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“I Express My Admiration for Your Great Creation…”

May. Sholokhov days. At last the River Don spread in its upper reaches as in the old days, – came out on the flooded meadows, overflew the lakes. At such a time the words from the epic novel by M.A.Sholokhov are recalled: “…The Don moved indifferently to the sea” notwithstanding the course of time, the weather change. Apparently, there is the truth in this tranquility of the existence.

A major step towards the truth was made on May 22, before the birthday of M.A.Sholokhov: on that day, the A.Gorky Institute of the World Literature held a presentation of the first prepared scientific publication of the novel in two volumes, furnished with deep commentaries. This publication, the work of the high-class scholars, is evaluated as a new word in textology and in Sholokhov studies.

Now the Sholokhov scholars and all the lovers of literature have a weighty argument in their hands to put an end to the dispute “about the authorship and co-authorship”. Though millions of readers had long before decided this problem for themselves”. For example, in one of the letters written in January 1954, by P.P.Mikhailov, a resident of Kalinin, we can read:

“…Mikhail Alexandrovich, I began reading your “And Quiet Flows the Don” at the age of 14, in 1929, when the first book was published. I finished reading your work, the last, book IV (published in the “Roman-Gazeta”), in 1940.

After finishing reading your novel I cried, although that had never happened to me before. I should tell you I believe that the best book was not and is not present either in our, or in the world literature. I have read a lot of books…

On June 22, 1941, I volunteered as a political leader and went to the front, was wounded; on May 9, at the end of the war I was commander of the company… I have read your novel “And Quiet Flows the Don” for the fourth time. I have written dozens of poems on individual comparisons wonderfully written by you in the novel “And Quiet Flows the Don”. By this letter, I express my admiration for your great creation – “And Quiet Flows the Don”… Sincerely loving you, your reader, Major Mikhailov P.P.”

Mikhail Alexandrovich received lots of such letters from the readers. Over ten thousands of them are kept in the Museum-Reserve.

On the birthday of the writer, as always on this May day, the admirers of his great talent will lay flowers at his tomb and monuments in Stanitsa Vyoshenskaya.

And the River Don, which has not yet come into the banks, will also carry its waters to the south, to the sea of the Azov…

Alexey Kochetov