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André Gide's "Soviet Travels" Summary and Impressions - The moment when the French Nobel Prize-winning literary scholar realized the reality of the Soviet Union, which he admired.
The book I would like to introduce is titled "Travels in Soweto" by André Gide.
I read the Shinchosha edition of "Travels in Soweto," translated by Kiyoshi Komatsu in "The Complete Works of Ziid, Vol. 12," which was published by Shinchosha.
My encounter with this book was triggered by the following article on the "Russia Beyond" website.
The relationship between the Soviet Union and Lenin's Mausoleum is of endless interest. https://t.co/sZjUVx5bmp
- Takahiro Ueda @Hakodate Kinshokuji Temple (@kinsyokuzi) March 21, 2021
I tweeted about this before on Twitter, but in this article I found the following about Ziid.
Andre Gide (France)
Another "friend" of the Soviet Union, the famous French writer André Gide, visited Moscow in 1936. He attended the funeral of Maxim Gorky and delivered a speech at Lenin's Mausoleum. However, after traveling through the Soviet Union, Ziid lost his romantic image of the country's new regime and Stalin, and upon his return to France, he exposed the negative realities in his nonfiction book, Travels in Soviet Russia. Eventually, all of his works were banned in the Soviet Union.
Russia Beyond."Foreign leaders and distinguished guests on Lenin's Mausoleum.
Although a Frenchman, Gide had a strong interest in the Soviet Union and admired its socialist revolution. In 1936, he was informed that Gorky was in critical condition and was invited to visit the Soviet Union, where he received a warm reception from the Soviet side. For more information on Gorky, please refer to the following article.
Ziid visited the Soviet Union, a country he had longed to visit, and had high hopes for how wonderful the country would be, but there he found out the reality of the situation. He wrote about his feelings in the book "Travels in Soviet Russia.
Since we are here, here is a profile of Andre Ziid.
About Andre Ziid
Andre Zid
Shinchosha HP.
(1869-1951) Born in Paris in 1869. Losing his father early in life, he was raised by a strict Puritan mother. After being baptized in symbolism by Mallarmé, he explored the possibilities of the novel with Parade (1896). In his next novel, "The Immoralist" (1902), he developed a world of juvenile love as well as the exaltation of life. His other novels include "The Narrow Gate" (1909), "The Papal Loophole" (1913), and "Rural Symphony" (1919), and his masterpiece "The Making of Counterfeit Money" (1926) was a pioneer of "meta-fiction. He was also active in politics, and was an early critic of colonial management and Stalinism. He won the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1947 and died in 1951 at the age of 81.
Ziid was a Nobel Prize winner in literature and a writer with a deep knowledge of Dostoevsky, and his work "Dostoevsky" is well known as a classic of Dostoevskyian theory.
Travels in Soweto."
Let's take another look at the background of this work from the solution at the end of the "Soweto Travels" volume.
Since the early 1930s, the term "turn of the Jide" has been widely used not only in France but also in other countries. It means a turn to communism. In fact, Ziid's diaries from that period are replete with references to his deep interest in social issues and communism. For Ziid at that time, Soweto was a great possibility and hope for the destiny of mankind and culture.
In mid-June 1936, upon hearing the news of Maksim Gorkiy's critical illness, I hurried to Moscow (*Moscow, blog author's note) by air. I arrived in Moscow on June 17. He was received by Kolitsov, a representative of the All-Union of Soviet Writers, Piryniak, a Soviet writer who was an old friend, and Louis Aragon, who had just arrived in the Soviet Union.
However, on the following day, the 18th, shortly after his visit, Gorkii died a long time later.
At the farewell ceremony held at the Red Square on June 20, Ziid delivered a heartfelt eulogy before the coffin of Gorkii, who was destined to join the new world with the past.
With deep sorrow in his heart, Ziid stayed in Moscows for two weeks, visiting various social and cultural institutions and meeting with leading figures from various fields. He then traveled to Leningrad and other places before returning to Paris by air on September 3.
Shinchosha edition, "Sovet Travels" in Kiyoshi Komatsu's translation of "The Complete Works of Ziid, Vol. 12," p. 324.
Some lines have been changed and old letters have been changed to new ones.
Although he was a Frenchman, Ziid had been committed to communism since the 1930s and had come to regard the Soviet Union as an ideal state. He was to go to the Soviet Union, a utopia. At that time, it was not easy to enter the Soviet Union, and information about the country was strictly controlled, so information about the Soviet Union was quite biased. Jiid was very excited about this trip because he would be able to visit the country he had always dreamed of visiting.
But when he actually went there, he was confronted with reality.
There was a double sadness in this trip for Ziid. The first was the death of Eugène Davi. Dabi, who had come to Soweto a little later to share the trip with Ziid, was stricken with scarlet fever in Sevastopol and finally became a foreigner.
Another sadness was his great disillusionment with Soweto. In December of the same year, "Travels in Soweto" (also known as "Return from Soweto") was published by N.R.F. The book was a scathing indictment of conformism and cultural isolationism in Soweto. This book was a scathing indictment of Soviet conformism and cultural isolationism, and it aroused an extraordinary response not only in France but also in many other countries around the world. The reaction of Pravda and the Literary Newspaper was, of course, fierce.
Shinchosha edition, translated by Kiyoshi Komatsu, The Complete Works of Ziid, Vol. 12, p. 324-325
Some lines have been changed and old letters have been changed to new ones.
The grief he faced was the death of the friend who accompanied him and, above all, his disillusionment with the Soviet Union.
The book "Soviet Travels" is an account of this trip to the Soviet Union and the thoughts and feelings felt at the time. This book, which criticizes the Soviet Union, caused controversy and brought about an extraordinary response in many countries around the world. It is particularly realistic in that the Soviet Union responded with a tremendous counterattack.
My reading of "The Complete Works of Ziid, Volume XII" also includes a work titled "The Soweto Travel Revision," in which Ziid's rebuttal of these counterattacks is described.
Personally, I think it will be easier to understand "Soweto Travels" if you read it here first.
A more illuminating account of why Ziid became disillusioned with the Soviet Union can be found here.
Here are some of them.
The Soviets deceived me."
The loss of my trust, my admiration, and my joy. What made it so serious and tragic was yourbravadoThe reason for this is because of the excesses of the "Mere Old Man". In the same way, I do not blame Sovet for not having achieved more than
Now people explain to me why Sovet could not have achieved something more, more quickly. They say that I should understand it. They tell me that Soviet started from a low point that I cannot even begin to imagine, and that the miserable conditions in which many workers live today are the empty dreams of the oppressed of the former imperial era. I think that while they say this, they are also somewhat exaggerating.
No, I am not particularly concerned about Sovet.satisfactionI am sorry to say that the French Communists have successfully deceived us by portraying the life of the workers in this country as something to be envied. So I blame the French Communists (I am not referring here to the deceived Comunists, but to those who knew, or should have known, the reality of the Soviet Union) for the deception of their own workers, whether unconsciously or consciously. The reason is that they deceived the workers of their own country, either unconsciously or consciously (in this case, as a policy).
Shinchosha edition, Kiyoshi Komatsu's translation of "A Correction of Soweto's Travels," in Ziid's Complete Works, Vol. 12, p. 115.
Some lines have been changed and old letters have been changed to new ones.
When Ziid traveled to the Soviet Union, he was treated as a guest of honor and received a warm welcome from the Soviet side.
He received the finest food and hospitality in the finest hotels, everything was perfectly arranged in the places he was taken to, and the people he met there were all full of dreams and hopes, wonderfully cultured, and gave the impression that this country is amazingly developed.
However, Ziid intentionally kept his distance from such full convoy-style hospitality and walked the streets alone. The sights he saw and the interactions he had with the people there gradually led him to understand the reality of the situation.
The "Soweto Travelogue" and "Soweto Travel Corrections" describe such experiences of Ziid. There are many more that I would like to introduce here, but the amount of space does not allow for it. Therefore, I would like to introduce two small stories in which Ziid's humor is effective.
Small Story 1: A Lovable Guide - Ignorance of one's own ignorance is a very positive thing for human beings.
Here at Soufoum, we keep a large number of monkeys for use in Professor Voronov's rejuvenation method (note: hormone transplants) and other experiments. When asked where these monkeys came from, the answers are both varied and contradictory. It is no different than when I visited an African colony (Congo) in the past. Many people seem to be content with vague knowledge and useless words. This is especially true of our lovely female comrade who serves as our interpreter and guide.
Anyway, with this woman, everything is so easy.answerThe more I know, the more certain I am of the answer. The more I don't know, the more certain the answer is. But I am not aware of it. But she tells me something like this. I am not ignorant of my own ignorance, which is a very positive thing for a human being. These people's minds are made up with "lax" knowledge, bullshit materials, and imitations. ......
Do you know where the monkeys we have here come from?
I understand. There's no way. (He says, "I don't understand. (He asks the person who is accompanying us.)
Almost all the monkeys here were born here. Yes, almost all of them were born here.
But I'm told there were no monkeys here to begin with, so they must have been brought in from somewhere else."
Of course I do."
If so, where did they bring them from?"
Then, this time, without asking his companion, he quickly settled down,
We brought a little bit of each from all over."
Our beloved guide is impeccably kind and dedicated. What is hateful and somewhat tedious is that what she teaches us is so clear to the point of being incorrect.
Shinchosha edition, Kiyoshi Komatsu's translation of "A Correction of Soweto's Travels," in Ziid's Complete Works, Vol. 12, p. 171-172.
Some lines have been changed and old letters have been changed to new ones.
It is hard to miss the irony of this little story, which is humorously told by Ziid. In the Soviet Union, information is controlled, and to think for oneself is considered rebellion and can lead to being sent to the gulag. People in the Soviet Union can no longer think for themselves, but they have the "answers. The "right answers" given to them by the Party make them positive, Ziid ironically says.
Small story 2: Is a frugal life temporary?
After returning to Paris.
The good C returns from Sovet totally elated, and C says to me, "I've been thinking about this for a long time, and I've been thinking about it for a long time.
You say that the great leaders of that country are terribly privileged. I used to hang out with K. He was very kind and lived a simple life. I went to his apartment, and there was nothing luxurious or extravagant about it. He also introduced me to his wife, who was also a pleasant, simple person. ......
"Which Mrs.?"
What do you mean, "Which Mrs.? I mean his wife."
"Oh, you mean the wife. Don't you know that we are up to number three? So I have two more apartments, I can easily go on vacation, and I have three cars. The one you saw is the crummy one, that is, the one for the main house. ......
Is that true?"
It's true, it's true, it's true.
'So how dare the Party sit back and watch such a thing happen? Why, Stalin? ......"
You're a bit of a softy, aren't you? Stalin is afraid of the pure, the skinny, the ones who don't have deep pockets."
Shinchosha edition, Kiyoshi Komatsu's translation of "A Correction of Soweto's Travels," in "The Complete Works of Ziid, Vol. 12," p. 173.
Some lines have been changed and old letters have been changed to new ones.
This is also quite ironic. The corruption of the party cadres had already begun in Lenin's time, but it seems to have progressed even further in Stalin's time.
The last word is also poignant. Stalin is afraid of pure people, skinny people who don't have deep pockets. Stalin is afraid of pure people, skinny people who don't have deep pockets. Stalin's fear of the Soviet Union is of the pure, the lean and unselfish.
Conformism in Soviet Russia - Happiness is created by hope, trust, and ignorance
Having introduced two of Ziid's small stories from The Soviet Travels Revised, I would like to conclude with a key passage from Ziid's review of the Soviet Union from The Soviet Travels Revised.
In Soviet Russia, it is acknowledged in advance and unequivocally that one can only have a certain opinion about everything, no matter what it is.
But the people have all become so well-trained that this conformism is easy, natural, and even completely normal to them. There is so much hypocrisy in it that it is unthinkable. ......
Are these the people who did the revolution? No, they are only the beneficiaries of the revolution. Every morning the Pravda teaches them what they deserve to know, think and believe. To go outside the scope of that teaching is dangerous! So when I talk to one Russian, I feel as if I am talking to the entire Russian people.
This is not because each person is literally obedient to a single watchword, but because everything is groomed to make each person similar. Moreover, this kind of spiritual training begins at a much younger age, in childhood.
From there, there is the possibility of that unusual acceptance that sometimes seems strange to you as a foreigner, and even more so, of that happiness that surprises you.
Shinchosha edition, Kiyoshi Komatsu's translation of "Soviet Travels" in "The Complete Works of Ziid, Vol. 12," p. 32.
Some lines have been changed and old letters have been changed to new ones.
'Every morning the Pravda teaches them what they deserve to know, think and believe. To go outside the scope of that teaching is dangerous! So when I talk to one Russian, I feel as if I am talking to the entire Russian people." It is quite eerie, isn't it, the realization of Ziid, who said.
The spirit of the Russian people was instilled in them through training from an early age, according to Ziid. The Communist regimes that followed Lenin and Stalin spent a long time educating the people's spirit. By the late 1930s, the effects of this education were becoming apparent.
This is not a stranger to us. What about Japan, where we live? Can we say that it is absolutely different from the Soviet Union of that time? The scary thing about education is that once it becomes completely ingrained in us, we no longer question it or feel any sense of discomfort. It becomes completely "normal" and unconscious. I think Ziid is pointing this out here. Ziid continues.
You pity them as they stand in line for hours. But for them, waiting is quite natural. You may think the bread, vegetables, and fruits here are tasteless. But there is nothing else. These cloths, these goods that people show you, you call ugly. But you have no choice.
Aside from that past, which they have not the slightest bit of regret about, they have nothing else to compare it to and must be happy and content with what they have been given. The point is to make people believe that they are all as happy as they can be while waiting for a better life. Let them believe that people in any other country are no better off than they are.
And this can only be done by meticulously preventing all contact with the outside world (i.e., beyond its borders).
Thanks to this, Russian workers believe themselves to be happy even though their living conditions are as bad as, or clearly worse than, those of French workers, and in fact, much worse than French workers, or even worse than French workers by comparison.be happy. Their happiness, so to speak, is created by hope, trust, and ignorance.
Shinchosha edition, "Sovet Travels" in Kiyoshi Komatsu's translation of "The Complete Works of Ziid, Vol. 12," p. 32-33.
Some lines have been changed and old letters have been changed to new ones.
The Soviet people were cut off from foreign countries and knew little about the outside world. Therefore, they had nothing to compare themselves to.
I remember hearing about this from my guide when I visited Cuba in 2019.
The guide said.
Cubans don't know about other countries. They don't know who they are comparing themselves to.
It is like an isolated village in the mountains.
I don't know anything about the outside world, but on the contrary, I know everyone in the village and have been living there since I was a small child.
Perhaps this is one of the factors that fostered the Cuban temperament."
This seems similar to the situation that Ziid describes.
However, the Soviet Union may differ in that it was much more forceful in educating its people than Cuba.
The last part of this quote, "The Russian worker, who lives in the same or apparently lower conditions than the French worker, still believes himself to be happy, and in fact, he is much happier than the French worker, or even much more so than the French worker.be happy. Their happiness, so to speak, is made by hope, trust, and ignorance." I think this is too suggestive.
It seems to me that this comment is typical of Ziid, who has a deep knowledge of Dostoevsky.
It occurred to me that this is precisely the problem of the "Grand Inquisitor's Chapter" in "The Brothers Karamazov".
Stalin taught people what was right and what to do. If they acted accordingly, they were respectable Soviet citizens; if they deviated from that, they were rebels and traitors.
The standard of right and wrong is no longer a matter of individual conscience, but only of obedience to the answers Stalin gives. But as long as one is obedient, happiness is guaranteed (whether one is truly happy or not).
This was the kind of society that Ziid had discovered on his trip to the Soviet Union. This is why he became disillusioned with the Soviet Union, which he had admired so much.
I would like to conclude this article by quoting Ziid's views on the Soviets.
Today, what is called "the opposition" in Soviet Russia is nothing but free criticism and free thought. Stalin accepts only agreement. He regards as enemies all those who do not applaud him. Often, he later takes for himself the reform opinions submitted by others. In order to make it completely his own, he eliminates the person who proposed it first. This is his usual method of reasoning.
Soon, he is surrounded only by people who do no harm to him. The harmless people are those who have no opinions at all. He has no competent people around him, but only those who are beholden to him. This is the essence of despotism.
Shinchosha edition, Kiyoshi Komatsu's translation of "A Correction of Soweto's Travels," in "The Complete Works of Ziid, Vol. 12," p. 145.
Some lines have been changed and old letters have been changed to new ones.
Ziid stated this to the Soviet Union.
But this was not only a problem for the Soviet Union at that time. It is still alive in the modern world we live in. This is true even if you look around the world. Japan is no stranger to this. Learning about the history of the Soviet Union is also learning about the "world today.
Ziid's "Travels in Soweto" was a very interesting book. I could go on and on, but I'll leave it up to you to decide for yourselves. It is a very interesting book and I highly recommend it.
The above is "Ziid's 'Sovet Travels,' the moment a French Nobel Prize-winning literary scholar realized the reality of the Soviet Union, which he admired.
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