Sokolov Yury (1889–1941) – folklorist, philologist, ethnographer; twin-brother of Boris Matveevich Sokolov.
He learnt at the 10th Moscow Male Gymnasium; in 1906, together with brother, he enrolled to the Historical and Philological Faculty of the Moscow University. In 1908-1909, also with his brother, he went at the expedition to the Belozersky and Kirillovsky Districts of the Novgorod Region to collect folklore and ethnographical material. In 1911, he stayed at the Faculty to prepare himself for the Master exams and for his thesis. At the same time, he started to reach students.
He made lectures in Russian literature and folklore at the Moscow Conservatoire (1913-1924), at the Moscow City People University (1916-1920), at the Moscow Military Pedagogical Academy (1920-1921), at the State Institute of Word (1920-1925), at the High Literary and Artistic Institute (1923-1925), at the Institute of the Peoples of the east (1926-1930). Since 1919, he was Ass. Docent, then – Professor of the Faculty of the Social Studies of the Moscow University. Actual Member of the State Academy of the Artistic Studies (since 1922). In 1933, he organized a section of folklore at the Union of Writers.
In 1936, on the recommendation of the Moscow Institute of Philosophy, Literature and History, he got the Doctor degree in Philology without a defense. In 1938, he founded the Chair of Folklore at that Institute – later the Chair was transferred to the Moscow State University.
In 1938, he became a member of the Academic Council of the Institute of Folklore of the Ukrainian Ac. of Sc. Academician of the Ukrainian Ac. of Sc. and Director of the Institute of Folklore of the Ac. of Sc. of the U.S.S.R. (1939).
He died on January 15, 1941, in Kiev, after a public speech; he was buried at the Novodevichie Cemetery in Moscow.