Very recently, I came across this book, Children of the Arbat by Anatoli Rybakov. Its a book about the Stalinist Russia in the mid-1930's when the socialist revolution was in full swing. An amazing book!
As you know, I do have a fascination for Soviet Russia. Primarily, because its so different from anything I have seen. Thats why I used to like the book, The Last Frontier by Alistair MacLean so much. I thought he was amazing when he wrote about the viewpoint of the anguished Russian leadership at Western Intrusion.
And now this! This book is a work of pure genius. It follows the life of several Muscovite adolescents, from the locality of Arabat which was considered to be a place of intellectuals in the monarchial and Soviet Russia. Pushkin had his house there. Remarkably, it also analyzes the thoughts and actions of Stalin and his other comerades during that time.
What Lenin did, what Stalin did, the Second Russian revolution (not called by that name, though!) and maybe why he did it are explained brilliantly in detail. What the new generations thought about their leadership, their society, their role and duty in forming what they thought be a new world order forms the backbone of the book. What is the individual and what is the society: it is a work of pure genius. Let me quote a paragraph from it that I liked:
"The criminals are scum," Vodolya said, "Degenerates and murderers. They'd betray their own comerade for a bowl of camp soup. They're the systems main support, they help our 'administrators'. Kill your wife and you get eight years, and then they knock off four for good behaviour. But take a pair of shoe soles out of the factory and they'll give you ten years."
Really, what an administration!
As you know, I do have a fascination for Soviet Russia. Primarily, because its so different from anything I have seen. Thats why I used to like the book, The Last Frontier by Alistair MacLean so much. I thought he was amazing when he wrote about the viewpoint of the anguished Russian leadership at Western Intrusion.
And now this! This book is a work of pure genius. It follows the life of several Muscovite adolescents, from the locality of Arabat which was considered to be a place of intellectuals in the monarchial and Soviet Russia. Pushkin had his house there. Remarkably, it also analyzes the thoughts and actions of Stalin and his other comerades during that time.
What Lenin did, what Stalin did, the Second Russian revolution (not called by that name, though!) and maybe why he did it are explained brilliantly in detail. What the new generations thought about their leadership, their society, their role and duty in forming what they thought be a new world order forms the backbone of the book. What is the individual and what is the society: it is a work of pure genius. Let me quote a paragraph from it that I liked:
"The criminals are scum," Vodolya said, "Degenerates and murderers. They'd betray their own comerade for a bowl of camp soup. They're the systems main support, they help our 'administrators'. Kill your wife and you get eight years, and then they knock off four for good behaviour. But take a pair of shoe soles out of the factory and they'll give you ten years."
Really, what an administration!
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