Nicholas Kalashnikoff (May 17, 1888 – August 17, 1961) was a Siberian-American author who wrote in the 1930s to 1950s. Before moving to the United States in 1924, Kalashnikoff participated in the

1905 Russian Revolution The Russian Revolution of 1905,. also known as the First Russian Revolution,. occurred on 22 January 1905, and was a wave of mass political and social unrest that spread through vast areas of the Russian Empire. The mass unrest was directed again ...

and was a political exile during the rest of the 1900s. With the military, Kalashnikoff served as a captain during

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

and a general in the

Russian Civil War , date = October Revolution, 7 November 1917 – Yakut revolt, 16 June 1923{{Efn, The main phase ended on 25 October 1922. Revolt against the Bolsheviks continued Basmachi movement, in Central Asia and Tungus Republic, the Far East th ...

. After arriving in the United States, Kalashnikoff published his 1939 autobiography ''They That Take the Sword'' and received two fellowships from MacDowell by 1941. Following his expansion into children's books in 1944, Kalashnikoff was an author until the early 1950s. He used his past to create ''Jumper: The Life of a Siberian Horse'' and ''My Friend Yakub''. In fictional works, Kalashnikoff wrote about a mythical legend from the Yakut with ''Toyon: A Dog of the North and His People''. His book about a fictional Lamut shepherd, ''The Defenders'', received a

Newbery Honor Newbery is a surname. People *Chantelle Newbery (born 1977), Australian Olympic diver *David Newbery (born 1943), British economist *Eduardo Newbery (1878–1908), Argentine odontologist and aerostat pilot *Francis Newbery (disambiguation), seve ...

in 1952.

Early life and education

On May 17, 1888, Kalashnikoff was born in

Minusinsk Minusinsk (russian: Минуси́нск; kjh, Минсуғ) is a historical types of inhabited localities in Russia, town in Krasnoyarsk Krai, Russia. Population: 44,500 (1973). Geography Minusinsk marks the center of the Minusinsk Hollow ...

Siberia Siberia ( ; rus, Сибирь, r=Sibir', p=sʲɪˈbʲirʲ, a=Ru-Сибирь.ogg) is an extensive geographical region, constituting all of North Asia, from the Ural Mountains in the west to the Pacific Ocean in the east. It has been a part of ...

. During the 1900s, Kalashnikoff studied philosophy and history at

Moscow University M. V. Lomonosov Moscow State University (MSU; russian: Московский государственный университет имени М. В. Ломоносова) is a public research university in Moscow, Russia and the most prestigious ...

before joining the

Career

After living in Siberia as a political exile from 1905 to 1909, Kalashnikoff was an Army captain for Russia during

and a Siberian general throughout the

. During the 1920s, Kalashnikoff lived in China due to war before moving to the United States in 1924. In 1939, Kalashnikoff became a writer with his autobiography ''They That Take the Sword''. By 1941, Kalashnikoff had received two fellowships from MacDowell. In 1944, Kalashnikoff wrote a children's book titled ''Jumper: The Life of a Siberian Horse''. Kalashnikoff's book was about a

warhorse The first evidence of horses in warfare dates from Eurasia between 4000 and 3000 BC. A Sumerian illustration of warfare from 2500 BC depicts some type of equine pulling wagons. By 1600 BC, improved harness and chariot designs ...

that he had previously owned. With ''Toyon: A Dog of the North and His People'', Kalashnikoff retold a mythical

legend A legend is a Folklore genre, genre of folklore that consists of a narrative featuring human actions, believed or perceived, both by teller and listeners, to have taken place in human history. Narratives in this genre may demonstrate human valu ...

from the

Yakuts The Yakuts, or the Sakha ( sah, саха, ; , ), are a Turkic ethnic group who mainly live in the Republic of Sakha in the Russian Federation, with some extending to the Amur, Magadan, Sakhalin regions, and the Taymyr and Evenk Districts ...

in his 1950 book. In ''The Defender'', Kalashnikoff wrote about a Lamut shepherd for his book in 1952. That year, ''The Defender'' was named a

. Kalashnikoff used his childhood as a basis for the 1953 book ''My Friend Yakub''.

Personal life

On August 17, 1961, Kalashnikoff died in

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

from cardiovascular disease. He was married and had no children. * * ''Кан Г. С.'' Грозя бедой преступной силе… Летучий боевой отряд Северной области (1906-1908). Т.I-II» (СПб., 2021) ISBN 978-5-87991-153-4

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kalashnikoff, Nicholas 1888 births 1961 deaths American people of Russian descent People from Minusinsk Russian writers Newbery Honor winners Soviet emigrants to the United States MacDowell Colony fellows