Trotsky and Reindeer (Help!)

[Yuri Corrigan]

Dear Seelangers,

I didn't hear back from anyone on my query about Trotsky, his worn-out
reindeer, Murakami, and the reindeer statue in Red Square.

I've pasted the passage below (it's actually from Murakami's 1980
novel, *Pinball,
1973*). My colleague (who's translating the novel into Polish) wants to
know if there's any truth to Murakami's claims.  I've said that, from what
I can tell, it's all made up, except for the fact that Trotsky did indeed
escape from imprisonment on a reindeer sleigh (which I got from consulting
Service's biography).

Here's the passage:

"It seems that Trotsky escaped from a penal colony under cover of night by
stealing a reindeer sleigh. The four reindeer raced headlong across the
silver expanse of frozen tundra, their breaths turning to white mist in the
cold air, their hooves churning up the virgin snow. Two days later when
they reached a train station, the reindeer keeled over from exhaustion,
never to get up again. Trotsky hugged the dead reindeer and made a vow,
tears streaming from his eyes. Whatever it takes, said he, I will bring
justice and ideals, and above all, revolution to the nation. And to this
very day, standing in Red Square is a bronze stature of the four reindeer.
One facing east, one north, one west, and one south. Even Stalin couldn't
bring himself to tear down these reindeer. Visitors to Moscow should be
sure to go to the Red Square early Saturday mornings. That's when
rosy-cheeked middle school children come out, breath all white in the cold,
and mop down the reindeer."
(Haruki Murakami, "Pinball, 1973," English trans. Alfred Birnbaum)


There are no reindeer statues anywhere in Moscow, right? (is he getting it
mixed up with the troika statue near the Kremlin?  Or maybe it's just all
made up?

Any help would be much appreciated.

Thank you,

Yuri


Yuri Corrigan
Assistant Professor of Russian and Comparative Literature
Boston University

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