Аннотация: A theft from szlachta; "Russians" and "Sovietish". A cultural discovery and an undisclosed cultural secret of Alexander Solzhenitsyn. A buff story.
A theft from szlachta; "Russians" and "Sovietish". A cultural discovery and an undisclosed cultural secret of Alexander Solzhenitsyn. A buff story.
A summer. Alexander Solzhenitsyn in "The Five Streams" estate, in Cavendish, Vermont (USA), is engaged in creativity.
He reflects: "Why, after the publication of the "Archipelago" in the West, in some public circles, the attitude towards Russians, towards the Russian people is not always positive?"
The thought is important. Alexander Isaevich focused on her. From the depths of the subconscious comes the answer: "We need to distinguish between "Russians" and "Soviet" !"
"It is important!"
Alexander Isaevich takes a sheet of paper and quickly writes down this cultural discovery: "We need to distinguish between "Russians" and "Soviet" ["Sovietishes"]!
At this time, Pilsudski and Dzerzhinsky ( both are former pupiles of same gymnasium) are walking behind his back. They observe both the reflections of Alexander Isayevich and his cultural discovery.
- What will Aleksandr Isaevich say and what will he write after the fall of the Soviet regime? - Pilsudski is interested in Dzerzhinsky's opinion.
- Well, there will be such a whistle-dance that it will be difficult to understand the relationship between the concepts of "Soviet" and "Russian", - Dzerzhinsky replies.
- So why, after the publication of "The Archipelago" in the West, in some public circles, the attitude towards Russians, towards the Russian people is not always positive? - Pilsudski tries to get to the bottom of the truth.
Gymnasium comrades decide to visit Pushkin. Pushkin - as a poet and writer - is perhaps superior to Solzhenitsyn. So, you need to know the opinion of Pushkin.
They arrive up to Pushkin. Boldino - the family estate of Pushkin in the village of Bolshoe Boldino.
Pushkin kindly explains to them:
- I wrote my novel "Dubrovsky" (1831-1832) after the The November Uprising (1830-31) on the territory of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth (in Poland and in the former Grand Duchy of Lithuania). In this novel, I explained everything, albeit in an allegorical form.
In the the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth (Rzeczpospolita) there was a huge layer of small gentry (szlachta) - those people who worked with their own hands.
After the partition of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, both large, medium and small gentry (szlachta) on the territory of the Russian Empire were massively robbed - deprived of their property.
At that time, the relatively cultured, relatively educated class was the Russian nobility. His education level was sufficient to work in the most profitable areas of the bureaucratic apparatus. For complex work, for technical and other projects requiring complex knowledge, the robbed gentry (members of szlachta) came in handy. These people - educated, or inclined to education, with a broad outlook - became the basis of the Russian and general cultural, and technical intelligentsia.
On the one hand, there was the Russian nobility, which, for natural reasons, did not like to remember the robbery after the division of the Commonwealth, on the other hand, the social class of robbed, but dependent on the state, a formerly possessing, -and now a serving, - people. An unofficial, informal, unspoken secret public pact was drawn up - not to remember the Rzeczpospolita at all (and theft-robbery), to talk less about the merits of the gentry (members of szlachta) in the "new jobs", to create a veil, background of suspicion for the gentry (members of szlachta) (they are, of course, Russial citizens, but they are somehow not like that..., ...if something will happen? ...).
This was not only (partly) the position (viewpoints) of the state, but also - to some extent - of the educated class, that has power - the Russian nobility.
Later the lands obtained as a result of massive robbery passed from the nobility to the Russian peasantry (but not for a long time), and then from the peasantry to the Soviet state. But no matter how they passed from one owner to another, the (confidential) fact of robbery remained, existed in the depths of history.
Accordingly, the secret of the past, "The Secret of History" - the Rzeczpospolita and the merits of the gentry (members of szlachta), - who became the Russian intelligentsia, - in the development of Russia, was also preserved (was under protection). It was an important secret!
Hence, there are numerous fables about Polish intrigues - you need to play ahead of the curve.
However, under Stalin, it was possible to use the ideas of the brilliant Krzhizhanovsky, to put Vasilevsky at the head of the Ministry of Defense, and Vyshinsky at the head of the Foreign Ministry. (Until Alexander Vasilevsky was appointed Chief of the General Staff, there was a retreatment, and after the appointment, the offensive started ).
Pushkin paused and added:
- But when the general cultural and technical intelligentsia, who came out (who appeared) of the gentry (who came out of szlachta), weakens or disappears, then Alexander Isaevich will start asking the question "How can we to arrange Russia?" It will be interesting!
Pilsudski and Dzerzhinsky thanked Alexander Pushkin for the explanation and returned up to Solzhenitsyn.
Gymnasium comrades walk cautiously along the path so as not to disturb Alexander Isayevich. And they look carefully.
Aleksandr Isaevich is working on a textbook for writers (as it seemed to Pilsudski and Dzerzhinsky) 'The Grain Between the Millstones'.
"And this Chronicle was drawn so clearly to me: a several issues, 1917 - 20, 1921 - 24 ... In each: information about the grouping of Russian emigration by country in a given period; an overview of organizations, cultural undertakings, of press; the main political and social steps of this period, with the main arguments of the parties ... Nothing was achieved [Nothing was fulfilled]... (...)
... There are no Russian forces! Lacks [of possibilities].
... To manage this archive and the correspondence with the authors to replace [instead of] father [priest] Andrei Tregubov, was found - who then? - Nina Viktorovna Yatsenko. A long-term UN translator in the past, now retired and blind, immigrant Nina Viktorovna Yatsenko, lives not so far away in New Hampshire, [she was arriving] to us [to "The Five Streams"] once a week, with an overnight stay.
These are the Russian cadres [Russian figures] ..
... But the main thing: how to tighten up the scattered, repeated memories [written] by the weakening, dying old people to harmony? Who can do this? ...
... And here - a spell: ... would be only a third [employee] - (to both Alya and I, additionaly ) - but a skillful, indefatigable. The collaborator in literary work, similar to us, and he would have boiled incomparably. And all the years this third [employee] has not been here [in "The Five Streams"]. There is no third pair of eyes - [the person, who able to] to spot and decide, to edit and to type. (And will any of the children grow up for that? And - when will it be? ..)
No workers! no employees! no allies! - this is the current loose state of the Russian emigration. Is it really the same in other nations? Or are Russians so extinct and impoverished? " [unofficial translation]
Pilsudsky and Dzerzhinsky are surprised at what Solzhenitsyn writes!
But what about Irina Alekseevna Ilovaiskaya !?
('I. A. Ilovaiskaya, a devoted Catholic (for a long time), and now also an active assistant to the Pope ...)') [unofficial translation] ... H-m-m ...
'She was from the second generation of the First Emigration, she received her education in a Russian gymnasium in Belgrade before the Second War. ... at the beginning of 1976 in Zurich, before leaving for America, and even then [we] conspired her to be here [in the USA, in "The Five Streams"] as a secretary, assistant, translator - for different tasks. The widow of an Italian diplomat, she left her apartment in Rome, two grown children, and in the fall of 1976 she moved with us in "The Five Streams". She also got to be a "press secretary", to answer persistent press inquiries, and to deal with the American administration of various industries and levels, and to conduct our Western correspondence (she was fluent in seven languages). And from the heart - in addition to ours and Alya [lessons], she found time to give the [our] children her own lessons (at the age of 4, 5 and 7 years old [age of Solzhenitsyn's three children], a lot had to be taught separately); was very attached she to them [that is, loved them] and they to her too". [unofficial translation]
How it: "There are no Russian forces" !!! ???
However, one should not prevent Alexander Isaevich from making cultural discoveries in the field of Russian history and Orthodox culture.
Pushkin highly recommended reading "Dubrovsky". Gymnasium comrades headed to the nearby university library of Dartmouth College with its interlibrary book exchanging - to look through "Dubrovsky", to refresh their memory ...
December 28, 2020 13:32
Translation from Russian into English: December 28, 2020 19:58.
Владимир Владимирович Залесский 'Кража у шляхты, 'русские' и 'советские'. Культурное открытие и нераскрытый культурный секрет Александра Солженицына. Буфф-стори'.