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Travelling about Scandinavia

55 years ago, in May – July of 1957, the Sholokhovs, Mikhail Alexandrovich and  Mariya Petrovna, made a trip to Scandinavian countries – Finland, Sweden, Norway and Denmark.

Foreign visits were a special part of Sholokhov’s biography, as they enabled him to meet with interesting people, take up the cultures of those countries.

Addressing to the Swedish readers in the preface for the 12-volume Swedish edition of “The Quiet Don” M.A. Sholokhov wrote: “Long ago, when a green schoolboy, I dreamed to visit Scandinavia. At that time, unlike my peers, I was not tempted by tropical countries, but was much attracted by the North. At that time already I read a lot and admired books by Lagerlof, Strindberg, Gamsun and through them – Scandinavia itself.”

Despite the intensive activity program of the visit the Sholokhovs sent letters and postcards to their relatives, friends and nearest people… In the Documentary Collection of the Museum-Reserve there is a letter of Mariya Petrovna Sholokhova to their younger daughter Mariya, which was posted on June, 3, 1957, from Sweden:

“Tomorrow we are going sightseeing in the neighbourhood of Stockholm, in the countryside, we shall have a 3-day stay in 220 km from Stockholm, and in the evening of the 11^th , we are leaving for Norway. From the capital of Norway, Oslo, we shall send a word to you. Your father was not careful about himself on the ship and got a cold, and now he has got a cough and running nose, and here, at the receptions he must have added to it, and within 3 days we could not go out to our destination. So, tomorrow we are starting out. Everything is all right. Your father, even outside receptions, is so modest, that it makes my heart happy. Nikolay Sergheyevich was true to say: “ Sholokhov will do everything if he wants!”.

It’s no sense and impossible, Mashenka, to write about everything, I will tell you all when I come. Your father is awfully popular here, that sometimes I feel uncomfortable of excessive attention, and because of him I am paid as much attention and preference that makes me feel excited.

We live and board in the Embassy…

… As we  travel, we will inform you, though you can learn it from the “Pravda”. Here, the last page of the “Za Rubezhom”, June,1, reads, that Sholokhov and his wife are on a visit to Sweden, he met with the writers (I was there , too), members of the Board of the Union of Societies “Sweden – the USSR”…(M.P. Sholokhova to M.M. Mitrofanova, Stockholm, 03.06.1957. Sholokhov Museum-Reserve, КП-17649).

Unfortunately, the Documentary Collection of the Museum-Reserve comprises only three postcards from that 2-month visit to Scandinavian countries.(from Sweden), but, certainly, the Sholokhovs sent a lot more letters and postcards to their relatives, friends, nearest people from each country they visited – Finland, Norway, Denmark. Mariya Petrovna wrote: “We sent postcards to everybody, you must have received one already…”. So, on June, 1, several postcards were sent to the Gromoslavskys. the Konkins (the Konshins) in Vyoshenskaya.

On coming home from the trip about Scandinavia Mikhail Alexandrovich said to the reporters for “Pravda” and “Literaturnaya Gazeta”: “I have visited Finland, Sweden, Norway and Denmark. It was my second visit to Scandinavia after my first trip 22 years ago. I met with writers of different views and trends, representatives of the press and different organizations. I had many friendly talks. I had to answer a lot of questions of foreign friends, who have a strong interest for our country, culture and literature. There were many talks with foreign publishers… I will always remember cordial conversations with the Scandinavian writers on creative issues. I have enjoyed my trip a lot” (A talk about a foreign experience of the writer. “Pravda”. 1957, No 187, July,6).

Lyudmila Afanasiyeva