyoshenskaya. In 1928, the first two books of the epic novel were published in the magazine "October". The release of the third book (sixth part) was delayed due to a rather sympathetic depiction of participants in the anti-Bolshevik Verkhnedon uprising of 1919. To release the book, Sholokhov turned to the writer Maxim Gorky, with the help of whom he obtained permission from Joseph Stalin to publish this part of the novel without cuts in 1932, and in 1934 he basically completed the fourth and final part, but began to rewrite it again, not without toughening ideological pressure. The seventh part of the fourth book was published in 1937-1938, the eighth - in 1940.
The work has been translated into many languages.
In 1932, the first book of his novel “Virgin Soil Upturned” about collectivization was published. The work was declared a perfect example of the literature of socialist realism and was soon included in all school curricula, becoming mandatory for study.
During the Great Patriotic War (1941-1945), Mikhail Sholokhov worked as a war correspondent for the Sovinformburo, the newspapers Pravda and Krasnaya Zvezda. He published front-line essays, the story "The Science of Hate" (1942), as well as the novel "They Fought for the Motherland" (1943-1944), which was conceived as a trilogy, but was not completed.
The writer donated the State Prize awarded in 1941 for the novel “Quiet Don” to the USSR Defense Fund, and at his own expense purchased four new rocket launchers for the front.
In 1956, his story “The Fate of Man” was published.
In 1965, the writer won the Nobel Prize in Literature "for the artistic strength and integrity of the epic about the Don Cossacks at a turning point for Russia." Sholokhov donated the prize for the construction of a school in his homeland - in the village of Vyoshenskaya, Rostov region.
In recent years, Mikhail Sholokhov has been working on the novel “They Fought for the Motherland.” At this time, the village of Veshenskaya became a place of pilgrimage. Sholokhov had visitors not only from Russia, but also from various parts of the world.
Sholokhov was engaged in social activities. He was a deputy of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR of the first through ninth convocations. Since 1934 - member of the board of the Union of Writers of the USSR. Member of the World Peace Council.
In the last years of his life, Sholokhov was seriously ill. He suffered two strokes, diabetes, then throat cancer.
On February 21, 1984, Mikhail Sholokhov died in the village of Veshenskaya, where he was buried on the banks of the Don.
The writer was an honorary doctor of philological sciences from the Universities of Rostov and Leipzig, and an honorary doctor of law from the University of St. Andrews in Scotland.
Since 1939 - full academician of the USSR Academy of Sciences.
Mikhail Sholokhov was twice awarded the title of Hero of Socialist Labor (1967, 1980). Laureate of the USSR State Prize (1941), Lenin Prize (1960), and Nobel Prize (1965). Among his awards are six Orders of Lenin, the Order of the October Revolution, the Order of the Patriotic War, 1st degree, medals “For the Defense of Moscow,” “For the Defense of Stalingrad,” and “For the Victory over Germany in the Great Patriotic War of 1941-1945.”
In 1984, in his homeland in the village of Vyoshenskaya, Rostov region, the State Museum-Reserve of M.A. Sholokhov.
Since 1985, the Sholokhov Spring, an All-Russian literary and folklore festival dedicated to the writer’s birthday, has been held annually in the village of Veshenskaya.
Since 1924, Mikhail Sholokhov was married to the daughter of the former Cossack ataman Maria Gromoslavskaya (1902-1992), who after her marriage worked as the writer’s personal secretary. The family had four children - Svetlana (born in 1926), Alexander (1930-1992), Mikhail (1935-2013) and Maria (born in 1938).
Svetlana is the scientific secretary of the M.A. Museum-Reserve. Sholokhova, after graduating from Leningrad University, she worked as a journalist in the magazine “Rabotnitsa” and other printed publications.
After graduating from the Timiryazev Academy, Alexander worked at the Nikitsky Botanical Garden in Yalta.
Mikhail graduated from the Faculty of Biology of Moscow State University named after M.V. Lomonosov and the Faculty of History and Philosophy of Rostov State University. For most of his life he was engaged in public activities, headed the Public Council under the Main Directorate of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia for the Rostov Region, organized the social-patriotic movement “Union of Cossacks of the Don Army Region” and was its first chieftain.
Maria graduated from the Faculty of Philology of Moscow State University named after M.V. Lomonosov, worked as a journalist in various print publications.
The writer’s grandson Alexander Mikhailovich Sholokhov is the director of the M.A. Museum-Reserve. Sholokhov.
Mikhail Alexandrovich 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. And this experience turned into “Don Stories” by Sholokhov, a brief summary of which we will consider in the article.
About the product
The stories included in the collection 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.
Sholokhov's Don Stories is left to the reader to draw conclusions. A summary of the work can serve as further evidence of this.
In total, the collection includes twenty stories, but we will consider only a few of them, since the scope of one article does not allow us to describe all of Sholokhov’s “Don Stories”. A brief summary of the three works will be given below.
"Food Commissioner"
The main character is Ignat Bodyagin, he is a food commissar (food commissar), that is, a person responsible for collecting and delivering the harvest to the state. He goes to his native village, from where his father kicked him out six years ago. Then Ignat stood up for the worker whom Bodyagin Sr. hit. Upon returning, the son learns that his father was sentenced to death for refusing to hand over bread. Among the Reds, Bodyagin Sr. recognizes Ignat and curses him, predicting that his grief will still be poured out on his son, because the Cossacks are coming to the village to exterminate Soviet power. They shoot him in front of his son Bodyagin Sr.
The discord between loved ones is perfectly conveyed by the summary. Sholokhov’s “Don Stories” is good because it reflects harsh reality without embellishment.
The Cossacks are approaching, the battle is approaching. Ignat and Teslenko, the commandant of the tribunal, are forced to stay late in order to have time to hand over the bread. An uprising begins in the village. Teslenko and Ignat are forced to flee. On the way, Bodyagin notices a child in a snowdrift. He takes the boy into his saddle. Now the horse is not going so fast, and the chase is getting closer.
Realizing that they will not be able to leave, Ignat and Teslenko tie the boy to the saddle, letting the horse gallop, while they themselves remain and die.
"Alyoshka's Heart": summary
Sholokhov’s “Don Stories” are valuable for their historicity. They allow you to relive and feel the terrible events of the past and now.
There has been drought and famine for two years now. Alyosha's family did not eat bread for five months. The boy manages to get some foal, and in the evening, having eaten too much, his sister dies. The girl is buried, but the dogs dig her up and eat her. Polya, Alyosha's older sister, climbs into the house of Makarchikha, a rich neighbor. He finds cabbage soup in the pot, eats his fill and falls asleep. The owner returns, kills her and throws out the body. The next night, Alyoshka himself climbs into Makarchikha’s place, she catches him and beats him.
Leshka’s mother dies, the boy runs away from home and ends up in a procurement office. Here he meets political committeeman Sinitsyn, who feeds the boy. Alyoshka gets a job and goes to the club to listen to books being read. Having learned where the boy disappears, the owner beats him.
Mikhail Sholokhov does not spare his heroes. “Don Stories” sometimes even seem unnecessarily cruel, but all this is because they depict a fierce time.
Alyoshka learns about the attack by bandits and warns Sinitsyn. At night, the Reds repulse the attack, and the bandits hide in the house. Alyosha is wounded by a grenade fragment, but the boy survives.
"Alien Blood"
This story completes “Don Stories” by M. Sholokhov. Grandfather Gavrila's only son, Peter, disappeared in the war against the Reds. A new government has come, and there is no one to help the old man with the housework.
In the spring, Gavrila and his old woman begin to plow the land, still hoping that their son will return. The old man orders him a sheepskin coat and boots and puts them in a chest.
Peter's colleague Prokhor returns. He talks about the death of a friend. Gavrila cannot believe it and goes to the steppe at night to call her son.
Food appropriation begins. They come to Gavrila to take the bread, he argues and is not going to give away what he has acquired through back-breaking labor. Then a Cossack drives up and shoots the food detachments. One of them remains alive, and the grandfather brings him to the hut. The old men are nursing the guy. He comes to his senses and is called Nikolai, but Gavrila and his wife call him Peter.
Nikolai-Peter gradually recovers, begins to help with the housework, Gavrila invites him to stay. But then a letter arrives from the factory where Nikolai grew up, and he leaves. There is no limit to the grief of old people who have again lost a son, even an adopted one.
Conclusion
Sholokhov’s “Don Stories” are tragic and joyless. The summary is excellent proof of this. There is too much death and human grief in these stories.
Mikhail Sholokhov is the greatest writer of the 20th century, the author of cult works (“Quiet Don”, “Virgin Soil Upturned”), which were published not only in the USSR, but also in foreign countries. Winner of the Nobel Prize in Literature. Mikhail Aleksandrovich Sholokhov was born on May 11 (24 according to the new style) in 1905 in the north of the Rostov region, in the picturesque village of Veshenskaya.
The future writer grew up and was raised as the only child in the family in a small house in the Kruzhilinsky farmstead, where commoner Alexander Mikhailovich Sholokhov and his wife Anastasia Danilovna lived. Due to the fact that Sholokhov’s father worked for hire and had no official income, the family often traveled from place to place.
Anastasia Danilovna is an orphan. Her mother came from a Cossack family, and her father came from serf peasants in the Chernigov province, and later moved to the Don. At the age of 12, she went to serve a certain landowner Popova and was married not out of love, but out of convenience, to the rich village ataman Kuznetsov. After the woman’s daughter was stillborn, she did an extraordinary thing for those times - she went to Sholokhov.
Anastasia Danilovna was an interesting young lady: she was original and illiterate, but at the same time she was naturally endowed with a sharp mind and insight. The writer’s mother learned to read and write only when her son entered the gymnasium, so that she could independently write letters to her child, without the help of her husband.
Mikhail Aleksandrovich was considered an illegitimate child (in the Don such children were called “nakhalenki”, and, it is worth saying, the Cossack guys did not like them), initially had the surname Kuznetsov and thanks to this he had the privilege of receiving a “Cossack” plot of land. But after the death of Anastasia Danilovna’s previous husband in 1912, the lovers were able to legitimize their relationship, and Mikhail became Sholokhov, the son of a tradesman.
Alexander Mikhailovich’s homeland is the Ryazan province, he comes from a wealthy dynasty: his grandfather was a merchant of the third guild, engaged in buying grain. Sholokhov Sr. worked as a cattle buyer and also sowed grain on Cossack lands. Therefore, there was enough money in the family; at least the future writer and his parents did not live from hand to mouth.
In 1910, the Sholokhovs left the Kruzhilinsky farm due to the fact that Alexander Mikhailovich went to serve a merchant in the village of Karginskaya, which is located in the Bokovsky district of the Rostov region. At the same time, the future writer studied preschool literacy; home teacher Timofey Mrykhin was invited for these purposes. The boy liked to pore over textbooks, he studied writing and learned to count.
Despite his diligence in his studies, Misha was mischievous and loved to play on the street with the neighboring boys from morning to evening. However, Sholokhov’s childhood and youth are reflected in his stories. He meticulously described what he had to observe, and what gave inspiration and endlessly pleasant memories: fields with golden rye, the breath of a cool breeze, the smell of freshly cut grass, the azure banks of the Don and much more - all this provided a basis for creativity.
Mikhail Sholokhov with his parents Mikhail Alexandrovich entered the Karginsky parish school in 1912. It is noteworthy that the young man’s teacher was Mikhail Grigorievich Kopylov, who became the prototype of the hero from the world famous “Quiet Don”. In 1914, he fell ill with eye inflammation, after which he went to the capital for treatment.
Three years later he was transferred to the Bogucharsky gymnasium for boys. Graduated from four classes. During his studies, the young man became engrossed in the works of the great classics, and especially adored the works of and.
In 1917, the seeds of revolution began to appear. Socialist ideas, and, which wanted to overthrow and get rid of the monarchical system, were not easy for the peasants and workers. The demands of the Bolshevik revolution were partially fulfilled, and the life of the common man changed before our eyes.
In 1917, Alexander Mikhailovich became the manager of a steam mill in the village of Elanskaya, in the Rostov region. In 1920, the family moved to the village of Karginskaya. It was there that Alexander Mikhailovich died in 1925.
As for the revolution, Sholokhov did not take part in it. He was not for the Reds and was indifferent to the Whites. I took the winning side. In 1930, Sholokhov received a party card and became a member of the All-Union Communist Bolshevik Party.
He showed his best side: he did not participate in counter-revolutionary movements, and had no deviations from the ideology of the party. Although there is a “black spot” in Sholokhov’s biography, at least the writer did not refute this fact: in 1922, Mikhail Alexandrovich, being a tax inspector, was sentenced to death for exceeding his official powers.
Later, the punishment was changed to a year of compulsory labor thanks to the cunning of the parents, who brought a fake birth certificate to the court so that Sholokhov could be tried as a minor. After this, Mikhail Alexandrovich wanted to become a student again and get a higher education. But the young man was not accepted into the preparatory courses at the workers' faculty, since he did not have the appropriate papers. Therefore, the fate of the future Nobel Prize laureate was such that he earned his living through hard physical labor.
Literature
Mikhail Alexandrovich began to write seriously in 1923; his creative career began with small feuilletons in the newspaper “Youthful Truth”. At that time, three satirical stories were published under the signature of Mich. Sholokhov: “Test”, “Three”, “Inspector”. The story by Mikhail Sholokhov, entitled “The Beast,” tells the story of the fate of food commissar Bodyagin, who, upon returning to his homeland, learned that his father was an enemy of the people. This manuscript was being prepared for publication in 1924, but the almanac “Molodogvardeets” did not consider it necessary to print this work on the pages of the publication.
Therefore, Mikhail Alexandrovich began to collaborate with the newspaper “Young Leninist”. He was also published in other Komsomol newspapers, where stories included in the “Don” series and the collection “Azure Steppe” were sent. Speaking about the work of Mikhail Aleksandrovich Sholokhov, one cannot help but touch upon the epic novel “Quiet Don,” which consists of four volumes.
It is often compared in importance to another work of Russian classics - the manuscript “War and Peace”. “Quiet Don” is one of the key novels in the literature of the 20th century, which to this day is required reading in educational institutions and universities.
Mikhail Sholokhov's novel "Quiet Don" But few people know that because of the book telling about the life of the Don Cossacks, Sholokhov was accused of plagiarism. However, the debate about Mikhail Alexandrovich’s literary theft has not subsided to this day. After the publication of “Quiet Don” (the first two volumes, 1928, “October” magazine), discussions began in literary circles regarding the problem of the authorship of M. A. Sholokhov’s texts.
Some researchers, and simply lovers of literature, believed that Mikhail Alexandrovich, without a twinge of conscience, appropriated for himself the manuscript, which was found in the field bag of a white officer who was shot by the Bolsheviks. Rumor has it that anonymous calls were received. An unknown old woman spoke into the telephone receiver to the editor of the newspaper A. Serafimovich that the novel belonged to her murdered son.
Alexander Serafimovich did not react to provocations and believed that such a resonance occurred due to envy: people could not understand how a 22-year-old author acquired fame and universal recognition in the blink of an eye. Journalist and playwright Joseph Gerasimov pointed out that Serafimovich knew that “Quiet Don” did not belong to Sholokhov, but did not want to add fuel to the fire. Sholokhov scholar Konstantin Priyma was sure that in fact stopping the publication of the third volume was beneficial to Trotsky’s associates: the people should not have known about the real events that took place in Veshenskaya in 1919.
It is noteworthy that the eminent Russian publicist has no doubt that the true author of “Quiet Don” is Mikhail Sholokhov. Dmitry Lvovich believes that the technique underlying the novel is very primitive: the plot revolves around the confrontation between the Reds and the Whites and the protagonist’s tossing between his wife and his mistress.
“A very simple, absolutely constructive children's scheme. When he writes the life of the nobility, it is clear that he does not know it absolutely... When, therefore, dying, an officer on the battlefield bequeaths his wife to a friend, it is clear that he has shortchanged the French,” the literary critic said on the program “Visiting "
In the 1930-1950s, Sholokhov wrote another brilliant novel dedicated to the collectivization of peasants, “Virgin Soil Upturned.” War works were also popular, for example “The Fate of Man” and “They Fought for the Motherland.” Work on the latter was carried out in several stages: 1942-1944, 1949 and 1969. Shortly before his death, Sholokhov, like Gogol, burned his work. Therefore, the modern reader can only be content with individual chapters of the novel.
Mikhail Sholokhov's novel "Virgin Soil Upturned" But Sholokhov had a very original story with the Nobel Prize. In 1958, he was nominated for the prestigious award for the seventh time. In the same year, members of the Writers' Union visited Sweden and learned that Sholokhov and other authors were being nominated along with Boris Leonidovich. In the Scandinavian country, there was an opinion that the prize should go to Pasternak, but in a telegram addressed to the Swedish ambassador, it was said that in the USSR the award to Mikhail Alexandrovich would be widely appreciated.
It was also said that it is high time for the Swedish public to understand that Boris Leonidovich is not popular among Soviet citizens and that his works are not worthy of any attention. It’s easy to explain: Pasternak was repeatedly harassed by the authorities. The prize awarded to him in 1958 added firewood. The author of Doctor Zhivago was forced to refuse the Nobel Prize. In 1965, Sholokhov also received laurels of honor. The writer did not bow to the Swedish king, who presented the award. This was explained by the character of Mikhail Alexandrovich: according to some rumors, such a gesture was made intentionally (Cossacks do not bow to anyone).
Personal life
Sholokhov married Maria Gromoslavskaya in 1924. However, he wooed Lydia, her sister. But the girls’ father, the village ataman P. Ya. Gromoslavsky (postman after the revolution), insisted that Mikhail Alexandrovich should offer his hand and heart to his eldest daughter. In 1926, the couple had a girl, Svetlana, and four years later, a boy, Alexander, was born.
It is known that during the war the writer served as a war correspondent. Received the First Class Patriotic War award and medals. By character, Mikhail Alexandrovich was similar to his heroes - courageous, honest and rebellious. They say that he was the only writer who was not afraid and could look the leader straight in the eyes.
Death
Shortly before his death (the cause was laryngeal cancer), the writer lived in the village of Veshenskaya, was engaged in writing very rarely, and in the 1960s he actually abandoned this craft. He loved to walk in the fresh air and was fond of hunting and fishing. The author of "Quiet Flows the Don" literally gave away his prizes to society. For example, the Nobel Prize “went” to build a school.
The great writer Mikhail Alexandrovich Sholokhov died in 1984. Sholokhov's grave is not in the cemetery, but in the courtyard of the house in which he lived. An asteroid was named in honor of the master of the pen, documentaries were made and monuments were erected in many cities.
Bibliography
- "Don Stories" (1925);
- "Azure Steppe" (1926);
- "Quiet Don" (1928–1940);
- “Virgin Soil Upturned” (1932, 1959);
- “They Fought for the Motherland” (1942–1949);
- "The Science of Hate" (1942);
- “The Word about the Motherland” (1948);
- "Man's Fate" (1956)
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.
Is the creative path of a writer easy? After all, every great novelist started somewhere and experienced defeat. What is Mikhail Sholokhov famous for? The works, the list of which we will consider in the article, are all dedicated to the tragedy of war, the historical past.
Works of Sholokhov. Always about the eternal
The Civil War of 1917 found Mikhail Sholokhov still very young and left an unforgettable imprint on his work. He was born in 1905 into a family of Don Cossacks. But during the revolution he joined the Reds. And he later depicted all the military vicissitudes that his native village experienced in his main novel “Quiet Don”.
After young Mikhail came to study in the capital and met the writers of the Young Guard circle, he began to make his first attempts at writing, which were assessed as talented work. The first story was published in the Moscow newspaper in 1924. It was called "Mole". Several more stories about Cossack life were later included in the writer’s first collection, “Don Stories.”
Sholokhov, taking on a new manuscript, was always guided by the rule - to write only the truth. Most of his books are an artistically meaningful story in detail. During the Patriotic War, the writer conveyed what he saw of the suffering of people in the unfinished novel “They Fought for the Motherland,” as well as in the story “The Fate of a Man.” This story became for Soviet Russia a real proclamation of goodness and humanity, despite all the hardships of everyday life in post-war life.
A novel recognized by the world. Nobel Prize
The writer began working on his most famous work, the four-volume novel Quiet Don, at the age of 22. And the first volume was already ready by 1927. He provided the second to printed publications by 1928. His talent touched the hearts of both Soviet and foreign readers.
The writing work of Mikhail Sholokhov was appreciated in 1965; he was awarded the most coveted prize for the novel “Quiet Don” - the writer became a Nobel Prize laureate. The novel received recognition not only as a literary work, with lively characters and an exciting multi-faceted plot, but also as a historical work based on a deep study of real chronicles.
Mikhail Sholokhov: works. List of the most famous
But his other novels are also worthy of recognition. All of Sholokhov’s works, the list of which is not small, deserve high status, since a man of a strong, enlightened soul and great mind worked on them. In the midst of the disastrous events of the past, he managed to highlight the main thing - the strength and beauty of the individual, and the variability of fate.
While working on Quiet Don, Sholokhov began writing his second novel. Also big and with several storylines. The book “Virgin Soil Upturned” is a novel about the events of collectivization. It highlights times of conspiracies and deaths associated with differences of opinion.
The next big historical novel was supposed to be the book “They Fought for the Motherland.” But, unfortunately, the writer did not have time to finish it; he died in 1984 in the same village of Veshenskaya where he was born.
on years
The writer’s enormous diligence was manifested in the fact that his books were published regularly, and no difficulties of fate, not even the war, forced him to quit working on prose. What other works by Sholokhov are there? A list of them is presented below. All of them have become classics of both Russian and world literature.
- 1923 - feuilletons in newspapers.
- 1924 - collection “Don Stories”.
- 1924 - collection “Lazarus Steppe”. It included the following stories: “Kolovert”, “Food Commissar”.
- 1928 - 2 volumes of “Quiet Don” were published at once.
- 1932 - 3 volume “Quiet Don” and 1 volume “Virgin Soil Upturned”.
- 1940 - last 4th volume. The entire novel “Quiet Don” was then translated into many European and Oriental languages.
- 1942 - several chapters from the book “They Fought for the Motherland” were published.
- “The Word about the Motherland” is a story.
- "The Science of Hate" is a story published in July 1942.
- 1956 - “The Fate of Man.”
- 1956 - Volume 2 of the novel “Virgin Soil Upturned”.
As you can see, Sholokhov’s works, the list of which is not so small, are all historical. But at the same time, they reflect the thoughts and feelings of the heroes, the way of life of the Cossacks of that time, and the philosophy of both opposing sides of the conflict. Sholokhov was truly talented. Monuments have been erected to him in many cities of Russia and in his native village, which is now located in the Rostov region.
In addition to the Nobel, he received the Lenin Prize (in 1960) and 1st degree in 1941. He was also awarded the international Sophia Prize, intended to reward Asian writers - Lotus, and the World Peace Council Prize in the field of culture.
Filmed works of Sholokhov: list
Books are wonderful! But life goes on as usual. With the development of cinema, many of Sholokhov’s works were staged and filmed; the list of films based on the writer’s books is also large. The film based on 4 volumes of the novel “Quiet Flows the Flow” was most fully shot by director Sergei Gerasimovich in 1958, receiving several awards for this work.
"Mosfilm" made a film based on the story "The Fate of a Man", in 1961 the story "Nakhalenok" was filmed, in 1963 the film "When the Cossacks Cry", and in 2005 - the short film The Colt. Perhaps in the future other works of Sholokhov will be filmed. His list of works inspires new writers. All his works comprise 8 full volumes.