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For the Anniversary of Charles Percy Snow

October 15, 2020 marks the 115th birth anniversary of English writer and scientist Charles Percy Snow. 

Born in Leicester, a small town in the middle of England, Charles Snow was the second of four sons of a civil servant, and during his school years, Snow showed great ability, including his phenomenal memory. He was the only graduate who managed to go straight after school to University of Leicester. In 1927, the University of London awards him a bachelor's degree, and the following year a master's degree. At that time, Snow specialized in molecular physics. 

But his main vocation was literature. While studying in Leicester, he wrote his first novel “The Search for Youth”. Then the novels "Death Under Sail", "The Search", the eleven-volume "Strangers and Brothers", "Keepers of Wisdom" etc. were published. 

Charles Snow was a great lover of the Soviet literature. He did a lot to acquaint the West with the Soviet literature. In 1943 he prepared a brochure “Writers and Readers in the Soviet Union”. 

In 1962 M. Sholokhov toured Scotland. On the initiative of Charles Snow, who had just assumed the post of rector of the University of St. Andrews. Mikhail Sholokhov was solemnly received at this famous educational institution in Britain and was awarded the honorary title of Doctor of Law. He was presented with a certificate of honor, traditional headdress and mantle. 

In March 1963, Ch. P. Snow received the letter from M. Sholokhov informing him of the conferment of an honorary scientific degree of Doctor of Philology from Rostov-on-Don State University and an invitation to pay a return visit to Rostov-on-Don.

In early October 1963, Charles Snow and his wife, writer Pamela Johnson visited stanitsa Vyoshenskaya. From the high Vyoshensky bank, the guests peered into the vast picturesque expanses of the Don. They could not stop admiring the majesty and beauty of the mighty steppe river. “We're thrilled,” Charles Snow said. “This is the fulfillment of our long-standing dream. We kind of got to the pages of books that we read with such delight. Mikhail Sholokhov is a great writer". 

In the Sholokhovs' house a friendly "initiation" of Charles Snow into the Don Cossacks took place. The guest put on a Cossack cap, a cavalry cloak. 

- Excellent Cossack! - Sholokhov smiled. 

Pamela Johnson really liked the Sholokhov garden, the juicy Don apples. “I will certainly take one of them to England. I will add it to that Tolstoy apple that I am bringing from Yasnaya Polyana,” – the writer told the owners.

Before leaving Moscow, P. Johnson said: “To meet Mikhail Sholokhov, this great man, was one of the most significant events in my life. Sholokhov is an amazing person with an amazing face. I gazed at him, and it seemed to me that his face was carved out of silver. Sholokhov has surprisingly expressive eyes. They don't need an interpreter. It is worth looking into them, and you will immediately understand what Sholokhov is feeling and what he is thinking now. We ellt warmth in his eyes...”. 

The Sholokhov family archive contains a letter dated October 23, 1963: “Dear Mikhail, I want to thank you from the bottom of my heart for the wonderful days in Vyoshenskaya. I will never forget them. This time spent with you next to your Don, golden October autumn, was magically unforgettable. I was also encouraged by how deeply you and I agree on many issues of literature and international issues. I believe that only through this mutual understanding can we contribute to making the world a better place. After our departure from Vyoshenskaya, I reread “And Quiet Flows the Don” for the fourth time. I liked the novel even more than before. 

With love and gratitude to you and Maria Petrovna. I embrace you with admiration and love. Charles (C.P. Snow)". 

A year later, Mikhail Sholokhov and Charles Percy Snow met again. This time the English writer came to the Don not only with his wife, but also with his son and daughter. The guests from Great Britain spent several days on the Don. 

The friendship between Sholokhov and Snow lasted for many years. Ch.P. Snow played a role in awarding M. Sholokhov of the Nobel Prize, as he sent a letter to the Nobel Committee together with his wife, where it was emphasized that “Sholokhov's works have great and lasting value, that “And Quiet Flows the Don” is a realistic epic worthy of comparison with “War and Peace”. 

In his essay "And Quiet Flows the Don" is a great novel" Ch. Snow wrote: "Sholokhov possesses a remarkable wit, subtle and sarcastic at the same time. He is also endowed with a rare sense of humor, so valuable in relationships between people". 

Charles Percy Snow died on July 1, 1980 in London. 

Natalia Kirsanova