ARTISTIC FUNCTIONS OF DEDICATION IN M. A. SHOLOKHOV'S STORY “THE FATE OF A MAN”
Abstract
10.18522/1995-0640-2026-2-148-161
This article provides the first detailed examination of the artistic functions of the dedication in M. A. Sholokhov's short story “The Fate of a Man”: “To Evgenia Grigoryevna Levitskaya, member of the CPSU since 1903.” This integral element of the work's artistic structure has previously been commented on solely in connection with the personality of E. G. Levitskaya, who played a significant role in the publication of the first two books of Sholokhov's novel “And Quiet Flows the Don” and became a true lifelong friend to the writer. However, the meaning of the dedication turns out to be much more significant, not only as a token of the writer's gratitude and appreciation to his “mamunya”, the “godmother” of his major novel, but also in connection with the tragic pages of the biography of her family members - his daughter, M. K. Levitskaya, and son-in-law, the distinguished engineer I. T. Kleymenov. The dedication's mention of the party that shaped the realities of Soviet life and worldview plays a significant role, as does the anachronism of referring to the party as the CPSU, rather than the RSDLP(b), that Levitskaya actually joined in 1903. The year of her joining the party is significant. Its inclusion may not simply reflect Levitskaya's party standing and authority as an Old Bolshevik, but rather echo the fight against plagiarism rumors that arose and were quickly exposed in the late 1920s.
Key words: M.A. Sholokhov, short story “The Fate of a Man”, dedication, E. G. Levitskaya,
CPSU, 1903
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Copyright (c) 2026 Sergey A. Vasilyev
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