The Nobel Prize is one of the most prestigious awards in the field of science, culture and social activities. Several Russian writers have also received this prize for merits in literature.
Ivan Alekseevich Bunin - the first Russian laureate
In 1933, Bunin became the first Russian writer to receive the Nobel Prize "for his true artistic talent, with which he recreated the typical Russian character in prose." The work that influenced the jury's decision was the autobiographical novel The Life of Arseniev. Forced to leave his homeland because of disagreement with the Bolshevik regime, Bunin wrote a piercing and touching work, full of love for the homeland and longing for it. Having witnessed the October Revolution, the writer did not accept the changes that had taken place and the loss of tsarist Russia. He sadly recalled the old days, lush noble estates, measured life on family estates. As a result, Bunin created a large-scale literary canvas in which he expressed his innermost thoughts.
Boris Leonidovich Pasternak - Prize for Poetry in Prose
Pasternak received an award in 1958 "for outstanding services in contemporary lyric poetry and in the traditional field of great Russian prose." The novel "Doctor Zhivago" was especially noted by the critics. However, in the homeland of Pasternak, another reception awaited. This profound work about the life of the Russian intelligentsia was negatively received by the authorities. Pasternak was expelled from the Union of Soviet Writers and practically forgot about its existence. Pasternak had to refuse the award.
Pasternak not only wrote works himself, but was also a talented translator.
Mikhail Alexandrovich Sholokhov - singer of the Russian Cossacks
In 1965 Sholokhov received the prestigious award, who created a large-scale epic novel "Quiet Don". It still seems incredible how a young, 23-year-old aspiring writer could create such a deep and voluminous work. About Sholokhov's authorship, there were even disputes with allegedly irrefutable evidence of plagiarism. Despite all this, the novel was translated into several Western and Eastern languages, and Stalin personally approved it.
Despite the deafening fame of Sholokhov at an early age, his subsequent works were much weaker.
Alexander Isaevich Solzhenitsyn - not accepted by the authorities
Another Nobel laureate who has not received recognition in his home country is Solzhenitsyn. He received an award in 1970 "for moral strength gleaned from the tradition of great Russian literature." After being imprisoned for about 10 years for political reasons, Solzhenitsyn was completely disenchanted with the ideology of the ruling class. He began to publish quite late, after 40 years, but only 8 years later he was awarded the Nobel Prize - no other writer had such a rapid rise.
Joseph Alexandrovich Brodsky - the last laureate of the prize
Brodsky received the Nobel Prize in 1987 "for all-encompassing authorship, full of clarity of thought and poetic depth." Brodsky's poetry aroused opposition from the Soviet regime. He was arrested and imprisoned. After Brodsky continued to work, he was popular at home and abroad, but he was constantly monitored. In 1972, the poet was given an ultimatum - to leave the USSR. Brodsky received the Nobel Prize already in the USA, but he wrote his speech in Russian for his speech.
