Vladimir Soloukhin
Encyclopedia
Vladimir Alexeyevich Soloukhin was a Russian poet and writer. Born in Alepino, a village in what is now Vladimir Oblast
, he was raised in a peasant family.
Soloukhin was educated in a mechanical technicum, where he studied to be a mechanic.
His first poems were published in the Vladimir newspaper Prizyv (The Call).
After his military service from 1942-1945 in the Kremlin guard, he began his serious literary career, and in 1951 graduated from the Gorky Moscow Literary Institute.
In 1958-1981, he worked in the editorial offices of the prominent newspaper Molodaya Gvardiya (Youth Guard) and in the literary journal Nash Sovremennik (Our Contemporary).
In his articles he published in the second half of the 1950s and the beginning of 1960s, he manifested himself as a Russian patriot, and stressed the need to preserve national traditions, and pondered the ways of the development of the Russian arts.
His journalistic expressions of opinion during the later years of perestroika
idealized pre-revolutionary Russia. In his article "Reading Lenin", Soloukhin was one of the first in Russia to publicly ask for revising the role of Lenin in the history of Russia. At that time, a thesis was popular (and, indeed, was furthered by the authorities), claiming that the crimes of the Stalinist era were a result of "violating Leninist principles", whereas Soloukhin interpreted Stalinism as the logical consequence of Lenin's policies.
The main theme of Soloukhin's work is the Russian countryside, its present and future. His works strives to demonstrate the necessity of preserving the national traditions, and ponders the ways to further develop ethnic Russian art. Vladimir Soloukhin is considered to be a leading figure of the "village prose
" group of writers.
In 1975, the journal “Moskva” published his autobiographical story “Verdict” («Приговор»), where the protagonist is diagnosed with cancer and undergoes surgical operation; in essence the author is describing thoughts of a person who has received death sentence. The whole edition was bought in two days. Within his works, autobiographical prose takes a distinct position, where the author reflects on the history of Russia
during the 20th century. Soloukhin represents Orthodox Christian - nationalist positions, criticizing atheist, internationalist, liberal and communist views.
He was known for his campaign to preserve prerevolutionary Russian art and architecture. He died on 4 April 1997 in Moscow
. Ilya Glazunov
painted a portrait of him.
Vladimir Oblast
Vladimir Oblast is a federal subject of Russia . Its administrative center is the city of Vladimir, which is located east of Moscow...
, he was raised in a peasant family.
Soloukhin was educated in a mechanical technicum, where he studied to be a mechanic.
His first poems were published in the Vladimir newspaper Prizyv (The Call).
After his military service from 1942-1945 in the Kremlin guard, he began his serious literary career, and in 1951 graduated from the Gorky Moscow Literary Institute.
In 1958-1981, he worked in the editorial offices of the prominent newspaper Molodaya Gvardiya (Youth Guard) and in the literary journal Nash Sovremennik (Our Contemporary).
In his articles he published in the second half of the 1950s and the beginning of 1960s, he manifested himself as a Russian patriot, and stressed the need to preserve national traditions, and pondered the ways of the development of the Russian arts.
His journalistic expressions of opinion during the later years of perestroika
Perestroika
Perestroika was a political movement within the Communist Party of the Soviet Union during 1980s, widely associated with the Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev...
idealized pre-revolutionary Russia. In his article "Reading Lenin", Soloukhin was one of the first in Russia to publicly ask for revising the role of Lenin in the history of Russia. At that time, a thesis was popular (and, indeed, was furthered by the authorities), claiming that the crimes of the Stalinist era were a result of "violating Leninist principles", whereas Soloukhin interpreted Stalinism as the logical consequence of Lenin's policies.
The main theme of Soloukhin's work is the Russian countryside, its present and future. His works strives to demonstrate the necessity of preserving the national traditions, and ponders the ways to further develop ethnic Russian art. Vladimir Soloukhin is considered to be a leading figure of the "village prose
Village Prose
Village Prose was a movement in Soviet literature beginning during the Khrushchev Thaw, which included works that focused on the Soviet rural communities. Some point to the critical essays on collectivization in Novyi mir by Valentin Ovechkin as the starting point of Village Prose, though most of...
" group of writers.
In 1975, the journal “Moskva” published his autobiographical story “Verdict” («Приговор»), where the protagonist is diagnosed with cancer and undergoes surgical operation; in essence the author is describing thoughts of a person who has received death sentence. The whole edition was bought in two days. Within his works, autobiographical prose takes a distinct position, where the author reflects on the history of Russia
History of Russia
The history of Russia begins with that of the Eastern Slavs and the Finno-Ugric peoples. The state of Garðaríki , which was centered in Novgorod and included the entire areas inhabited by Ilmen Slavs, Veps and Votes, was established by the Varangian chieftain Rurik in 862...
during the 20th century. Soloukhin represents Orthodox Christian - nationalist positions, criticizing atheist, internationalist, liberal and communist views.
He was known for his campaign to preserve prerevolutionary Russian art and architecture. He died on 4 April 1997 in Moscow
Moscow
Moscow is the capital, the most populous city, and the most populous federal subject of Russia. The city is a major political, economic, cultural, scientific, religious, financial, educational, and transportation centre of Russia and the continent...
. Ilya Glazunov
Ilya Glazunov
Ilya Glazunov , contemporary Russian artist from Saint Petersburg, born in 1930. He holds the title of People's Artist of Russia, and serves as a rector at the Fine Arts Academy in Moscow...
painted a portrait of him.