News

News

A Book by Leo Yakimenko Joined the Collection of Sholokhov Museum

The collection of the Museum-Reserve of M.A.Sholokhov is added with a book by literary scholar Leo Yakimenko «“The Quiet Don” by M.Sholokhov. About the Writer’s Mastery» with his autograph addressed to the residents of Vyoshenskaya: “To my dear people of Vyoshenskaya. L.Yakimenko. 21.10.1970.”

Leo Grigoryevich Yakimenko was personally acquainted with M.A.Sholokhov and often met with him in Moscow at the congresses of the Writers’ Union, conferences and literary parties. Earlier, in 2005, the Museum book collection was added with two books by Leo G.Yakimenko with his autographs. They are kept in the collection “Library of M.A.Sholokhov”. Both the books were presented by the author to M.A.Sholokhov. There are dedicatory inscriptions. On the first book (Yakimenko L.G. “Where are You Flying, White Swans?...”: Story. Moscow, 1968) the author wrote: “To dear Mikhail Alexandrovich Sholokhov. L.Yakimenko. 25.10.1968”; on the second book (Yakimenko L.G. “Literary Work of M.A.Sholokhov”. Moscow, 1977): “To Mikhail Alexandrovich Sholokhov – with faithfulness and love. L.Yakimenko. 1.03.1978”.

Leo Grigoryevich Yakimenko (1921–1978) was a literary scholar, critic and writer. He was a veteran of the Great Patriotic War. In 1950, he graduated from the philological faculty of the Moscow State University, in 1953, he graduated from the post-graduate course at the Department of History of Russian and Soviet Literature. He defended his thesis «”The Quiet Don” by M. Sholokhov», then he defended his doctoral dissertation “The Work of M.Sholokhov. Ideas and Images. Creative Methodology, Genres, Style, Mastery, Poetics”. From 1969, he was a professor of the Moscow State University, Head of the Department of Theory of Literature and Literary Criticism of the Academy of Social Sciences under the CPSU Central Committee. He was Doctor of Philology, the winner of M.V.Lomonosov Prize (1958).

For long years Leo Grigoryevich had been investigating the literary work of M.A.Sholokhov and was the author of books about the writer: «”The Quiet Don” by M.Sholokhov. About the Writer’s Mastery» (1954, the 2-nd edition – 1958); «About “Virgin Soil Upturned” by M.Sholokhov» (1960); “Literary Work of M.A.Sholokhov” (1964, the 2-nd edition – 1970, the 3-d edition – 1977).

Galina Govorukhina
Yevgeniya Afanasyeva