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Mikhail Aleksandrovich Sholokhov

ミハイル・アレクサンドロヴィチ・ショーロホフ

Mikhail Aleksandrovich Sholokhov

Profile

Gender
Male
Born
1905-05-24 （Byoshenskaya, Don Host Oblast, Russian Empire）
Died
1984-02-21 （Byoshenskaya, Rostov Oblast, RSFSR, Soviet Union） age 78
Nationality
Soviet Union
Languages
Russian
Residence History
Byoshenskaya (birthplace, Don River region) → Moscow (moved in early years) → Byoshenskaya (resided from 1925 until late life)

Career

Occupations
Novelist, War correspondent, Political activity (Supreme Soviet deputy)
Active Years
1924-1969
Affiliations
Academy of Sciences of the USSR (member), Supreme Soviet of the USSR (deputy)
Memberships
Academy of Sciences of the USSR (member)
Influenced By
Leo Tolstoy (literary tradition)
Influenced
Later Soviet and Russian novelists, writers of historical-epic prose

Awards

Stalin Prize (State Prize of the USSR)
1941
Work: And Quiet Flows the Don (parts)
Organization: Government of the Soviet Union
Result: 受賞
Nobel Prize in Literature
1965
Work: The epic of the Don (body of work)
Category: 文学
Organization: Nobel Committee (Swedish Academy)
Result: 受賞

Awards & Nominations

Works

Major Works

And Quiet Flows the Don

1928 Historical epic novel 2000 pages

A four-volume epic set among the Cossacks on the Don River, depicting lives and social upheaval through World War I, the Russian Revolution and the Civil War. Themes include the individual vs. community, love and hatred, and the consequences of war.

Revolution and social changeCossack society and traditionWar and individual fate
Adaptations
  • [Film] And Quiet Flows the Don (film) / セルゲイ・ゲラシモフ (Sergei Gerasimov) (1957)
Translations
  • Japanese translations (various translators and editions)

Virgin Soil Upturned (Podnyataya tselina)

1932 Social novel 800 pages

A novel about Soviet rural transformation during collectivization, exploring the contradictions and human conflicts arising from agricultural policies.

Collectivization and modernizationRural transformationPolicy versus individual conflict
Translations
  • Japanese translations (various)

The Fate of a Man (Sud'ba cheloveka)

1956 Short story 20 pages

A short story about a soldier who lost everything in war, questioning dignity and human resilience.

War and lossRebirth and dignity
Translations
  • Japanese translations (Kadokawa Bunko, others)

Bibliography

  • And Quiet Flows the Don (complete work)
  • Virgin Soil Upturned
  • The Fate of a Man
  • The Colt
  • Stories of the Don (short stories)
  • They Fought for Their Country (unfinished)

Adaptations

  • Film adaptations of And Quiet Flows the Don (circa 1957) and various TV/film adaptations

Translations of Works

  • Japanese translations (multiple translators and editions)
  • English translations (available for major works)

Style & Themes

Literary Style
Epic realismDetailed social descriptionObjective, relatively neutral narrative tone
Recurring Motifs
The Don River and landscape imageryCossack tradition and communityWar and fate

Health

  • Throat cancer
    1984年（罹患・死去）
    Died of throat cancer in 1984. Health decline contributed to reduced activity in later years.

Legacy

Sholokhov is one of the leading Soviet writers; his epic And Quiet Flows the Don is considered a major 20th-century Russian work. The Nobel Prize brought international recognition. He left lasting influence through translations, adaptations and local philanthropic contributions (e.g., building a school).

Museums

  • Sholokhov Memorial Museum (Byoshenskaya) Rostov Oblast, Sholokhov District (formerly Byoshenskaya)

Academic Societies

  • Russian Academy of Sciences (formerly Academy of Sciences of the USSR)

Archives

  • Sholokhov archives and regional historical repository (Rostov Oblast)

In Popular Culture

  • Place renaming (Byoshenskaya district renamed to Sholokhov)
  • Establishment of works through film and TV adaptations

Quotes

  • “for the artistic power and integrity with which, in his epic of the Don, he has traced the life-sustaining traditions of Russian people through historical stages.”
    Source: Nobel Committee (award citation) (1965)

Trivia

  • Recipient of both the Nobel Prize and the Stalin Prize.
  • Used prize money to build a school in his home region.
  • Visited Japan in 1966.
  • Almost ceased literary production after 1969.