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On the Eve of the Nobel Celebrations

In the first days of December, preparations for the celebrations of the Nobel Prizes are being actively carried out in Stockholm. The laureates arrive early to begin numerous meetings, interviews, lectures and, of course, the main event - the ceremony of awarding a diploma, medal and prize, which takes place on December 10, the day of remembrance of Alfred Nobel. The tradition has remained unchanged since the inception of the award in 1901. 

55 years ago, on December 7, Russian writer Mikhail Sholokhov, recipient of the 1965 Nobel Prize in Literature, arrived in Stockholm. The writer was accompanied by his wife Maria, children - Svetlana, Alexander, Mikhail and Maria, as well as authorized persons - Deputy Head of the Department of Culture of the Central Committee of the CPSU Yuri Melentiev, cameraman Leon Mazrukho, editor Yuri Lukin and translator Mark Teplov. All preparations for the ceremony were made in advance - from December 3 to December 6, a tailcoat for Mikhail Sholokhov was sewn to order in Finland, tailcoats were rented for sons, evening dresses with the necessary accessories were purchased for the wife and daughters. 

In Stockholm, the Sholokhovs were accommodated in the Grand Hotel. Throughout the city in the windows there were books by the Russian writer Mikhail Sholokhov. At 14 o'clock, Mikhail Sholokhov spoke at a press conference. The largest Swedish newspaper “Dagens Nüheter” noted that “there is no feigned importance in writer. He radiates confidence, and after a while you notice that behind this an unbreakable faith in yourself is hidden". 

At 17 o'clock the Russian ambassador to Sweden Nikolai Belokhvostikov gave a dinner in honor of the writer in the building of the embassy residence. About 600 people attended it - ministers, diplomatic corps, writers, journalists, artists. 

The rest of the time before the ceremony is also scheduled literally by the minute. 

On December 8 there took place breakfast organized for the laureates by the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences in the restaurant "Golden World". On the same day there was a gala dinner organized in honor of Mikhail Sholokhov by the publishing house "Tiden" in the restaurant of the Grand Hotel. There were about a hundred guests at the tables. Mikhail Sholokhov was very warmly greeted by Swedish Prime Minister Tage Erlander, they talked about hunting. 

On December 9, Mikhail Sholokhov was visited by the West German publisher Liszt and his wife. Sholokhov signed a book for them: "To my publishers Elizaveta and Pavel List." Then there was a reception at the Nobel Library for all the laureates of the year 1965. The laureates got to know each other, explored the library rooms. In the evening after lunch, the ambassador had a program on Swedish television about stanitsa Vyoshenskaya, interview with Mikhail Sholokhov caused a lot of positive emotions in the audience. 

Lydia Slyusarenko