Fyodor Abramov

Soviet writer

Fyodor Aleksandrovich Abramov (Фёдор Алекса́ндрович Абра́мов) (29 February 192014 May 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.

Abramov was from a peasant background. 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, then remained a teacher until 1960. After he left the university he became a full time writer. His essay, written in 1954, "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"), written in 1968, and "Puti pereputya" (“Paths and Crossroads”), written in 1973. He also wrote a fourth novel in 1978 called "Dom" ("The House"). Abramov started another novel, "Chistaya kniga", but did not finish it before his death in May 1983. The asteroid 3409 Abramov, discovered by Soviet astronomer Nikolai Chernykh in 1977, is named after him.