Vasily Belov Writer
Vasily Ivanovich Belov (Russian: Васи́лий Ива́нович Бело́в; October 23, 1932 – December 4, 2012) was a Soviet/Russian writer, poet and dramatist, who published more than 60 books which sold (as to 1998) 7 million copies. A prominent member of the influential 1970s–1980s derevenschiki movement, Belov is best known for his novels Business as Usual (Привычное дело, 1966), Eves (Кануны, 1972–1987), Everything's Ahead (Всё впереди, 1986) and The Year of a Major Breakdown (Год великого перелома, 1989–1994). Vasily Belov's ideas and statements caused a lot of controversy, he was a harsh critic of the Soviet rural policies (denouncing collectivisation which he saw was the Bolshevik authorities conscious attempt to wipe out grass roots Russian ways as such) and also what he felt was a 'cosmopolitical' doctrines' dominance in the latter time Soviet cultural and social strata resulting in methodical repression, as he saw it, of the Russian national identity. Ideological idiosyncrasies aside, unanimously praised were Vasily Belov's tough stance on ecological issues and his activities in the old Russian historic sites' and churches restoration. A great admirer of Ivan Ilyin and his legacy, Belov financed the Russian philosopher's Complete Of edition and wrote a preface for it.Vasily Belov, the USSR State Prize (1981) and the State Prize of the Russian Federation (2003) laureate, has been awarded the Order of the Red Banner of Labour (1982), the Order of Lenin (1984), the Order of Merit for the Fatherland (IV, 2003) and the Order of Honour (2003).