30 p o l i t i e s Asfortheeditors:theyforgottheymustbeguided"by whatisthevitalfoundationoftheSovietsystem:itspoliticalpolicy."Theyalsoforgotthatliterature"canhaveno otherinterestsoutsideofthoseofthepeopleandtheState. ThetaskofSovietliteratureconsistsinhelpingtheStateto properlyeducateyouth. . ."(TheidentificationofthepeopleandtheState,bytheway,maybesignificant,asisthe useof"State"aloneinthenextsentence.HithertotheStalin regimehasbeenembarrassedbythefailureoftheStateto witherawayasperMarxiandoctrine;ithasbeensilentor apologeticonthesubject;nowitseemstobelosingthis shyness.) DrangNachWesten Asthepurgedevelops,theanti-foreignthemebecomes ominouslylouder.OnSeptember1,theCentralCommitee prohibitsanyfurtherexhibitionofplaysbyMaugham,Pinero, Kaufmanandothers,rathernaivelypointingoutthatsuch playshavedrivenSovietplaysoffthestage,andthatonly threeofthetwentyplaystheninthecurrentreportoryof theMoscowArtTheatredealtwithcontemporarylifein Russia.Presentingforeignplaysiscaled"anatempttopoisontheconscienceoftheSovietpeoplebyaconceptionhostile toSovietsociety,toreawakensurvivalsofcapitalismintheir mindsandintheireverydaylife."(Thegrimnessofpresent- dayRussianlifemustbeconsiderableif ittakesapolice ordertogetthetheatretoputonplaysdealingwithit,and ifplaysshowinglifeinEuropeandAmericamustbebanned lesttheyawakendesiresforcapitalismaquarter-century aftertherevolution.) Thenextday, Pravda addssomeadvice:"Playsmustre- flectthelifeofSovietsocietyinitsconstantmovementforward,contributingbyallmeanstothedevelopmentofthe bestsidesofthecharacteroftheSovietman,whichshowed themselveswithspecialstrengthintheGreatPatrioticWar." (Foranindexofthisspecialstrength,seedocumentsIIand III in"TheGermanExperience,"elsewhereinthisissue.) OnSeptember8,Tikhonov,presidentoftheUnionof SovietWriters,isdismissedfromhispost,andZostchenko andAkhmatovaareexpeledfromtheUnion.Henceforth onlywritersmaybelongtotheUnionwho"standonaplat- formofSovietpowerandparticipateinsocialistconstruction"—asstatedinparagraph2oftheUnion'scharter.The UnionalsodenouncesBorisPasternack'spoetryas"apolitical andideal-less,isolatedfromthemassesofthepeople." OnSeptember22,thecolegiumoftheMinistryofCinematography(suchtitles,likecannibalswearingtophats,testify tothebarbariclevelofpresentSovietculture)dismissesthe editorof CinemaArts fromhispost,especialycriticisinghis publishingof"Eisenstein'sprofoundlyeroneousformalist articlethatinessenceadvocatedartforart'ssake."(Thusthe anti-formalistwitch-hunt,whichwasbeingprosecutedintenselyintheearlythirties,isstillgoingonwhichisquitea tributetothevitalityofformalism,atermbywhichisunderstoodinRussiatheuseofanyestheticdevicesinproducing worksof art.) lzvestia's editorialforthesameday,addressedtowriters andcinemaworkers,outdoesallpreviouseforts: "Ourwriters'fightingtaskistogiveacrushingrepulseto slanderersatackingSovietcultureandsocialismandatthe sametimecastigatethecorruptedandcorruptivecultureof bourgeoissociety . .Ourculturestandsonanimmeasurably BibliotecauinoBianco higherlevelthanbourgeoisculture. . .Whatcanthebest representativesofSovietsociety,thecreatorsofitsculture, learnfromthefashionable'workers'ofthemodernWestand ofAmerica--whoexpressmerelythemoraldisintegrationand rotingofthecapitalistsystem?Isitnotclearthatourcul- turehastherightnottoactasapupilandimitatorbut,on thecontrary,toteachothersthegeneralhumanmorals?" (ForfurthernewsoftheRussiansasteachersofhuman morals,seedocumentsIIandIIIof"TheGermanExperience," elsewhereinthisissue.) Noteventhemostworld-famousoflivingRussianartists whetherdeservedlysoseemstobeinquestionnamely, Shostakovitch,escapesthehunt.Histurncomesas itdid oncebefore,in1936,whenStalincomplainedthatworkers couldn'twhistlehistunesonthewaytowork—onOctober1, intheofficial CultureandLife. HisnewNinthSymphonyis heldtoshowthatthecomposer"hasnotovercomeinhimself theironicalsceptic,"thathelacks"warmideologicalconviction"andthathehasbeeninfluencedbyStravinsky,"an artistwithoutafatherland,withoutconfidenceintheleadershipofhighidealsandwithoutdeepethicalprinciples."Shos- takovitch'sNinthisdescribedas"arespite. . .atemporary forgetingofbigseriousproblemsforaplayfulandfanciful trifle"andheissternlyaskedwhetherthisisanytimefor"a famousartisttotakeavacation,arestfrommodernprob- lems"inordertoimitatetheancientclassicswiththeir"joyfulrhythms."(Thebureaucraticcriticneveraskshimself,of course, why Sovietartistswantarespite,avacation,forgetfulness,joyandplay;inhisnaivedenunciation,thecritic unconsciouslyrevealstheantagonismbetweenthecreative temperamentandthedrudgery["bigseriousproblems"]the Statebureaucracywouldimposeonit.) TheMoscowradioonOctober2accusesthenovelistsof Americaofan"escapist"atitudeduringthewar,contrasting withthemtheSovietwriterswho"spentyearsatthefront helpingtodefeattheenemywithpenandsometimesgunin hand."Also,wartimeAmericannovelswereoflowquality (quitetrue),whilewartimeRussiannovelsweremarkedby "highmoralqualityandprofoundandimportantideas."* TheEisensteinTragedy(Continued) Thereseemstobeanaturalhostility,incompatiblewith thebestwillonbothides,betweenmoderntotalitarianism andartisticcreation.Capitalismpervertsartormakesits practicemoredifficult,buttotalitarianismsimplyliquidates it.Inapredominantlyprivate-capitalistsocietylikeourown, therearecranniainwhichtheartistandintelectualcan survive,aswellasconflictingforcesofwhichhecantake advantage.Frick,thesteelmaster,usedtositonaRenaissance throneunderneathaRembrandtreadingthe SaturdayEve- ningPost, butthemiddleclassintelectuals,foralltheireconomicimpotencevis-a-visFrick,wereabletoprovidean '1'NoteventheshamelessIlyaEhrenburgdaredmakesuchaclaimonhis recentvisithere:"Wedidn'thavetimetocreateliterature;wehadto defendit."(HissecretaryaddedthatEhrenburghadwritten"about3,000" articlesduringthewar,whichisasolemnthoughtindeed.)Ehrenburg alsohadthemisfortunenotonlytopraisePasternack'spoetrybuteven toadducePasternack'shighliterarystandinginRussiaasproofthatartis freethere.ThiswasbeforetheCentralCommiteehadspoken,ofcourse. EhrenburghastenedtoadoptTheNewHermetism,refusinganinvitationtoanintelectualcongressinSwitzerlandlastmonthwithcontemptu- ousremarksaboutbourgeoisfrivolity.Similarly,ProkofiefandShostakovitch,whohadbothacceptedinvitationstoconducttheirworkwiththe BostonSymphonyOrchestra,havecanceledtheirtrip.
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