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20 Years Ago the Estate of M.A.Sholokhov was Opened for Visits

February, 19, is the 20^th anniversary of opening the Memorial House of M.A.Sholokhov for visits.

At the time the National M.A.Sholokhov Museum-Reserve was established by the Resolution of the RSFSR Council of Ministers of July, 11, 1984, the House and Estate were included into the Museum structure, though they belonged to the writer’s family. On February, 21, 1987, the third anniversary of the writer’s death, his wife, Mariya Petrovna, and their children – Svetlana, Alexander, Mikhail and Mariya – donated the House to the State. “My children and I decided to donate the house and estate to the State with the only aim to keep here the home spirit of hospitality as it was in the lifetime of the host”,– Mariya Petrovna said when signing the contract.

The first director of the Museum, N.A.Bulavin, thanked the family of the writer for this priceless gift of great importance for the Russian national culture and promised to preserve and hand down to the following generations the spirit of kindness and humanism which had been established by M.A.Sholokhov in the House during 35 years.

Mariya Petrovna still lived in the House, helped the museum workers, met with writers, journalists, military and public men.

On January, 20, 1992, Mariya Petrovna died. After her death the House was repaired and opened for visits. All the reconstruction works were carried out to preserve the air of the writer’s family traditions, rest and holiday making.

Everything in the House was left as it was in the lifetime of the writer – books, pictures, furniture and personal belongings. All the things were kept on their places.

The House-Museum opening ceremony was held on the day before the 10^th anniversary of the writer’s death. It gathered administrative officials and representatives of towns and districts of the Rostov and Volgograd regions, literary scholars, writers, museum workers, leaders of district organizations and enterprises, residents of Stanitsa Vyoshenskaya.

The House-Museum has created its own history, traditions full of bright events. New exhibition sections were opened: “The Nobel Triumph”, “For Travelling”, in the hunting room there are displayed the writer’s personal weapons of the war years, fowling pieces of the Sholokhovs, in the garage there are authentic cars of the writer, which he used in different years. Temporary exhibitions are often held in the House: “The 30^th Anniversary of the Nobel Prize”, “The 110^th Anniversary of M.P.Sholokhova”, the exhibition devoted to the 100^th anniversary of A.V.Sofronov and others.

The House was visited by lots of interesting, famous and outstanding people, true admirers of the writer’s talent and personality. Most impressive were the meetings with the writer’s close friends, acquaintances and old residents of Vyoshenskaya. The House was visited by A.A.Borodavkin, a close friend of the Sholokhovs, the Logachovs, whose friendship with the writer lasted over half a century. The meetings with the actors P.Glebov, P.Polunin and the actresses Z.Kiriyenko, L.Khityaeva have become unforgettable.

“The Estate of M.A.Sholokhov” is one of the Museum scientific centres. The   Museum scholars carry out studies in the ancestry of M.A.Sholokhov, in the prototypes of the novel “And Quiet Flows the Don” by M.A.Sholokhov, in the history of the Memorial House-Museum of M.A.Sholokhov.

For these 20 years the Memorial Estate has been visited by more than 200 thousand people, over 25 thousand guided tours have been held. Tens of people visit the House-Museum daily.  They share their impressions in the Guest Book.

V.V.Putin, the President of Russia, when visiting the Memorial House at the 100^th anniversary of the writer in 2005, wrote in the Book: “I congratulate for the centenary of M.A.Sholokhov. I am grateful to all who keeps the unique atmosphere of his home, who has restored and protects the environment connected with the life of our great compatriot”.

Vladimir Tolstoy, a great-great-grandson of Leo Tolstoy, left a record: “I feel very close to the spirit of the Sholokhovs’ home, I have found a lot of evidence to show how I always imagined Mikhail Alexandrovich. Now I understand what he really loved in life: his family, nature, books, that is, the things which are most important in life. Sincerely. V.Tolstoy”.

Each of us comes to comprehending Sholokhov in our own way depending on our life experience, age and richness of our spiritual world. But undoubted is the fact that generations pass, but the interest for the art and personality of the writer does not die away. The name of Sholokhov continues to live.

Elena Popova