Iskander and Stalin

[Andy Hicks]

It's possible that your students may also need to read some pre-Thaw
official portraits for context.  If so, it's hard to go wrong with Petr
Pavlenko:  Schast'e's depiction of Stalin and Molotov in the garden (while
on break from the Yalta conference) is a classic, and an earlier passage in
which an apparation of the Leader is seen at Stalingrad might also be helpful.

Pavlenko also collaborated on the screenplay for Padenie Berlina, the Stalin
scenes of which could function as a quick introduction to the period's
iconography.  I've found the film useful to open up discussions of
Shostakovich's and Mikheil Gelovani's artistic fates under Stalinism as well.


Andy Hicks

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