Mikhail Sholokhov visited Kochetovskaya several times, and he shared a long-standing friendship with Vitaly Zakrutkin. It is to him, more than anyone else, that Zakrutkin owes a decisive turn of his creative focus to the theme of the common people, to simple workers whose labor provides earthly goods for all. It was Sholokhov that taught Zakrutkin to listen carefully to the rustling of grass, distinguish the barely perceptible scents of flowers, admire the rainbow spread of eagle wings, deeply understand and feel the captivating life-giving power of the earth that nourishes a myriad of living creatures, and most importantly, of course, he taught him to pay close attention to people.