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, was a revolution in the Russian Empire which began on 22 January 1905 and led to the establishment of a constitutional monarchy under the Russian Constitution of 1906, th ...

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 or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

and a general in the

Russian Civil War The Russian Civil War () was a multi-party civil war in the former Russian Empire sparked by the 1917 overthrowing of the Russian Provisional Government in the October Revolution, as many factions vied to determine Russia's political future. I ...

. 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 Yakut or Yakutian may refer to: * Yakuts, the Turkic peoples indigenous to the Sakha Republic * Yakut language, a Turkic language * Yakut scripts, Scripts used to write the Yakut language * Yakut (name) * Yakut Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic ...

with ''Toyon: A Dog of the North and His People''. His book about a fictional Lamut shepherd, ''The Defenders'', received a

Newbery Honor The John Newbery Medal, frequently shortened to the Newbery, is a literary award given by the Association for Library Service to Children (ALSC), a division of the American Library Association (ALA), to the author of "the most distinguished contr ...

in 1952.

Early life and education

On May 17, 1888, Kalashnikoff was born in

Minusinsk Minusinsk (; ) is a historical types of inhabited localities in Russia, town in Krasnoyarsk Krai, Russia. Population: 44,500 (1973). History "About 330-200 B.C. the iron age triumphed at Minusinsk, producing spiked axes, partly bronze and ...

Siberia Siberia ( ; , ) is an extensive geographical region comprising all of North Asia, from the Ural Mountains in the west to the Pacific Ocean in the east. It has formed a part of the sovereign territory of Russia and its predecessor states ...

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

Moscow University Moscow State University (MSU), officially M. V. Lomonosov Moscow State University,. is a public research university in Moscow, Russia. The university includes 15 research institutes, 43 faculties, more than 300 departments, and six branches. Al ...

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 desig ...

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

legend A legend is a genre of folklore that consists of a narrative featuring human actions, believed or perceived to have taken place in human history. Narratives in this genre may demonstrate human values, and possess certain qualities that give the ...

from the

Yakuts The Yakuts or Sakha (, ; , ) are a Turkic ethnic group native to North Siberia, primarily the Republic of Sakha in the Russian Federation. They also inhabit some districts of the Krasnoyarsk Krai. They speak Yakut, which belongs to the Si ...

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 (state), a state in the northeastern United States * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York New York may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * ...

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 20th-century Russian male writers Newbery Honor winners Soviet emigrants to the United States MacDowell Colony fellows