Iskander and Stalin

[Vladimir Shatsev]

Dear Robert,

Here is the list of writings about Stalin which comes to my mind right now.
1.Island Crimea by Aksyonov.It is the satirical essay written by Luchnikov  
to the anniversary of Stalin.
2.Generations of Winter by the same Vasily Palich.The chapter in the 2nd 
volume where is depicted the meeting of Zhukov with members of Politbyuro on 
the platform of Subway station at the beginning of the Great Patriotic War.+ 
Some other episodes in the same volume  where we can meet Our Chief and 
Teacher accompanied by his satanic retinue.
3.The Poem about Stalin by Galich(if it is available in translation).

4.The Pretender  on the Throne by Voinovich .The chapter where Stalin and 
Hitler simultaneously contemplate about Chonkin as count Golitsin  and the 
leader of undeground anti-Soviet  resistance.
5. Among Iskander’s stories I remember the one about fishing in the mountain 
river.
6.I have never read Bulgakov’s Batum,but  I have read some unexpected 
interpretations of this play written by critic Smelyansky .

If I were you, Robert ,I would also consider some small poems, not songs,of 
Okudzhava  about Stalin as well as Bulat’s autobiography Uprazdnenniy Teatr 
.
Stalin was responsible was the death of Shalva Okudzava,however in the book 
we can find the writers opinions why his parents were responsible for 
Stalinizm.
If I were you I would strongly recommend to my students to read The Great 
Terror by Conquest.The Legend of Grand Inquisitor by Dostoevsky as well as 
the works of Orwell are also might be considered as a required reading.
I also think that the collection of poetry  such as Rodnomu Stalinu  would 
entertain your students and inspire them to think  why for example Akmatova 
or young Tvardovsky could write such apologetic poetry.Let’ s also not 
firget about Mandelshtam’s anti-Stalin epigram and Mandelashtam’s pro- 
stalin poetry.
The poetry of the Magnificent Three (Voznesensky, Evtushenko, and probably 
Rozhdestvensky)would also be considered if they are available in 
translation.

The dozens of volumes of pseudo-historian  Georgy Suvorov (I doubt whether 
they have been translated or not) convince the reader  how really great 
Stalin was and how great purge  was absolutely necessary for the sake the 
victory in the War(??!!).However I believe that the works of  this 
“historian “  and  hypnotist are far from the area of the special field of 
your interest.
Sorry for the chaos in my letter. The topic is very important, but it is too 
late to be precise at the moment.





Regards,

Vladimir Shatsev

Language and Drama Teacher

Russian House Community Centre www.russianhouse.ca

Phone.: 416-236-5563
Cell : 416-333-1840

Email: vladimir.shatsev at russianhouse.ca




>From: Robert Chandler <kcf19 at DIAL.PIPEX.COM>
>Reply-To: Slavic & East European Languages and Literature list              
><SEELANGS at LISTSERV.CUNY.EDU>
>To: SEELANGS at LISTSERV.CUNY.EDU
>Subject: [SEELANGS] Iskander and Stalin
>Date: Tue, 2 Jan 2007 06:01:35 +0000
>
>Dear all,
>
>I’m teaching a course for the first time on post-Stalin literature.  SANDRO
>OF CHEGEM will be a set text.  Iskander’s portraits of Stalin and his
>entourage are memorable.  In case any students want to make comparisons,
>what other good portraits of these people are there in Russian literature?
>I’m not well read in this period and I know only of a chapter in THE FIRST
>CIRCLE, a chapter in LIFE AND FATE, and a section of Grossman’s wonderful
>story ‘Mama’.
>
>And while I’m about it, does this seem like a good choice of extracts from
>SANDRO?  Any other chapter anyone would esp. recommend?
>Sandro of Chegem (ÑÀÍÄÐÎ ÈÇ ×ÅÃÅÌÀ)
>Gamblers (ÈÃÐÎÊÈ)
>Belshazzar's Feasts (ÏÈÐÛ ÁÀËÒÀÑÀÐÀ)
>Old Khabag's Mule (ÐÀÑÑÊÀÇ ÌÓËÀ ÑÒÀÐÎÃÎ ÕÀÁÓÃÀ )
>
>Best wishes to all of you for 2007!
>
>Robert
>
>
>
>
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