He spoke about the new Russian writers and readers, the readers’ keen interest in writers, the thousands of letters of advice and criticism he receives from readers all over the country, the readers’ conferences at which he has to ‘answer’ for his work, the huge reserve of writing talent among the 2 million correspondents in industry and agriculture, and many things besides. The audience listened to Sholokhov with bated breath, often interrupting his speech with applause. Sholokhov spoke in Russian, of course, and his interpreter (a good one) was Stevens, who translated the first volume of The Quiet Don, published recently by Putnam. I devoted my speech to old and new Russian literature (before and after the revolution), stressing in particular that our classic literature was for the most part a literature of ‘weak people’ and pessimism, whereas the new Soviet literature is a literature of ‘strong people’ and healthy optimism. My speech was a great success too, and Putnam asked for the text so that he could publish it in the Contemporary Review.

I liked Sholokhov very much. He is young (29) and full of joie de vivre. An ardent hunter and angler. Despite his fame, he has not been spoiled. He is modest and straightforward. Will this last? We’ll see. He has a very good wife – intelligent, positive, pleasant. This is a great boon for him. A wife like her will keep him away from the many follies that our young writers are so prone to. Sholokhov has a very charming appearance: a well-proportioned blue-eyed blond of medium height, with delicate features, a shock of curly hair over a large, open forehead and a pipe permanently stuck in his teeth. Just as you would imagine a poet. What a shame he saw so little of England. He spent most of his time meeting literary people, attending parties and shopping (he had a lot of money – the fee he received for the publication of The Quiet Don abroad).