| Fyodor Abramov | |
|---|---|
| Born | February 29, 1920 Archangelsk District, Russia |
| Died | May 14, 1983 (aged 63) Leningrad, Soviet Union |
Fyodor Aleksandrovich Abramov (Russian: Фёдор Алекса́ндрович Абра́мов) (February 29, 1920 – May 14, 1983) was a Russian novelist 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.
Contents |
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 3409 Abramov discovered by Soviet astronomer Nikolai Stepanovich Chernykh in 1977 is named after him.[1]