Who really said it? "Engineer of Human Souls"

[Donald Loewen]

Greetings.

I'm trying to find the source of the expression about writers as the
"engineers of human souls."   I can't remember if this was the quotation
covered exhaustively in SEELANGS about a year ago -- if it was, I would be
grateful if someone could tell me how it turned out.

What I've found so far is that Stalin said it in 1932, but that it may have
originated before that (a certain Gronskii who worked in the Writers'
Union, or perhaps even earlier --
(http://www.dialog-21.ru/archive_article.asp?param=7354&y=2002&vol=6077)
_Moskovskii literator_ has a page that describes its use at the 1932
writers' meeting (http://www.moslit.ru/nn/0417/5.htm).

Does anyone have anything more specific, including specific information
about Stalin's use of the phrase?
Feel free to reply off-line, unless others are interested.

With thanks and best wishes,
Don Loewen

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