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The Results of the Conference “M.A.Sholokhov in the Modern World”

An international scientific and practical conference “M.A.Sholokhov in the Modern World” dedicated to the birthday of the writer was held in Moscow on May, 31, 2019. The conference was organized by the International Scientific and Methodological Centre for the study of the literary heritage of M.A. Sholokhov and by the department for Cossack culture of the Moscow State University of Technology and Management named after K.G.Razumovsky (MSUTM). For about twenty years the conference has been held under the guidance of Natalya Dmitriyevna Kotovchikhina, Doctor of Philological Sciences, professor, Honorary Worker of Higher Education. This conference was held in Pashkov House of the Russian State Library.

Opening the conference Alexander Mikhailovich Sholokhov, the writer’s grandson, Deputy Chairman of the RF State Duma Committee for Culture, noted that “35 years have passed since the writer’s death. During this time, a lot of things have changed in our country. However Sholokhov is still read to find the answers for many vital questions”.

The audience was warmly greeted by Natalya Yuryevna Samoilenko, Deputy General Director of the Russian State Library, Sergey Anatolyevich Lipovoy, Hero of the Russian Federation, Chairman of the Rostov Fraternity in Moscow, Vladimir Borisovich Zotov, Head of the department of the State Institute of Management, President of the Russian Municipal Academy.

The conference was addressed many greeting letters including those of Mikhail Anatolyevich Dzyuba, Ataman of the All-Cossack Union of Czech lands and Slovakia (Czechia), Pavel Grigoryevich Kozhevnikov, professor of the Colorado University, a writer and poet, member of the editorial board of the Russian-language newspaper “Горизонт” (Denver, the USA).

The talks of the conference members covered a wide range of issues and problems of perception of the literary heritage of M.A.Sholokhov in Russia and abroad, the language features of the writer in the aspect of modern linguistic research, the work of M.A.Sholokhov in art, the study of the works by M.A.Sholokhov at school and university.

The most topical in the discussion was a dialogue of culture of Russia and cultures of Dagestan, Scandinavia, China. The work of the writer helps to strengthen friendships between different cultures, to form a common cultural space

and to enrich mutually with spiritual values. This theme was reflected in the talks “The Study in the Work by M.A.Sholokhov in Chinese Audience” (E.A.Nikolenko, Moscow M.V.Lomonosov State University), “M.A.Sholokhov and Dagestan Literature” (S.M.Makhmudova, Moscow Pedagogical University), “Heritage of M.A.Sholokhov.The Root of the Russian-Scandinavian Cultural Ties” (L.M.Slyusarenko, the Museum-Reserve of M.A.Sholokhov). The results of deep textological investigations in the Works by M.A.Sholokhov were presented in the talk of Kitadzyo Mitsusi, professor of the Kyoto Sangyo University (Japan).

Y.A.Dvoryashin, Doctor of Philological Sciences from the Institute of the World Literature of the Russian Academy of Sciences, spoke about “M.A.Sholokhov and the Tragedy of the Don Peasantry in 1933”. S.E.Shishov, Doctor of Pedagogical Sciences from the MSUTM, presented his talk “Sholokhov in Digital Era: Heritage Catastrophe or Inviolability of the Moral Basis”. Y.L.Kudrina, Doctor of Pedagogical Sciences, Director of the centre “Corporate University “Leninka”, spoke about the opportunities of the Russian state library as one of the major world libraries in her talk “Research and Educational Space of the Russian State Library for the Study in the Cossack Culture”.

A few conference talks were devoted to the Cossack folklore and the folklore collectors: “Folklore and M.A.Sholokhov. The History of the Theme Study” by N.V.Korniyenko, the Institute of the World Literature, “Historical Realities and the fate of the Cossacks in Cossack Songs and in the Work of M.A.Sholokhov: On Teaching Cossack Culture at Schools of Cossack Education” by N.D.Kotovchikhina, Doctor of Philological Sciences, professor of the MSUTM. L.P.Razogreyeva, senior researcher of the National M.A.Sholokhov Museum-Reserve, spoke in her talk about the existence in the Cossack environment of the folk drama as one of the folklore genres.

The conference was participated by young researchers. The school students presented their talks: “Cossack Genus will Live Forever. Outstanding Cossack Personalities in the National History”, ”Vegetable World in the Tales from the Don by M.A.Sholokhov”, “Monuments of M.A.Sholokhov in Russia and Abroad”. The inclusion of the talks by the young researchers into the conference program was very important for establishing a cultural connection with a new generation, the generation of the XXI century, who are interested in preservation of Russian culture and bringing it to modern life.

It is impossible to overestimate the significance of such conferences for modern education. The International conference “M.A.Sholokhov in Modern World” helps not only to study the phenomenon of the work by M.A.Sholokhov in

the world literature, but also to comprehend it as the most important cultural constant, a nationwide wealth.

Lidiya Slyusarenko