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“Word and Glory of Russia”

A large-scale exhibition project “Word and Glory of Russia” was opened during the work of the Arctic cultural forum in Salekhard. It displays collections of the three museums: the National M.A.Sholokhov Museum-Reserve, Novocherkassk Museum of the Don Cossack History and Yamal-Nenets Area Museum and Exhibition Complex named after I.S.Shemanovsky.

“This exhibition project is a big event in the museum community of Russia, in the cultural life of the Yamal-Nenets Autonomous Area. This large-scale exhibition is to show the remarkable beauty and historical depth of Cossack people”, as Serghei Grishin, Director of the I.S.Shemanovsky Museum and Exhibition Complex, said.

Alexander Sholokhov, Director of the National M.A.Sholokhov Museum-Reserve noted: “It is an honorary duty for us to open the exhibition devoted to the historical development of the Cossacks who brought fame to Russia and who, by Sholokhov’s work, has become the Word of Russia. It is most honorary, particularly in the Year of Culture, to think of our roots and, what is important, our destination.”

The exhibition covers the period from the XVI century till the present day and shows a reconstruction of the Don Cossack history, the history of the north West Siberia development by Cossacks, tells about the role of Cossacks in the development of the Russian statehood and protection of borders of the Russian Empire, in the revival of historical traditions and patriotic education of the younger generation, as well as about the history of the Obdor Cossack community embracing descendants of Cossack stocks, who, as the fates decree, settled in Yamal. A military uniform, battle awards, weapons, clothing, household items and tools, family pictures, graphics and paintings illustrate the identity, uniqueness and originality of the Cossacks’fate.

The exhibition is focused on the personality of Mikhail Alexandrovich Sholokhov, the winner of the State and Nobel prizes, twice Hero of Socialist Labour, the great writer, who gained a unique place in the literature of the XX century.

The exhibition displays authentic items from the Museum-Reserve collection: a writing table, at which the writer created his novels “And Quiet Flows the Don” and “Virgin Soil Upturned”, books from his library, papers and documents, personal belongings of the writer. The visitors will see the editions of Sholokhov’s works in foreign languages, international awards including the international literary prize “Lotus”, which Sholokhov was awarded by the Association of the Writers of Asia and Africa – an evidence of global recognition of the talent of M.A.Sholokhov and his contribution into the world spiritual culture.

There are the works of the famous artists – S.Korolkov, O.Vereisky, Y.Rebrov, who, in their illustrations, most significantly reflected the life of the Cossacks.

The great talent of the writer, his profound knowledge of the people’s life and humanist position allowed him to say a new word in the history of the world literature, to discover new ways of artistic cognition of the world and man.

The exhibition “Word and Glory of Russia” will run till May 10.

Irina Koveshnikova