Review of four scientific publications by M.A. Sholokhov published by Gorky Institute of World Literature of the Russian Academy of Sciences (2022)

Abstract

The article reviews four scientific works on the work of M.A. Sholokhov, prepared by scientists of A.M. Gorky Institute of World Literature of the Russian Academy of Sciences. Taking into account all the principles of textual science of the XXI century, a new textual preparation of the texts of the two main novels by M.A. Sholokhov “And Quiet Flows the Don” and “The Soil Upturned”. The choice of the main source of the text was made on the basis of a frontal comparison of all existing manuscript and printed sources of the work and takes into account the last creative will of the author. This made it possible to correct errors and misprints, make reasoned corrections, restore censorship exceptions, the author's spelling and punctuation. An innovative approach has been taken regarding the choice of the main source of the text. Each of the books of novels is printed not from one source common to the entire novel, but from different ones. The textual preambles explain how, out of more than 4,000 discrepancies in the text of the novel “And Quiet Flows the Don”, 500 documented and substantiated amendments were made, and the Appendix to the novel contains 11 pages of text seized in 1933 for ideological and other reasons, with which I am not familiar modern reader. Two works-satellites of scientific publications of literary texts by M.A. Sholokhov: “Creative heritage of M.A. Sholokhov at the beginning of the XXI century” and “Soviet reader with a letter to you… Letters from readers M.A. Sholokhov. 1955–1984”, which show the current level of study of the writer’s work, textual criticism, investigative work in our country, as well as India, China and Europe and introduce archival materials, letters from readers, transcripts of speeches by M.A. Sholokhov.