Mikhail Sholokhov facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Mikhail Sholokhov
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Mikhail Sholokhov in 1960
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| Born | 24 May 1905 Vyoshenskaya, Donetsky district, Don Host Oblast, Russian Empire |
| Died | 21 February 1984 (aged 78) Vyoshenskaya, Rostov Oblast, Russian SFSR, Soviet Union |
| Occupation | Novelist |
| Nationality | Soviet |
| Notable awards | Nobel Prize in Literature 1965 Lenin Prize 1960 Stalin Prize 1941 |
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Mikhail Aleksandrovich Sholokhov (Russian: Михаил Александрович Шолохов, IPA: [ˈʂoləxəf]; 24 May 1905 – 21 February 1984) was a famous Russian writer. He won the 1965 Nobel Prize in Literature for his amazing stories. Sholokhov is best known for writing about the lives of the Don Cossacks. These were people living near the Don River in Russia. His books often showed their experiences during big historical events. These included the Russian Revolution, the Russian Civil War, and a time called Soviet collectivization. His most famous book is And Quiet Flows the Don.
Contents
Mikhail Sholokhov's Early Life and Writing Journey
Sholokhov was born in the Russian Empire, in an area known as the "land of the Cossacks". This was the Kruzhilin hamlet, near a village called Vyoshenskaya. His father, Aleksander Mikhailovich Sholokhov, was a farmer and trader. His mother, Anastasia Danilovna Chernikova, learned to read and write later in life.
His family was not originally from the Don Cossacks. They were called inogorodnye, which meant "outsiders" by the Cossacks. These outsiders were often poorer and could not vote in the local government.
Sholokhov went to schools in different towns until 1918. At just 13 years old, he joined the Bolshevik side in the Russian Civil War. The Bolsheviks were a political group who wanted to change Russia. During this war, the inogorodnye usually supported the Bolsheviks. The Don Cossacks often supported the other side, called the Whites. Sholokhov spent several years fighting in this war.
He started writing when he was 17. His first short story, "The Birthmark," was finished when he was 19. In 1922, Sholokhov moved to Moscow to become a journalist. He worked hard jobs like a stevedore (someone who loads ships) and a stonemason to support himself. He also attended writing workshops. His first published article was a funny piece called The Test in 1923.
In 1924, Sholokhov went back to Veshenskaya. He decided to focus only on writing. That same year, he married Maria Petrovna Gromoslavskaia. They had two daughters and two sons.
Famous Books and Stories
Sholokhov's first book was Tales from the Don, published in 1926. This book was a collection of stories. They were mostly based on his own experiences during World War I and the Russian Civil War. One story, "Nakhalyonok," was even made into a popular film. It was partly based on his own childhood.
In the same year, Sholokhov started writing his most famous novel, And Quiet Flows the Don. It took him 14 years to finish, from 1926 to 1940. This book became one of the most widely read historical novels in the Soviet Union. It won him the 1941 State Stalin Prize. The story tells about the lives of the Cossacks before and during World War I and the Russian Civil War.
Another important novel he wrote was Virgin Soil Upturned. This book took him 28 years to complete! It is made of two parts: Seeds of Tomorrow (1932) and Harvest on the Don (1960). It describes life during a time called collectivization in the Don area. Collectivization was when the Soviet government took over farms and made them into large collective farms. This book was seen as a great example of socialist realism. This was a style of art that showed the goals of socialism. Virgin Soil Upturned was translated into many languages and was very popular in China.
Sholokhov also wrote a short story called "The Fate of a Man" (1957). It was later turned into a very popular Russian film. During World War II, Sholokhov wrote for different newspapers. He wrote about the Soviet war effort. He also described the damage caused by the German army along the Don River. Sadly, his mother was killed when Veshenskaya was bombed in 1942.
Sholokhov started another novel about World War II, called They Fought for Their Country. He never finished it. His collected works were published in eight books between 1956 and 1960. He received the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1965.
Discussions About His Books
After his book And Quiet Flows the Don became very popular, some people started to wonder if Sholokhov had written it himself. In 1928, rumors spread that he had copied the story from a dead officer. Sholokhov asked the Pravda newspaper to prove he was the author. He showed them his handwritten copies of the first three parts of the book.
In 1929, a special group of experts looked into it. They said there was no proof he had copied anything. They also said his writing style was similar to his earlier book, Tales from the Don.
The rumors came up again in the 1960s. Some people, like writer Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn, questioned his authorship. Several other writers were suggested as the "real" author. One leading idea was that a Cossack writer named Fyodor Kryukov, who died in 1920, might have written it.
In 1984, a Norwegian expert named Geir Kjetsaa and his team used computer analysis. They looked at how long sentences were in the book. Their study suggested that Mikhail Sholokhov was indeed the true author.
For a long time, Sholokhov's original notes and drafts were thought to be lost. His archive was destroyed during a bombing raid in World War II. However, in 1987, many pages of his notes and drafts were found. These included chapters that were not in the final book. The paper used for these notes was from the 1920s. Most of the pages were in Sholokhov's own handwriting. Some were copied by his wife and sisters. These important papers were finally given to the Institute of World Literature in 1999.
In 1999, the Russian Academy of Sciences studied the newly found papers. They concluded that And Quiet Flows the Don was written by Sholokhov himself. A detailed analysis showed how he created the story.
However, in the 2000s, another expert, Zeev Bar-Sella, again said that Sholokhov was not the author. He suggested that another writer, Viktor Sevsky, wrote the book.
Sholokhov's Role in Society
Mikhail Sholokhov met Joseph Stalin, the leader of the Soviet Union, in 1930. He was one of the few people who dared to tell Stalin the truth about problems in the country. He was not punished for this. In the 1930s, he wrote letters to Stalin about the terrible conditions in the collective farms. These farms were called kolkhozes and sovkhozes. He asked for help for the farmers. In 1931, he warned Stalin that things were "catastrophic!"
In 1933, he wrote a long letter. He even named two police officers he said were torturing prisoners. Stalin sent an official to check. The two officers were arrested. Their sentences were later changed, but they could not work in Sholokhov's village anymore. Stalin also made sure extra food was sent to Veshenskaya.
Sholokhov joined the Communist Party of the Soviet Union in 1932. In 1937, he was elected to the Supreme Soviet of the Soviet Union. This was like being elected to the country's parliament. In 1937, his good friend, P.K. Lugovoi, was arrested. Sholokhov refused to leave the country for a writers' meeting while his friend was held. Stalin sent another official to investigate. After Sholokhov met Stalin, his friend and two other prisoners were released.
In 1959, Sholokhov traveled with Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev to Europe and the United States. He became a member of the Communist Party's main committee in 1961. He also became a member of the USSR Academy of Sciences in 1939. He was given the title of Hero of Socialist Labor twice. He also became a vice president of the Union of Soviet Writers.
Later Years and Legacy
Sholokhov mostly stopped writing after 1969. He spent his later years in his home village of Vyoshenskaya. He used the money from his Order of Lenin award to build a local school. He used his Nobel Prize money to take his family on a trip around Europe and Japan.
Mikhail Sholokhov passed away on 21 February 1984, from cancer. He was buried in the yard of his house in Vyoshenskaya, next to his wife.
Many things are named after him today:
- An asteroid in space is named 2448 Sholokhov.
- The Sholokhov Moscow State University for Humanities has his name.
- His house in Vyoshenskaya is now the National Sholokhov Museum-Reserve.
- There are statues of him in Moscow and Rostov-on-Don.
- Sculptures of characters from his book, Grigory and Aksinya, are in Vyoshenskaya and Rostov-on-Don.
- The Moscow National Guard Presidential Cadets School is also named after him.
Images for kids
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Mikhail Sholokhov in 1960
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Mikhail Sholokhov's signature
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Mikhail Sholokhov and his wife, 1924
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Sholokhov (left) with the Soviet ambassador Nikolai Belokhvostikov at the Nobel Prize ceremonies in 1965
See also
In Spanish: Mijaíl Shólojov para niños
