News

News

A Story of a Photograph

Vasily Iliyich Chumakov, a remarkable man, the author of the numerous most interesting photos of Sholokhov, a photographer for the Vyoshenskaya local newspaper, the member of the Union of Journalists of Russia, the RF Honoured Worker of Culture, the honorary resident of Stanitsa Vyoshenskaya, would have turned 85 on January,17. Unfortunately, on Octoder,23,2011, Vasily Iliyich was gone.

V.I. Chumakov made his first photo of Sholokhov in 1964, at the meeting of the production leaders in Stanitsa Vyoshenskaya, to start his photo story about the writer. In the holding of the State M.A.Sholokhov Museum-Reserve there is a photo which Mikhail Alexandrovich presented to Chumakov. It bears the writer’s autograph: ”To V.I. Chumakov. To an old man from a pioneer for a good memory. M.Sholokhov.27.1.64.

On the writer’s invitation Vasily Iliyich took pictures of him in his home, and the photos were amazingly warm and cordial.

The pictures by Chumakov were often highly appreciated, they were published in the journals of “Ogonyok “,”Neva”,”Volga”,”Don”,”Sovetskoye Foto” (Soviet Photo),”Sovetskaya Aviatsiya”(Soviet Aviation),”Yenisey “, in the newspapers “Selskaya Zhizn”(Country Life),”Literaturnaya Gazeta”(Literary Newspaper”,”Molot”(Hammer), in the Bulgarian and Czechoslovakian press, in many books and photo albums. It was the photo chronicle about Sholokhov,that Vasily Iliyich was awarded the title of the RF Honoured Worker of Culture and the

Prize of the RSFSR Union of Journalists. His personal exhibitions were held in Rostov-on-Don (1975, 1995), in Novocherkassk (1975), in Vyoshenskaya (1975,1995), where the subject of Sholokhov was central.

V.I. Chumakov transferred his archives comprising over 5000 negatives and 2000 photographs to the State M.A. Sholokhov Museum-Reserve. These photographs are of great scientific and biographic value in the life chronicle of the writer.

Vasily Iliyich frequently visited the Museum, told a lot about the meetings with the writer. He remembered well  the dates of  Sholokhov’s meetings with different people, their names. As well, he told about the photo bearing Sholokhov’s autograph:

 “I well remember the day of January,26, 1964, when I had the first talk with Mikhail Alexandrovich  Sholokhov, visited his house for the first time.

The day before I was sent by the editorial board to take pictures of the meeting of Sholokhov and the schoolchildren from Volgograd school No 9, who had come to Vyoshenskaya on purpose of meeting with the writer. The winter was snowy and frosty, and Sholokhov appointed the meeting in his house. The schoolchildren, shy and silent at the beginning, then got at ease encouraged by the favourable disposition of Mikhail Alexandrovich asking them clear and interesting questions, joking a lot.

The children closely surrounded the writer, and I had to take pictures standing on the chair.

The long talk was  followed by tea served by Mariya Petrovna. Also, she treated us with apples from their garden. At the end of the meeting the children entitled Mikhail Alexandrovich Honoured Pioneer putting a pioneer tie on him. Then he began signing the books  for them. I was taking pictures again.

The pictures were sent to the Volgograd schoolchildren. The writer signed one of the pictures and presented it to me.”

Larisa Bukina