Fyodor Abramov
Encyclopedia
Fyodor Aleksandrovich Abramov (February 29, 1920 – May 14, 1983) was a Russia
n novel
ist and literary critic
. His work focused on the difficult lives of the Russian peasant class
. He was frequently reprimanded for deviations from Soviet
policy on writing.
His essay, written in 1954, "Lyudi kolkhoznoy derevni v poslevoyennoy" (“People in the Kolkhoz Village in Postwar Prose”), which addressed the glorified portrayal of life in Communist Soviet Villages, was denounced by the Writers' Union and the Central Committee. In a later essay, Abramov argued for the repeal of the law that denied peasants internal passports, he also recommended giving the peasantry larger shares of the profits of their labors. This essay led to his removal from the editorial staff of the journal Neva.
His first novel entitled, "Bratya i syostri" ("Brothers and Sisters") was written in 1958. It dealt with the harsh life of northern Russian villagers during World War II. Abramov wrote two sequels to "Bratya i syostri". Entitled, "Dve zimy i tri leta" ("Two Winters and Three Summers") and "Puti-pereputya" (“Paths and Crossroads”). Written in 1968 and 1973 respectively. He also wrote a fourth novel in 1978 called "Dom" ("The House")
Abramov started another novel, "Chistaya kniga" ("Clean Book") in which he discussed the fate of Russia as a whole as well as the Russian North. However, he never finished the novel before his death in May 1983.
A minor planet
3409 Abramov
discovered by Soviet
astronomer Nikolai Stepanovich Chernykh
in 1977 is named after him.
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
n novel
Novel
A novel is a book of long narrative in literary prose. The genre has historical roots both in the fields of the medieval and early modern romance and in the tradition of the novella. The latter supplied the present generic term in the late 18th century....
ist and literary critic
Literary criticism
Literary criticism is the study, evaluation, and interpretation of literature. Modern literary criticism is often informed by literary theory, which is the philosophical discussion of its methods and goals...
. His work focused on the difficult lives of the Russian peasant class
Peasant
A peasant is an agricultural worker who generally tend to be poor and homeless-Etymology:The word is derived from 15th century French païsant meaning one from the pays, or countryside, ultimately from the Latin pagus, or outlying administrative district.- Position in society :Peasants typically...
. He was frequently reprimanded for deviations from Soviet
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
policy on writing.
Biography
Abramov was a peasant through ancestry (ie, ethnic peasant). He studied at Leningrad State University, but put his schooling on hold to serve as a soldier in World War II. In 1951 he finished his schooling at the university, and he stayed at Leningrad State University until 1960 to teach. After he left the university he became a full time writer.His essay, written in 1954, "Lyudi kolkhoznoy derevni v poslevoyennoy" (“People in the Kolkhoz Village in Postwar Prose”), which addressed the glorified portrayal of life in Communist Soviet Villages, was denounced by the Writers' Union and the Central Committee. In a later essay, Abramov argued for the repeal of the law that denied peasants internal passports, he also recommended giving the peasantry larger shares of the profits of their labors. This essay led to his removal from the editorial staff of the journal Neva.
His first novel entitled, "Bratya i syostri" ("Brothers and Sisters") was written in 1958. It dealt with the harsh life of northern Russian villagers during World War II. Abramov wrote two sequels to "Bratya i syostri". Entitled, "Dve zimy i tri leta" ("Two Winters and Three Summers") and "Puti-pereputya" (“Paths and Crossroads”). Written in 1968 and 1973 respectively. He also wrote a fourth novel in 1978 called "Dom" ("The House")
Abramov started another novel, "Chistaya kniga" ("Clean Book") in which he discussed the fate of Russia as a whole as well as the Russian North. However, he never finished the novel before his death in May 1983.
A minor planet
Minor planet
An asteroid group or minor-planet group is a population of minor planets that have a share broadly similar orbits. Members are generally unrelated to each other, unlike in an asteroid family, which often results from the break-up of a single asteroid...
3409 Abramov
3409 Abramov
3409 Abramov is a main belt asteroid discovered on September 9, 1977 by Chernykh, N. at Nauchnyj.-References:...
discovered by Soviet
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
astronomer Nikolai Stepanovich Chernykh
Nikolai Stepanovich Chernykh
Nikolay Stepanovich Chernykh was a Soviet and Russian astronomer.Chernykh was born in the city of Usman' in Voronezh Oblast...
in 1977 is named after him.
English Translations
- The Dodgers, Flegon Press in association with Anthony Blond, 1963.
- The New Life: A Day on a Collective Farm, Grove Press, 1963. (Alternative translation of The Dodgers)
- Two Winters and Three Summers, Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, 1984.
- The Swans Flew By and Other Stories, Raduga Publishers, 1986.
Novels
- Bratya i syostri (Brothers and Sisters), 1958.
- Dve zimy i tri leta (Two Winters and Three Summers), 1968.
- Puti-pereputya (Paths and Crossroads), 1973.
- Dom (The House), 1978.
- "Chistaya kniga" ("Clean book"), Unfinished
Sources
- "Fyodor Abramov", Encyclopædia Britannica, 2009, Encyclopædia Britannica Online, 5 May 2009