Gorky.

History of the Soviet Union under Lenin and Stalin

Ziid's "Soviet Travels" - The moment when the French Nobel Prize-winning writer realized the reality of the Soviet Union, which he admired.

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.

Ziid's "Travels in Soweto" was a very interesting book. This article will introduce some parts of it, but really there are many more parts that I would like to introduce! It is that interesting!

I urge everyone to pick up a copy for themselves. It is a very interesting book and I highly recommend it.

The content is also very closely related to Dostoevsky, so we highly recommend this work to Dostoevsky fans.
History of the Soviet Union under Lenin and Stalin

(14) Lenin's view of literature: How he viewed Dostoevsky, Tolstoy, and others.

In considering Lenin's views on literature and art, I found it surprising that he held conservative views. I had an image of revolutionaries = destruction of the existing order. Russian nihilists are especially prone to this. The nihilist youth named Bazarov in Turgenev's "Father and Son" is a typical example.

But Lenin was not, and he had a conservative view of culture.

This article looks at Lenin's views on literature and art.
History of the Soviet Union under Lenin and Stalin

(5) Why you can't beat a man with a strong mouth - Lenin's style of oratory using venom and rhetoric.

Lenin showed unusual strength in debate. The secret to this was his tongue and rhetoric.

To seize power, he had to overwhelmingly defeat his opponents. He could speak with reasoned logic, but most effective of all was his tongue and rhetoric, which would make his opponents squirm.

In this article, I will discuss Lenin's overwhelming oratory.
History of the Soviet Union under Lenin and Stalin

Shigeru Takamoto, "The Forgotten Revolution - 1917" - What was the Russian Revolution? A book that describes the author's anguish.

The book will explain the process of Soviet dictatorship from the Russian Revolution of 1917 onward.

The book is unique in that it is written from the perspective of the author himself, who was once impressed by the ideals of the Russian Revolution and committed to Marxist thought, but who eventually came to understand the reality of the Soviet Union over time and now feels anguish over it.

The book is not a criticism of Marxism from the beginning, but rather a torment that can only be told because of a long commitment to it.
Russia at the End of the Czarist EraRussian History and Culture and Dostoevsky

Henri Troyer, "Russia at the End of the Empire" - To understand Russian society after the death of Dostoevsky

The book is a novelistic introduction to society at the end of the Russian Empire in 1903.

The protagonist is a young Frenchman, Jean Roussel. He is suddenly inspired to travel to Russia. We, the readers, will witness Russian society of the time through the fresh eyes of a foreigner just like him.

The book introduces the religious situation, especially the Russian Orthodox Church, as well as various events such as the workers working in poor conditions, the inner workings of the army, and the life of the peasants.

It is a very useful book to learn what Russian society was like at that time. Moreover, it is an easy-to-read novel.
History of the Soviet Union under Lenin and Stalin

Synopsis and Impressions of Gorky's Masterpiece "Dondoko" - The Soul Cries of People Living at the Bottom of the Hill

This is a dramatic work. Moreover, as mentioned in this commentary, like Chekhov, there is no easy-to-understand plot. Therefore, it is difficult to grasp the flow of the play even if you read it as a book. I also could not understand it after reading it once, so I had to reread it many times.

Like Chekhov, I am sure that this work will have a tremendous impact when seen on stage as a play.

This piece is quite powerful. Chekhov's plays have a quiet atmosphere, but Gorky expresses the cries of the souls of those who are at rock bottom. The power of the words is tremendous. If you only read it in a book, it must be amazing to hear it on the stage.
History of the Soviet Union under Lenin and Stalin

Criticism of Dostoevsky by leading Soviet writer Gorky

As we discussed in our previous article, "Gorky from the Biography of Stalin: Gorky as a Soviet Propaganda Writer," Gorky was a leading Soviet writer and played a major role in promoting Soviet propaganda during the Stalinist regime.

What would this Gorky say about Dostoevsky?

This, in other words, is how the Soviet Union views Dostoevsky.

Therefore, in Seiro Sato's "The Life of Gorky," there is a passage in which Gorky mentions Dostoevsky, and I would like to look at that in this article.
History of the Soviet Union under Lenin and Stalin

Seiro Sato, "The Life of Gorky" - Biography recommended to learn about the tumultuous life of one of the Soviet Union's leading writers.

The book describes Gorky's life in considerable detail from his childhood, but much of the information about the young Gorky, for whom public records are scarce, is based on autobiographical novels written by Gorky himself. For those who wish to know more about Gorky, we recommend reading his autobiographical novels, such as "Among the People.

This biography reveals how tremendously Gorky lived his life from an early age.

His masterpiece, "Dondoko," was precisely because of his own experience of living through the bottom of society. It is amazing that he made it big as a writer from there. I was really surprised when I read this biography. He is no ordinary man.
History of the Soviet Union under Lenin and Stalin

Gorky and Dostoevsky, leading writers of the late imperial and Soviet periods

In "Evil Spirits" and "The Brothers Karamazov," Dostoevsky predicted an era in which people would lose their freedom due to socialist ideology.

And indeed, Russia has done just that. It did, despite the fact that Dostoevsky was so concerned about it and spoke to his readers about it. And Dostoevsky is no longer read very much by the public...

I suddenly wondered if this was a defeat for literature and thought. No matter how much literature or thought we express, if we are threatened by power or force, we are powerless...that is what I felt.

Therefore, in order to learn about these times, I decided to first read Gorky, the leading Soviet writer.