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'Everything Flows is as important a novel as anything written by Solzhenitsyn, and Robert Chandler's superb translation makes it a joy to read'
Antony Beevor
Ivan Grigoryevich has been in the Gulag for thirty years. Released after Stalin's death, he finds that the years of terror have imposed a collective moral slavery. He must struggle to find a place for himself in an unfamiliar world. Grossman tells the stories of those people entwined with Ivan's fate: his cousin Nikolay, a scientist who never let his conscience interfere with his career, Pinegin, the informer who had Ivan sent to the camps and Anna Sergeyevna, Ivan's lover, who tells of her involvement as an activist in the Terror famine of 1932-3.
Everything Flows is Vasily Grossman's final testament, written after the Soviet authorities suppressed Life and Fate.
'Vasily Grossman is the Tolstoy of the USSR' Martin Amis
Antony Beevor
Ivan Grigoryevich has been in the Gulag for thirty years. Released after Stalin's death, he finds that the years of terror have imposed a collective moral slavery. He must struggle to find a place for himself in an unfamiliar world. Grossman tells the stories of those people entwined with Ivan's fate: his cousin Nikolay, a scientist who never let his conscience interfere with his career, Pinegin, the informer who had Ivan sent to the camps and Anna Sergeyevna, Ivan's lover, who tells of her involvement as an activist in the Terror famine of 1932-3.
Everything Flows is Vasily Grossman's final testament, written after the Soviet authorities suppressed Life and Fate.
'Vasily Grossman is the Tolstoy of the USSR' Martin Amis
215 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1972
261 people are currently reading
9185 people want to read
About the author
Vasily Grossman
56听books918听followersBorn Iosif Solomonovich Grossman into an emancipated Jewish family, he did not receive a traditional Jewish education. A Russian nanny turned his name Yossya into Russian Vasya (a diminutive of Vasily), which was accepted by the whole family. His father had social-democratic convictions and joined the Mensheviks. Young Vasily Grossman idealistically supported the Russian Revolution of 1917.
When the Great Patriotic War broke out in 1941, Grossman's mother was trapped in Berdychiv by the invading German army, and eventually murdered together with 20,000 to 30,000 other Jews who did not evacuate Berdychiv. Grossman was exempt from military service, but volunteered for the front, where he spent more than 1,000 days. He became a war reporter for the popular Red Army newspaper Krasnaya Zvezda (Red Star). As the war raged on, he covered its major events, including the Battle of Moscow, the Battle of Stalingrad, the Battle of Kursk, and the Battle of Berlin. In addition to war journalism, his novels (such as The People are Immortal (袧邪褉芯写 斜械褋褋屑械褉褌械薪) were being published in newspapers and he came to be regarded as a legendary war hero. The novel Stalingrad (1950), later renamed For a Just Cause (袟邪 锌褉邪胁芯械 写械谢芯), is based on his own experiences during the siege.
Grossman's descriptions of ethnic cleansing in Ukraine and Poland, and the liberation of the Treblinka and Majdanek extermination camps, were some of the first eyewitness accounts 鈥攁s early as 1943鈥攐f what later became known as 'The Holocaust'. His article The Hell of Treblinka (1944) was disseminated at the Nuremberg War Crimes Tribunal as evidence for the prosecution.
Grossman died of stomach cancer in 1964, not knowing whether his novels would ever be read by the public.
When the Great Patriotic War broke out in 1941, Grossman's mother was trapped in Berdychiv by the invading German army, and eventually murdered together with 20,000 to 30,000 other Jews who did not evacuate Berdychiv. Grossman was exempt from military service, but volunteered for the front, where he spent more than 1,000 days. He became a war reporter for the popular Red Army newspaper Krasnaya Zvezda (Red Star). As the war raged on, he covered its major events, including the Battle of Moscow, the Battle of Stalingrad, the Battle of Kursk, and the Battle of Berlin. In addition to war journalism, his novels (such as The People are Immortal (袧邪褉芯写 斜械褋褋屑械褉褌械薪) were being published in newspapers and he came to be regarded as a legendary war hero. The novel Stalingrad (1950), later renamed For a Just Cause (袟邪 锌褉邪胁芯械 写械谢芯), is based on his own experiences during the siege.
Grossman's descriptions of ethnic cleansing in Ukraine and Poland, and the liberation of the Treblinka and Majdanek extermination camps, were some of the first eyewitness accounts 鈥攁s early as 1943鈥攐f what later became known as 'The Holocaust'. His article The Hell of Treblinka (1944) was disseminated at the Nuremberg War Crimes Tribunal as evidence for the prosecution.
Grossman died of stomach cancer in 1964, not knowing whether his novels would ever be read by the public.
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January 3, 2021
The Experience of Exile
Homer got it wrong in the Odyssey, at least for modern folk. The real suffering and trauma of exile occurs not in the time away from one鈥檚 homeland but upon return. Living with fixed memories, no matter how accurate, means disappointment in proportion to the time away, for both the traveller and the keepers of the hearth. Stay away long enough, say thirty years or so, and whatever commonality that existed is dissipated by the winds of unshared experience. No energy remains in old relationships. What does remain is a designation empty of any real meaning - countryman, neighbour, friend, relative have no pragmatic import.
Thus whatever it was that 鈥榢ept one going鈥� in the trials of exile, voluntary or not, is a self-preserving fiction. It may be necessary for psychic survival but it becomes more false by the day. The quantum of change is too small to be noticed on a trip away from home to the shops or the daily commute to work; but the effect emerges into the macro-world when things seem different at home upon returning from holiday or visiting from university. The rooms seem smaller, the conversations less interesting, the family squabbles more annoying. These are not inaccurate sensations. They are the result of becoming incrementally more objective about life. The rooms are small, the conversations banal, and the family insufferable, just as the returning prodigal appears alien and incomprehensible.
The trauma of return is therefore not just experiential, it is existential. Exile may threaten one鈥檚 life; return compromises one鈥檚 identity. Survival is likely to be a matter of physical endurance; psychic integrity is more likely to depend on entirely unrecognised and unused aspects of character. The home-comer is a threat to those he returns to because they imagine how they appear to him; they thereby become marginally more objective about themselves. This is never flattering. Weaknesses ignored, guilt denied, knowledge of betrayals suppressed, all bubble into consciousness.
The returning exile can also see what others can鈥檛, the lost potential of not just the people he knows but of an entire society. Unknown even to him, he has been creating expectations, extrapolating improvements. None of these have materialised. His insight about lost opportunities causes everyone pain. He therefore must be kept in exile even at home. This is something Odysseus apparently never was forced to endure. Grossman鈥檚 Ivan, that is to say Grossman himself, is the truly tragic modern figure of those for whom home has disappeared entirely.
Homer got it wrong in the Odyssey, at least for modern folk. The real suffering and trauma of exile occurs not in the time away from one鈥檚 homeland but upon return. Living with fixed memories, no matter how accurate, means disappointment in proportion to the time away, for both the traveller and the keepers of the hearth. Stay away long enough, say thirty years or so, and whatever commonality that existed is dissipated by the winds of unshared experience. No energy remains in old relationships. What does remain is a designation empty of any real meaning - countryman, neighbour, friend, relative have no pragmatic import.
Thus whatever it was that 鈥榢ept one going鈥� in the trials of exile, voluntary or not, is a self-preserving fiction. It may be necessary for psychic survival but it becomes more false by the day. The quantum of change is too small to be noticed on a trip away from home to the shops or the daily commute to work; but the effect emerges into the macro-world when things seem different at home upon returning from holiday or visiting from university. The rooms seem smaller, the conversations less interesting, the family squabbles more annoying. These are not inaccurate sensations. They are the result of becoming incrementally more objective about life. The rooms are small, the conversations banal, and the family insufferable, just as the returning prodigal appears alien and incomprehensible.
The trauma of return is therefore not just experiential, it is existential. Exile may threaten one鈥檚 life; return compromises one鈥檚 identity. Survival is likely to be a matter of physical endurance; psychic integrity is more likely to depend on entirely unrecognised and unused aspects of character. The home-comer is a threat to those he returns to because they imagine how they appear to him; they thereby become marginally more objective about themselves. This is never flattering. Weaknesses ignored, guilt denied, knowledge of betrayals suppressed, all bubble into consciousness.
The returning exile can also see what others can鈥檛, the lost potential of not just the people he knows but of an entire society. Unknown even to him, he has been creating expectations, extrapolating improvements. None of these have materialised. His insight about lost opportunities causes everyone pain. He therefore must be kept in exile even at home. This is something Odysseus apparently never was forced to endure. Grossman鈥檚 Ivan, that is to say Grossman himself, is the truly tragic modern figure of those for whom home has disappeared entirely.
October 6, 2011
Vasily Grossman was a writer of unique genius, a great war correspondent and an even greater novelist. Earlier this year I read Life and Fate, a panoramic novel set in the Second World War. I don鈥檛 think I鈥檝e ever been as overwhelmed by a work of fiction, at least not since I read Dostoevsky鈥檚 Crime and Punishment. It鈥檚 an astonishing tour de force, a description of people and places and events delivered with freshness and stunning insight. Even before I finished I offered the following comment;
As a novel it is also intensely honest, making no allowances for the ideological shibboleths of his day, so honest that the book was 鈥榓rrested鈥�, yes, arrested by the KGB in the early 1960s. Grossman was subsequently summoned to the office of Mikhail Suslov, the chief ideologue of the Khrushchev and Brezhnev years, who told him that the book could not be published for another two or three hundred years, an act of extreme censorship coupled with a paradoxical recognition of its lasting importance. Fortunately, a copy of the manuscript was smuggled out to the West, where it was published and hailed as a work of genius.
Sadly Grossman was unable to enjoy his literary triumph: he died of stomach cancer in Moscow in 1964. At the point of his death he had no reason to suppose that Suslov鈥檚 prediction was not true, that it would take two centuries for his great work to emerge from the ideological shadows. But he was already working on another novel, a novel that could not have been published in the old Soviet Union in two millennia, never mind two centuries. This is Everything Flows, which I finished today in one feverish sitting, stopping only to top up my tea from the samovar.
Yes, Everything Flows is a novel, unfinished at the time of the author鈥檚 death, but it鈥檚 also a kind of testament, a political and philosophical indictment not just of the moral corruption of communism but of Russia itself, of that dark place in the Russian soul that forever eschews freedom in favour of slavery.
The criticism is trenchant. Life and Fate could be taken in large part as a demolition of Stalinism, an altogether more honest testament that Khrushchev鈥檚 Secret Speech. But Everything Flows goes deeper; it goes so far as Lenin, still sleeping away in Red Square, the supreme icon of national servitude. For a moment, for the briefest of seasons in the spring of 1917, Russia scented freedom. The path lay open. Russia chose Lenin, who came not to liberate the country but to refine and amplify the most regressive features of its history;
And so it was that Lenin鈥檚 obsession with revolution, his fanatical faith in the truth of Marxism and the absolute intolerance of any dissent, all led him to advance hugely the development of the Russia he hated with all of his fanatical soul鈥id Lenin ever imagine the true consequences of his revolution? Did he ever imagine that it would not simply be a matter of Russia now leading the way 鈥� rather than, as had been predicted, following behind a socialist Europe? Did he ever imagine that what his revolution would liberate was Russian slavery itself 鈥� that his revolution would enable Russian slavery to spread beyond the confines of Russia, to become a torch lighting a new path for humanity?
Russian history, paradoxically, went into reverse. Stalin quickened the process, taking it as far as it would go, substituting freedom with the most abject forms of state worship, something that had not been seen since the days of Ivan the Terrible. By the 1930s, the time of collectivisation, the time of the Terror Famine, the time when the state deliberately starved millions of its own citizens to death, the Russian peasantry was more completely enslaved than it ever had been under the Tsars. It鈥檚 almost as if Alexander II, the Liberator, the man who ended serfdom, had never lived. That was the legacy of the Revolution.
There is a witness here, a man who filters these thoughts through his head. He is Ivan Grigoryevich. His freedom died earlier than most. Sent to the camps as a young man, he returns thirty years later, a ghost from the past, a husk of a ruined life. Stalin is dead but there has been no proper reckoning; there never will be a reckoning. Such reckoning as there is comes only as an act of moral and historical reflection.
There are those that Grigorivich left behind, like his cousin Nikolay, a mediocrity who prospered in a time of mediocrity and bad faith. This ghost is not entirely welcome, neither by Nikolay nor by his wife, both of whom remained 鈥榝ree鈥� insofar as freedom involved all sorts of shabby compromises. This is a theme, this guilt come resentment, that Solzhenitsyn was to take up in Cancer Ward. These are the little people, the beetle people, who prospered at the expense of those far more talented, who died or disappeared.
The novel ranges over some of the tragedy, looked at in simple human as well as grand historical terms. There is the tragedy of the Terror Famine, told by Anna Sergeyevna, Grigorivich鈥檚 lover, full of guilt for the part she played;
How the kulaks suffered. In order to kill them, it was necessary to declare that the kulaks are not human beings. Just as the Germans said that the Yids are not human beings. That鈥檚 what Lenin and Stalin said too: The kulaks are not human beings. But that鈥檚 a lie. They are people. I can see now that we are all human beings.
There is the tragedy of Vasily Timofeyvich, Ganna, his beloved wife, and Grishenka, their infant son, explored in a brief and incredibly poignant chapter, killed by starvation, lying in their hut over the winter, not separated even by death.
There is the tragedy of Masha, arrested in 1937 at the height of the Great Terror, madness within madness, simply for being married to a man that the state had declared guilty. Separated from her husband and her child, she was sent to the gulags, convinced that it was all a mistake, that her sentence would be revoked, that they would all meet again never to be separated. In the end hope died;
A year later Masha left the camp. Before returning to freedom, she lay for a while on some pine planks in a freezing hut. No one tried to hurry her out to work, and no one abused her. The medical orderlies placed Masha Lyubimova in a rectangular box made from boards that the timber inspectors had rejected for any other use. This was the last time anyone looked on her face. On it was a sweet, childish expression of delight and confusion, the same look as when she had stood by the timber store and listened to the merry music, first with joy then with the realisation that all hope had vanished.
This could have been an angry book, a bitter one; the anger caused by so much betrayal, the anger of history, the anger of an author whose life鈥檚 work had been frustrated. But it鈥檚 not; it鈥檚 a bold, moving and scrupulously honest book, a story told on a number of narrative levels, a story told with simplicity, insight and tremendous clarity. It stands as a noble testament. If you love Russia, if you love the past, if you love the truth, if you love freedom I urge you to read this. If you can do so without descending at points into tears then you have far greater powers of emotional control than I have, than I will ever have. Everything Flows is a great work of literature. It is an even greater tribute to the human spirit.
As a novel it is also intensely honest, making no allowances for the ideological shibboleths of his day, so honest that the book was 鈥榓rrested鈥�, yes, arrested by the KGB in the early 1960s. Grossman was subsequently summoned to the office of Mikhail Suslov, the chief ideologue of the Khrushchev and Brezhnev years, who told him that the book could not be published for another two or three hundred years, an act of extreme censorship coupled with a paradoxical recognition of its lasting importance. Fortunately, a copy of the manuscript was smuggled out to the West, where it was published and hailed as a work of genius.
Sadly Grossman was unable to enjoy his literary triumph: he died of stomach cancer in Moscow in 1964. At the point of his death he had no reason to suppose that Suslov鈥檚 prediction was not true, that it would take two centuries for his great work to emerge from the ideological shadows. But he was already working on another novel, a novel that could not have been published in the old Soviet Union in two millennia, never mind two centuries. This is Everything Flows, which I finished today in one feverish sitting, stopping only to top up my tea from the samovar.
Yes, Everything Flows is a novel, unfinished at the time of the author鈥檚 death, but it鈥檚 also a kind of testament, a political and philosophical indictment not just of the moral corruption of communism but of Russia itself, of that dark place in the Russian soul that forever eschews freedom in favour of slavery.
The criticism is trenchant. Life and Fate could be taken in large part as a demolition of Stalinism, an altogether more honest testament that Khrushchev鈥檚 Secret Speech. But Everything Flows goes deeper; it goes so far as Lenin, still sleeping away in Red Square, the supreme icon of national servitude. For a moment, for the briefest of seasons in the spring of 1917, Russia scented freedom. The path lay open. Russia chose Lenin, who came not to liberate the country but to refine and amplify the most regressive features of its history;
And so it was that Lenin鈥檚 obsession with revolution, his fanatical faith in the truth of Marxism and the absolute intolerance of any dissent, all led him to advance hugely the development of the Russia he hated with all of his fanatical soul鈥id Lenin ever imagine the true consequences of his revolution? Did he ever imagine that it would not simply be a matter of Russia now leading the way 鈥� rather than, as had been predicted, following behind a socialist Europe? Did he ever imagine that what his revolution would liberate was Russian slavery itself 鈥� that his revolution would enable Russian slavery to spread beyond the confines of Russia, to become a torch lighting a new path for humanity?
Russian history, paradoxically, went into reverse. Stalin quickened the process, taking it as far as it would go, substituting freedom with the most abject forms of state worship, something that had not been seen since the days of Ivan the Terrible. By the 1930s, the time of collectivisation, the time of the Terror Famine, the time when the state deliberately starved millions of its own citizens to death, the Russian peasantry was more completely enslaved than it ever had been under the Tsars. It鈥檚 almost as if Alexander II, the Liberator, the man who ended serfdom, had never lived. That was the legacy of the Revolution.
There is a witness here, a man who filters these thoughts through his head. He is Ivan Grigoryevich. His freedom died earlier than most. Sent to the camps as a young man, he returns thirty years later, a ghost from the past, a husk of a ruined life. Stalin is dead but there has been no proper reckoning; there never will be a reckoning. Such reckoning as there is comes only as an act of moral and historical reflection.
There are those that Grigorivich left behind, like his cousin Nikolay, a mediocrity who prospered in a time of mediocrity and bad faith. This ghost is not entirely welcome, neither by Nikolay nor by his wife, both of whom remained 鈥榝ree鈥� insofar as freedom involved all sorts of shabby compromises. This is a theme, this guilt come resentment, that Solzhenitsyn was to take up in Cancer Ward. These are the little people, the beetle people, who prospered at the expense of those far more talented, who died or disappeared.
The novel ranges over some of the tragedy, looked at in simple human as well as grand historical terms. There is the tragedy of the Terror Famine, told by Anna Sergeyevna, Grigorivich鈥檚 lover, full of guilt for the part she played;
How the kulaks suffered. In order to kill them, it was necessary to declare that the kulaks are not human beings. Just as the Germans said that the Yids are not human beings. That鈥檚 what Lenin and Stalin said too: The kulaks are not human beings. But that鈥檚 a lie. They are people. I can see now that we are all human beings.
There is the tragedy of Vasily Timofeyvich, Ganna, his beloved wife, and Grishenka, their infant son, explored in a brief and incredibly poignant chapter, killed by starvation, lying in their hut over the winter, not separated even by death.
There is the tragedy of Masha, arrested in 1937 at the height of the Great Terror, madness within madness, simply for being married to a man that the state had declared guilty. Separated from her husband and her child, she was sent to the gulags, convinced that it was all a mistake, that her sentence would be revoked, that they would all meet again never to be separated. In the end hope died;
A year later Masha left the camp. Before returning to freedom, she lay for a while on some pine planks in a freezing hut. No one tried to hurry her out to work, and no one abused her. The medical orderlies placed Masha Lyubimova in a rectangular box made from boards that the timber inspectors had rejected for any other use. This was the last time anyone looked on her face. On it was a sweet, childish expression of delight and confusion, the same look as when she had stood by the timber store and listened to the merry music, first with joy then with the realisation that all hope had vanished.
This could have been an angry book, a bitter one; the anger caused by so much betrayal, the anger of history, the anger of an author whose life鈥檚 work had been frustrated. But it鈥檚 not; it鈥檚 a bold, moving and scrupulously honest book, a story told on a number of narrative levels, a story told with simplicity, insight and tremendous clarity. It stands as a noble testament. If you love Russia, if you love the past, if you love the truth, if you love freedom I urge you to read this. If you can do so without descending at points into tears then you have far greater powers of emotional control than I have, than I will ever have. Everything Flows is a great work of literature. It is an even greater tribute to the human spirit.
August 22, 2024
Superb. A note to page 99 by , the translator, emphasizes the novelty of this text, which the author last revised in 1964.
"Grossman wrote Everything Flows at a time when there was almost no reliable published information on such topics as the Gulag, Collectivization, and the Terror Famine [Holodomor]. Given his dependence [solely] on oral sources, it is remarkable how little he has got wrong."
So the book is a feat of reportage as much as it is one of fictional narrative. It's part harrowing novel and part shattering expos茅. The argument about how Lenin had to preserve the old system of slavery in Russia in order to advance the Revolution is fascinating.
"It is, indeed, tragic that a man who so sincerely loved Tolstoy and Beethoven should have furthered a new enslavement of the peasants and workers, that he should have played a central role in reducing to the status of lackeys 鈥� State lackeys 鈥� such outstanding figures of Russian culture as the writer Aleksey Tolstoy, the physical chemist Nikolay Semyonov, and the composer Dmitry Shostakovich. 露 The debate begun by the supporters of Russian freedom was finally resolved. Once again, Russian slavery proved invincible." (p. 182)
And later:
"Stalin united within him all the most ruthless traits of slave Russia." (p. 191)
Be sure to read , too, Grossman's great Tolstoyan masterpiece.
"Grossman wrote Everything Flows at a time when there was almost no reliable published information on such topics as the Gulag, Collectivization, and the Terror Famine [Holodomor]. Given his dependence [solely] on oral sources, it is remarkable how little he has got wrong."
So the book is a feat of reportage as much as it is one of fictional narrative. It's part harrowing novel and part shattering expos茅. The argument about how Lenin had to preserve the old system of slavery in Russia in order to advance the Revolution is fascinating.
"It is, indeed, tragic that a man who so sincerely loved Tolstoy and Beethoven should have furthered a new enslavement of the peasants and workers, that he should have played a central role in reducing to the status of lackeys 鈥� State lackeys 鈥� such outstanding figures of Russian culture as the writer Aleksey Tolstoy, the physical chemist Nikolay Semyonov, and the composer Dmitry Shostakovich. 露 The debate begun by the supporters of Russian freedom was finally resolved. Once again, Russian slavery proved invincible." (p. 182)
And later:
"Stalin united within him all the most ruthless traits of slave Russia." (p. 191)
Be sure to read , too, Grossman's great Tolstoyan masterpiece.
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August 3, 2015
It was with trepidation that I picked this up. Vasily Grossman鈥檚 Life & Fate is the only book I have ever snapped shut, not out of boredom or irritation or a desire to read something else, but out of fear, a fear of what I would be exposed to and how it would affect me. More than once 鈥� as I carried it around with me during the day, fitting in a few pages here and there 鈥� I made a fool of myself in public, especially at work, during breaks, sitting there damp about the eyes, with a pained expression on my face, and a lower lip starting to tremble. I had visions, as I came to read Everything Flows, of being solemnly escorted out of the building, a broken man, my head resting on the ample bosom of a stout motherly woman鈥︹€檞hat鈥檚 wrong with him?鈥� my colleagues will ask her. 鈥業 have no idea! He was just reading a book.鈥�
As one would expect of a book that only just breaches 200 pages, Everything Flows is much narrower in focus [in terms of its basic storyline], and less epic and panoramic, than Grossman鈥檚 masterpiece; it was, moreover, unfinished at the time of the author鈥檚 death, which perhaps accounts for how episodic it is. The man tying these episodes together is Ivan Grigoryevich, who has just been released from prison [after a total of 29 years] following the death of Joseph Stalin. The passing of Uncle Joe is significant, because it led to the overturning of many unsound convictions 鈥� including, in this instance, Ivan鈥檚 鈥� and this, this acceptance by the State that people had been locked up, and murdered, on trumped up charges, meant that ordinary Russians had some uncomfortable truths to confront, not only about how their government had behaved but in terms of their own guilt or culpability also.
What is most striking about Ivan is that, although he is so central to the plot, he is, as a character, almost non-existent. He is described as a once sensitive, timid and shy child, and, despite his experiences in labour camps, he has maintained a reserved bearing, calmness and politeness, so much so that other characters think him odd, or na茂ve, or simply stupid. Much like Prince Myshkin, in Dostoevsky鈥檚 The Idiot, it is through this meek man, through their interactions with him, that others reveal their baser tendencies, or weaknesses or flaws. Take his cousin, Nikolay, a scientist who Ivan first visits upon his release. Nikolay has a guilty conscience, for he had not been denounced or arrested; he had, in fact, prospered under Stalin. He could not be said to have been entirely in favour of what went down, in fact he was much troubled by what happened to Jews and other prominent intellectuals, but he didn鈥檛 openly oppose it either; he didn鈥檛 speak out when they were relieved of their posts, when they were ostracised, etc.
[Workers in a Soviet Gulag]
Throughout the opening stages of the book Grossman explores complicity in its different forms. He suggests that Nikolay was complicit in his inaction, in his reluctance to question the Party line, but most of all in his attempts to justify himself, or lie to himself, in order to have some peace of mind. It is a familiar story that those caught up in such large-scale abuses of power find it difficult to believe, or accept, what is actually happening; they doubt what they see or make excuses for it, because the truth is so awful, and, if accepted, the truth of things 鈥� that entirely innocent people are being systematically brutalised and murdered 鈥� necessitates action 鈥� because only a bad person could do nothing in the face of such horror 鈥� which is the last thing that most people want; they do not want to have to fight or oppose.
If challenged, those guilty of the complicity of inaction are likely to argue that they are but one man, so what can or could they do or have done? They also abdicate responsibility to the State or to authority. 鈥業t was not I, it was them; I trusted them to do the right thing鈥nd so when they told me that such-and-such was guilty of a crime I believed them.鈥� I see this kind of passivity, this passing on of responsibility in the face of disgraceful authoritarian action, this moral weakness, all the time. How many times have you heard the phrase 鈥榯here鈥檚 no smoke without fire鈥� applied to criminal cases? The idea is that if someone is accused of something there must be a reason for it, even if we cannot see it ourselves. It isn鈥檛 that people really believe the State is infallible, it is simply that it is easier to think so, to tell yourself so.
After leaving Nikolay鈥檚 house, Ivan crosses paths with Pinegin, who is the man responsible for denouncing him. Pinegin worries that Ivan knows that it was him, but assures himself that he is imagining it. Here the emphasis is not on what people will allow to happen, what they passively sanction, but what ordinary human beings are actually capable of. I wrote in my review of Tadeusz Borowski鈥檚 This Way for the Gas, Ladies & Gentlemen that we comfort ourselves with the thought that we would never actively participate in mass oppression but normal people did and do. Grossman explores in detail why that is the case. Why do ordinary people condemn or murder for their governments? Are they evil? No, unfortunately not. Evil as a concept is, I鈥檓 afraid, simply another comfort blanket.
Some participate in order to get ahead, in order to prosper. If you help to oppress another group, not only can you take what is theirs, but there is less competition for what is not, for jobs, etc. There is also the pleasant feeling of being useful to the State, of being valued by the State. People like to be praised, they like to think that they are important or necessary. In Russia at the time, people wanted to serve Stalin, they admired him, loved him even. In terms of Pinegin, he denounced Ivan not because he hated him, but because that is what the State asked of him; he was, Grossman suggests, simply following orders or doing his duty. It isn鈥檛, one could argue, for the common man to make these kinds of decisions, about what is right and wrong and fair or unfair, that is the responsibility of the State. For me, there is an interesting subtext to all this, which is that morality is changeable, is malleable, and so if a State or an authority decide that someone is guilty, then they become guilty. It does not matter if another authority would declare them innocent. Therefore, those who participated in the functioning and application of that authority were also innocent, were in fact in the right, because they were behaving in accordance with the laws, rules and culture of their society.
Most of what I have discussed so far is found in the first fifty or so pages. For me, this was the strongest section of the book. Beyond those first fifty pages the storyline disappears somewhat, and Ivan gets lost among a series of [admittedly, very engaging] essays, ranging from the nature of freedom and hope, to collectivisation and a number of chapters dedicated to understanding Lenin and his role in what followed him. Therefore, as a novel, as a work of fiction, Everything Flows is a bit of a mess, is, in all honesty, not successful at all. Life & Fate also includes philosophical essays but they ride alongside a well-crafted narrative, are fully integrated into the text. This is not, however, too serious a criticism, especially when one remembers that the book was unfinished at the time of Grossman鈥檚 death; one assumes that, if he had had more time, he might have developed Ivan鈥檚 story so that it would not simply trail-off.
More of an issue is that Grossman鈥檚 treatment of the Russian peasantry and the oppressed is romanticised, so that it has almost a propagandistic flavour; indeed, I felt as though I, as the reader, was being manipulated somewhat. For example, during the chapter on collectivisation 鈥� which is, I might add, possibly the most harrowing and upsetting thing I have ever read 鈥� Grossman writes about one mother reading fairy-tales to her starving, dying children in an effort to distract them from their pain. All the oppressed people throughout the book are so lovingly described, they are all so gentle, so noble, so kind and patient and forbearing in their suffering that it just does not ring true. They are, like Ivan, like Prince Myshkin, Christ-like, they are representations of The Russian Soul. For the record, I want to point out that my sympathy is entirely with them, with the ill-treated, with the genuine, real victims of Stalinism; in fact, there is a certain level of guilt accompanying my words here, but I am trying to approach the book as literature; and, as such, Everything Flows is a failure. But, then, I guess that a believable, successful novel was never really Grossman鈥檚 aim; what he wanted to do was try to understand what had happened to his beautiful country, his beautiful people, and so one can overlook, even admire, a touch of sentimentality.
For a book that had such a powerful emotional and intellectual hold on me, I do not want to end on a criticism. I said to someone the other day that Vasily Grossman had a simple, direct way of getting to the heart of everything, that I find very moving. And on that note I鈥檒l finish up with something from the text, something simple and direct, and pretty fucking devastating鈥�
As one would expect of a book that only just breaches 200 pages, Everything Flows is much narrower in focus [in terms of its basic storyline], and less epic and panoramic, than Grossman鈥檚 masterpiece; it was, moreover, unfinished at the time of the author鈥檚 death, which perhaps accounts for how episodic it is. The man tying these episodes together is Ivan Grigoryevich, who has just been released from prison [after a total of 29 years] following the death of Joseph Stalin. The passing of Uncle Joe is significant, because it led to the overturning of many unsound convictions 鈥� including, in this instance, Ivan鈥檚 鈥� and this, this acceptance by the State that people had been locked up, and murdered, on trumped up charges, meant that ordinary Russians had some uncomfortable truths to confront, not only about how their government had behaved but in terms of their own guilt or culpability also.
鈥淭he sea was not freedom; it was a likeness of freedom, a symbol of freedom鈥ow splendid freedom must be if a mere likeness of it, a mere reminder of it, is enough to fill a man with happiness.鈥�
What is most striking about Ivan is that, although he is so central to the plot, he is, as a character, almost non-existent. He is described as a once sensitive, timid and shy child, and, despite his experiences in labour camps, he has maintained a reserved bearing, calmness and politeness, so much so that other characters think him odd, or na茂ve, or simply stupid. Much like Prince Myshkin, in Dostoevsky鈥檚 The Idiot, it is through this meek man, through their interactions with him, that others reveal their baser tendencies, or weaknesses or flaws. Take his cousin, Nikolay, a scientist who Ivan first visits upon his release. Nikolay has a guilty conscience, for he had not been denounced or arrested; he had, in fact, prospered under Stalin. He could not be said to have been entirely in favour of what went down, in fact he was much troubled by what happened to Jews and other prominent intellectuals, but he didn鈥檛 openly oppose it either; he didn鈥檛 speak out when they were relieved of their posts, when they were ostracised, etc.
[Workers in a Soviet Gulag]
Throughout the opening stages of the book Grossman explores complicity in its different forms. He suggests that Nikolay was complicit in his inaction, in his reluctance to question the Party line, but most of all in his attempts to justify himself, or lie to himself, in order to have some peace of mind. It is a familiar story that those caught up in such large-scale abuses of power find it difficult to believe, or accept, what is actually happening; they doubt what they see or make excuses for it, because the truth is so awful, and, if accepted, the truth of things 鈥� that entirely innocent people are being systematically brutalised and murdered 鈥� necessitates action 鈥� because only a bad person could do nothing in the face of such horror 鈥� which is the last thing that most people want; they do not want to have to fight or oppose.
If challenged, those guilty of the complicity of inaction are likely to argue that they are but one man, so what can or could they do or have done? They also abdicate responsibility to the State or to authority. 鈥業t was not I, it was them; I trusted them to do the right thing鈥nd so when they told me that such-and-such was guilty of a crime I believed them.鈥� I see this kind of passivity, this passing on of responsibility in the face of disgraceful authoritarian action, this moral weakness, all the time. How many times have you heard the phrase 鈥榯here鈥檚 no smoke without fire鈥� applied to criminal cases? The idea is that if someone is accused of something there must be a reason for it, even if we cannot see it ourselves. It isn鈥檛 that people really believe the State is infallible, it is simply that it is easier to think so, to tell yourself so.
鈥楾he criminals had, after all, confessed during the trials[鈥they had been questioned in public by a man with a university degree[鈥there had been no doubt about their guilt, not a shadow of a doubt.鈥�
After leaving Nikolay鈥檚 house, Ivan crosses paths with Pinegin, who is the man responsible for denouncing him. Pinegin worries that Ivan knows that it was him, but assures himself that he is imagining it. Here the emphasis is not on what people will allow to happen, what they passively sanction, but what ordinary human beings are actually capable of. I wrote in my review of Tadeusz Borowski鈥檚 This Way for the Gas, Ladies & Gentlemen that we comfort ourselves with the thought that we would never actively participate in mass oppression but normal people did and do. Grossman explores in detail why that is the case. Why do ordinary people condemn or murder for their governments? Are they evil? No, unfortunately not. Evil as a concept is, I鈥檓 afraid, simply another comfort blanket.
Some participate in order to get ahead, in order to prosper. If you help to oppress another group, not only can you take what is theirs, but there is less competition for what is not, for jobs, etc. There is also the pleasant feeling of being useful to the State, of being valued by the State. People like to be praised, they like to think that they are important or necessary. In Russia at the time, people wanted to serve Stalin, they admired him, loved him even. In terms of Pinegin, he denounced Ivan not because he hated him, but because that is what the State asked of him; he was, Grossman suggests, simply following orders or doing his duty. It isn鈥檛, one could argue, for the common man to make these kinds of decisions, about what is right and wrong and fair or unfair, that is the responsibility of the State. For me, there is an interesting subtext to all this, which is that morality is changeable, is malleable, and so if a State or an authority decide that someone is guilty, then they become guilty. It does not matter if another authority would declare them innocent. Therefore, those who participated in the functioning and application of that authority were also innocent, were in fact in the right, because they were behaving in accordance with the laws, rules and culture of their society.
Most of what I have discussed so far is found in the first fifty or so pages. For me, this was the strongest section of the book. Beyond those first fifty pages the storyline disappears somewhat, and Ivan gets lost among a series of [admittedly, very engaging] essays, ranging from the nature of freedom and hope, to collectivisation and a number of chapters dedicated to understanding Lenin and his role in what followed him. Therefore, as a novel, as a work of fiction, Everything Flows is a bit of a mess, is, in all honesty, not successful at all. Life & Fate also includes philosophical essays but they ride alongside a well-crafted narrative, are fully integrated into the text. This is not, however, too serious a criticism, especially when one remembers that the book was unfinished at the time of Grossman鈥檚 death; one assumes that, if he had had more time, he might have developed Ivan鈥檚 story so that it would not simply trail-off.
More of an issue is that Grossman鈥檚 treatment of the Russian peasantry and the oppressed is romanticised, so that it has almost a propagandistic flavour; indeed, I felt as though I, as the reader, was being manipulated somewhat. For example, during the chapter on collectivisation 鈥� which is, I might add, possibly the most harrowing and upsetting thing I have ever read 鈥� Grossman writes about one mother reading fairy-tales to her starving, dying children in an effort to distract them from their pain. All the oppressed people throughout the book are so lovingly described, they are all so gentle, so noble, so kind and patient and forbearing in their suffering that it just does not ring true. They are, like Ivan, like Prince Myshkin, Christ-like, they are representations of The Russian Soul. For the record, I want to point out that my sympathy is entirely with them, with the ill-treated, with the genuine, real victims of Stalinism; in fact, there is a certain level of guilt accompanying my words here, but I am trying to approach the book as literature; and, as such, Everything Flows is a failure. But, then, I guess that a believable, successful novel was never really Grossman鈥檚 aim; what he wanted to do was try to understand what had happened to his beautiful country, his beautiful people, and so one can overlook, even admire, a touch of sentimentality.
铀モ櫏铀�
For a book that had such a powerful emotional and intellectual hold on me, I do not want to end on a criticism. I said to someone the other day that Vasily Grossman had a simple, direct way of getting to the heart of everything, that I find very moving. And on that note I鈥檒l finish up with something from the text, something simple and direct, and pretty fucking devastating鈥�
August 22, 2021
Un libro dur铆simo pero crucial para comprender una etapa que marc贸 un punto de inflexi贸n no solo para Rusia sino para el mundo entero como lo fue la Revoluci贸n rusa y lo que vino aparejado con la llegada al poder de hombres como Lenin y Stalin.
A pesar de tener la estructura general de una novela, el libro en realidad es mas ensayo que novela, sobre todo en la segunda mitad, donde el trabajo de Grossman es mas anal铆tico que descriptivo.
La novela cuenta la historia de Ivan, quien -con la muerte de Stalin en 1953 y como sucedi贸 con muchos otros presos pol铆ticos- logra recuperar su libertad luego de estar 30 a帽os en prisi贸n por un delito que no cometi贸, y tiene que reinsertarse en una sociedad arrasada por el totalitarismo.
Grossman utiliza entonces la historia de Ivan para hacer una cr贸nica de lo que era la vida del hombre com煤n en Rusia durante la 茅poca Estalinista: delaciones, persecuciones, presos pol铆ticos, torturas, expropiaci贸n de tierras, hambrunas, y principalmente, la p茅rdida de la libertad. La p茅rdida de la libertad es claramente el alma del libro, y Grossman aborda este tema desde distintos 谩ngulos; por un lado hace un minucioso an谩lisis de las personalidades de Lenin y Stalin y su forma de detentar el poder, y por otro analiza en profundidad a la sociedad rusa en su historia, marcando lo que pare 茅l ya es un inquebrantable car谩cter de exclavitud que vive en el alma rusa.
Es un libro que expone clara y visceralmente las miserias que conllevan los totalitarismos. Muy recomendable.
鈥淟e dar茅 una respuesta -dijo Iv谩n Grig贸rievich-. Antes cre铆a que la libertad era libertad de palabra, de prensa, de conciencia. Pero la libertad se extiende a la vida de todos los hombres. La libertad es el derecho a sembrar lo que uno quiera, a confeccionar zapatos y abrigos, a hacer pan con el grano que uno ha sembrado, y a venderlo o no venderlo, lo que uno quiera. Y tanto si uno es cerrajero como fundidor de acero o artista, la libertad es el derecho a vivir y trabajar como uno prefiera y no como le ordenen.鈥�
A pesar de tener la estructura general de una novela, el libro en realidad es mas ensayo que novela, sobre todo en la segunda mitad, donde el trabajo de Grossman es mas anal铆tico que descriptivo.
La novela cuenta la historia de Ivan, quien -con la muerte de Stalin en 1953 y como sucedi贸 con muchos otros presos pol铆ticos- logra recuperar su libertad luego de estar 30 a帽os en prisi贸n por un delito que no cometi贸, y tiene que reinsertarse en una sociedad arrasada por el totalitarismo.
Grossman utiliza entonces la historia de Ivan para hacer una cr贸nica de lo que era la vida del hombre com煤n en Rusia durante la 茅poca Estalinista: delaciones, persecuciones, presos pol铆ticos, torturas, expropiaci贸n de tierras, hambrunas, y principalmente, la p茅rdida de la libertad. La p茅rdida de la libertad es claramente el alma del libro, y Grossman aborda este tema desde distintos 谩ngulos; por un lado hace un minucioso an谩lisis de las personalidades de Lenin y Stalin y su forma de detentar el poder, y por otro analiza en profundidad a la sociedad rusa en su historia, marcando lo que pare 茅l ya es un inquebrantable car谩cter de exclavitud que vive en el alma rusa.
Es un libro que expone clara y visceralmente las miserias que conllevan los totalitarismos. Muy recomendable.
鈥淟e dar茅 una respuesta -dijo Iv谩n Grig贸rievich-. Antes cre铆a que la libertad era libertad de palabra, de prensa, de conciencia. Pero la libertad se extiende a la vida de todos los hombres. La libertad es el derecho a sembrar lo que uno quiera, a confeccionar zapatos y abrigos, a hacer pan con el grano que uno ha sembrado, y a venderlo o no venderlo, lo que uno quiera. Y tanto si uno es cerrajero como fundidor de acero o artista, la libertad es el derecho a vivir y trabajar como uno prefiera y no como le ordenen.鈥�
November 29, 2021
This is a different beast compared to . It is even more polemical, angry and sad. It goes deeper into the roots of totalitarism in Russia with its thousand years of subjugating to slavery its own population. In a shorter term, Grossman sees Lenin, not Stalin and the cause of all ruthless evil that happened in 50 years after the Bolsheviks seized power in Russia. It is the only novel I've read from that period which describes Holodomor in Ukraine in shocking details. I believe the novel was unfinished when Grossman died. It potentially could be tighter than it is, but it does not spare the reader in its raw power.
Unexpectedly, I was thinking of with her so called "Annihilation trilogy". The main role of her protagonist was to listen to her interlocutors and to project their views through herself. It is very similar here. The novel is centred on a man newly released after spending almost all his adult life in the gulag. But he hardly speaks, at least until the last episode of the novel. He listens to different people he meets in the society he was excluded from. It is a great way to convey the destiny of that society and the powerful ideas such as freedom and individual responsibility.
Unexpectedly, I was thinking of with her so called "Annihilation trilogy". The main role of her protagonist was to listen to her interlocutors and to project their views through herself. It is very similar here. The novel is centred on a man newly released after spending almost all his adult life in the gulag. But he hardly speaks, at least until the last episode of the novel. He listens to different people he meets in the society he was excluded from. It is a great way to convey the destiny of that society and the powerful ideas such as freedom and individual responsibility.
June 8, 2015
Introduction
--Everything Flows
Notes
Chronology
A Note on Collectivisation and the Terror Famine
People, Places and Organisations
Biographical Note
Further Reading
Acknowledgements
An Afterword by Yekaterina Korotkova-Grossman
--Everything Flows
Notes
Chronology
A Note on Collectivisation and the Terror Famine
People, Places and Organisations
Biographical Note
Further Reading
Acknowledgements
An Afterword by Yekaterina Korotkova-Grossman
September 28, 2015
賴賱 賮賰乇賳丕 賷賵賲丕 賲丕 賮賷 賴賵賱丕亍 丕賱賱匕賷賳 賷毓賷卮賵賳 丕賱丨乇賵亘 賱丨馗賴 亘賱丨馗丞 ,
賴賱 賮賰乇賳丕 賷賵賲丕 賲丕 亘丕賱匕賷賳 賷囟胤乇賵賳 賱賱賴乇賵亘 賵丕賱賱噩賵亍 賮賷 丿賵賱 睾賷乇 丕賵胤丕賳賴賲 賰 賲卮乇丿賷賳
兀賵 亘丕賵賱卅賰 囟丨賷丞 兀賳馗賲丞 賯賲毓賷丞 兀賵 孬賵乇丕鬲 亘爻亘亘 賲賵丕賯賮賴賲 丕賱丕丿亘賷丞 丕賱賰鬲丕亘賷丞 乇賲賷賵丕 禺賱賮 丕賱爻噩賵賳 賱毓賯賵賵丿 , 丕賲賱賴賲 丕賱賵丨賷丿 亘丕賱禺乇賵噩 賲賳 賴匕丕 丕賱爻噩賳 丕賱匕賷 囟丕毓 賮賷賴 夭賴乇丞 毓賲乇賴賲 賵卮亘丕亘賴賲 丕賳 賷丨丿孬 丕賳賯賱丕亘 丕禺乇 丕賵 孬賵乇丞 !!
廿賷賮丕賳 睾乇賷睾賵乇賷賮賷鬲卮 賮賷 乇賵爻賷丕 丕賱爻鬲丕賱賷賳賷丞 賷爻噩賳 賱賲丿丞 孬賱丕孬賷賳 毓丕賲丕 , 亘毓丿 禺乇賵噩丞 賲賳 丕賱爻噩賳 丕乇毓亘鬲丞 毓夭賱丞 丕賱賲丿賳 丕賱卮丕爻毓丞 賵亘乇賵丿鬲賴丕 ,賷卮毓乇 亘丕賱乇睾亘丞 丕賱乇噩賵毓 賱賱賲毓鬲賯賱 丕賱丨乇賷丞 亘丿兀鬲 賱丞 賲乇毓亘丞 , 賷匕賴亘 賱夭賷丕乇丞 兀賯丕乇亘丞 丕賱卮亘丕亘 丕賱丕賳 賲爻賳賷賳 噩丿丕賸 賵賷匕賴亘 賱賱賵賯賮 禺丕乇噩 亘賷鬲 丨亘賷鬲丞 丕賱鬲賷 賯丕亘賱賴丕 賵 兀丨亘賴丕 賯亘賱 孬賱丕孬賷賳 毓丕賲丕, 賱丕賳丞 鬲毓賵丿 毓賱賶 爻賲賮賵賳賷丕鬲 卮禺賷乇 丕賱賲毓鬲賯賱賷賳 賵 賯乇賯毓丞 丕賱丨丕乇爻 丕賱賱賷賱賷 賵氐乇賷乇 毓噩賱丕鬲 丕賱賯胤丕乇 丕賱匕賷 賷丨賲賱 丕賱賲夭賷丿 賲賳 丕賱賲毓鬲賯賱賷賳 賵噩丿 氐毓賵亘丞 賮賷 丕賱鬲兀賯賱賲 賲毓 賴丿賵亍 丕賱賱賷賱.
賴賱 賲丕鬲鬲 丕賱丨賷丕丞 亘丿丕禺賱 兀賷賮丕賳 , 賱賲 賷爻鬲胤毓 兀賷賮丕賳 丕賱鬲丕賯賱賲 禺丕乇噩 丕賱賲毓鬲賯賱 賱丕賳丞 賷乇賶 兀賳 賳賵乇 丕賱丨乇賷丞 賯賵丞 賱兀乇賵丕丨 丕賱賲毓鬲賯賱賷賳 賮賷 睾亘丕乇 丕賱爻噩賳 賵馗賱賲鬲丞 賰丕賳鬲 賴賷 丕賱丨乇賷丞 丕賱禺丕賱丿丞.
兀賳賴丕 乇賵丕賷丞 禺丕賱丿丞 毓馗賷賲丞 賲丐賱賲丞 毓賳 賴賵賱丕亍 丕賱匕賷賳 賱丕賷賴鬲賲 亘賴賲 丕賱賲丐乇禺賵賳 賵賷毓鬲亘乇賵賳賴賲 賲噩乇丿 兀乇賯丕賲 賱丕賷賴鬲賲賵賳 丕賱丕 亘丕賱丕賳鬲氐丕乇丕鬲 丕賱爻賷丕爻賷丞 賱賷爻噩賱賵賴丕, 丕賲丕 毓賳 賴賵賱丕亍 囟丨丕賷丕 丕賱孬賵乇丕鬲 丕賱匕賷賳 賱賲 賷賳丕囟賱賵丕 丕賱丕 亘賯賱賲 賵賵乇賯丞 賵賯囟賵丕 毓賲乇賴賲 亘丕賱爻噩賵賳 賱丕賷賰鬲亘 毓賳賴賲 爻賵賶 丕丿亘丕亍 丕賳爻丕賳賷賵賳 賲孬賱 丿爻鬲賵賷賮爻賰賷 賵 賮丕爻賷賱賷 賴賳丕 .
兀賳賴丕 乇賵丕賷丞 賱賱丨乇賷丞 賵丕賱丕賳爻丕賳賷丞 賵賱賱丕賳爻丕賳 .
兀鬲賲賳賶 丕賳 兀噩丿 亘丕賱丕丿亘 丕賱毓乇亘賷 乇賵丕賷丕鬲 孬賵孬賯 丕賱賲乇丨賱丞 丕賱鬲丕乇禺賷丞 丕賱鬲賷 賳毓賷卮 亘賴丕 丕賱丕賳 丕賱賱鬲賷 賲鬲賲孬賱賴 賱賱丕爻賮 賮賷 丕賱爻賯賵胤 丕賱丕禺賱丕賯賷 , 賱丕賷賴賲 丕賱丕賳 賲賳 賷毓鬲賯賱 丕賵 賷賴乇亘 賰 賱丕噩賷 丕賵 賲賯鬲賵賱 囟丨賷丞 丨乇賵亘 毓亘孬賷丞 賷爻丕賱 丕賵賱丌: 毓賳 賵賱丕卅賴 賴賱 賴賵 賲毓 丕賱賳馗丕賲 丕賵 賲毓丕乇囟 毓賳 胤丕卅賮鬲丞 賲匕賴亘丞 毓賳 賲賵賯賮丞 丕賱爻賷丕爻賷 賵賲賳 孬賲 賷賯乇乇 賴賱 賳鬲毓丕胤賮 賲毓賴 丕賵 賱丕 ....賱賱丕爻賮 爻賯賵胤 丕禺賱丕賯賷 噩賲丕毓賷 毓賳 賲爻鬲賵賶 丕賱賲噩鬲賲毓丕鬲 丕賱毓乇亘賷丞
賴賱 賮賰乇賳丕 賷賵賲丕 賲丕 亘丕賱匕賷賳 賷囟胤乇賵賳 賱賱賴乇賵亘 賵丕賱賱噩賵亍 賮賷 丿賵賱 睾賷乇 丕賵胤丕賳賴賲 賰 賲卮乇丿賷賳
兀賵 亘丕賵賱卅賰 囟丨賷丞 兀賳馗賲丞 賯賲毓賷丞 兀賵 孬賵乇丕鬲 亘爻亘亘 賲賵丕賯賮賴賲 丕賱丕丿亘賷丞 丕賱賰鬲丕亘賷丞 乇賲賷賵丕 禺賱賮 丕賱爻噩賵賳 賱毓賯賵賵丿 , 丕賲賱賴賲 丕賱賵丨賷丿 亘丕賱禺乇賵噩 賲賳 賴匕丕 丕賱爻噩賳 丕賱匕賷 囟丕毓 賮賷賴 夭賴乇丞 毓賲乇賴賲 賵卮亘丕亘賴賲 丕賳 賷丨丿孬 丕賳賯賱丕亘 丕禺乇 丕賵 孬賵乇丞 !!
廿賷賮丕賳 睾乇賷睾賵乇賷賮賷鬲卮 賮賷 乇賵爻賷丕 丕賱爻鬲丕賱賷賳賷丞 賷爻噩賳 賱賲丿丞 孬賱丕孬賷賳 毓丕賲丕 , 亘毓丿 禺乇賵噩丞 賲賳 丕賱爻噩賳 丕乇毓亘鬲丞 毓夭賱丞 丕賱賲丿賳 丕賱卮丕爻毓丞 賵亘乇賵丿鬲賴丕 ,賷卮毓乇 亘丕賱乇睾亘丞 丕賱乇噩賵毓 賱賱賲毓鬲賯賱 丕賱丨乇賷丞 亘丿兀鬲 賱丞 賲乇毓亘丞 , 賷匕賴亘 賱夭賷丕乇丞 兀賯丕乇亘丞 丕賱卮亘丕亘 丕賱丕賳 賲爻賳賷賳 噩丿丕賸 賵賷匕賴亘 賱賱賵賯賮 禺丕乇噩 亘賷鬲 丨亘賷鬲丞 丕賱鬲賷 賯丕亘賱賴丕 賵 兀丨亘賴丕 賯亘賱 孬賱丕孬賷賳 毓丕賲丕, 賱丕賳丞 鬲毓賵丿 毓賱賶 爻賲賮賵賳賷丕鬲 卮禺賷乇 丕賱賲毓鬲賯賱賷賳 賵 賯乇賯毓丞 丕賱丨丕乇爻 丕賱賱賷賱賷 賵氐乇賷乇 毓噩賱丕鬲 丕賱賯胤丕乇 丕賱匕賷 賷丨賲賱 丕賱賲夭賷丿 賲賳 丕賱賲毓鬲賯賱賷賳 賵噩丿 氐毓賵亘丞 賮賷 丕賱鬲兀賯賱賲 賲毓 賴丿賵亍 丕賱賱賷賱.
賴賱 賲丕鬲鬲 丕賱丨賷丕丞 亘丿丕禺賱 兀賷賮丕賳 , 賱賲 賷爻鬲胤毓 兀賷賮丕賳 丕賱鬲丕賯賱賲 禺丕乇噩 丕賱賲毓鬲賯賱 賱丕賳丞 賷乇賶 兀賳 賳賵乇 丕賱丨乇賷丞 賯賵丞 賱兀乇賵丕丨 丕賱賲毓鬲賯賱賷賳 賮賷 睾亘丕乇 丕賱爻噩賳 賵馗賱賲鬲丞 賰丕賳鬲 賴賷 丕賱丨乇賷丞 丕賱禺丕賱丿丞.
兀賳賴丕 乇賵丕賷丞 禺丕賱丿丞 毓馗賷賲丞 賲丐賱賲丞 毓賳 賴賵賱丕亍 丕賱匕賷賳 賱丕賷賴鬲賲 亘賴賲 丕賱賲丐乇禺賵賳 賵賷毓鬲亘乇賵賳賴賲 賲噩乇丿 兀乇賯丕賲 賱丕賷賴鬲賲賵賳 丕賱丕 亘丕賱丕賳鬲氐丕乇丕鬲 丕賱爻賷丕爻賷丞 賱賷爻噩賱賵賴丕, 丕賲丕 毓賳 賴賵賱丕亍 囟丨丕賷丕 丕賱孬賵乇丕鬲 丕賱匕賷賳 賱賲 賷賳丕囟賱賵丕 丕賱丕 亘賯賱賲 賵賵乇賯丞 賵賯囟賵丕 毓賲乇賴賲 亘丕賱爻噩賵賳 賱丕賷賰鬲亘 毓賳賴賲 爻賵賶 丕丿亘丕亍 丕賳爻丕賳賷賵賳 賲孬賱 丿爻鬲賵賷賮爻賰賷 賵 賮丕爻賷賱賷 賴賳丕 .
兀賳賴丕 乇賵丕賷丞 賱賱丨乇賷丞 賵丕賱丕賳爻丕賳賷丞 賵賱賱丕賳爻丕賳 .
兀鬲賲賳賶 丕賳 兀噩丿 亘丕賱丕丿亘 丕賱毓乇亘賷 乇賵丕賷丕鬲 孬賵孬賯 丕賱賲乇丨賱丞 丕賱鬲丕乇禺賷丞 丕賱鬲賷 賳毓賷卮 亘賴丕 丕賱丕賳 丕賱賱鬲賷 賲鬲賲孬賱賴 賱賱丕爻賮 賮賷 丕賱爻賯賵胤 丕賱丕禺賱丕賯賷 , 賱丕賷賴賲 丕賱丕賳 賲賳 賷毓鬲賯賱 丕賵 賷賴乇亘 賰 賱丕噩賷 丕賵 賲賯鬲賵賱 囟丨賷丞 丨乇賵亘 毓亘孬賷丞 賷爻丕賱 丕賵賱丌: 毓賳 賵賱丕卅賴 賴賱 賴賵 賲毓 丕賱賳馗丕賲 丕賵 賲毓丕乇囟 毓賳 胤丕卅賮鬲丞 賲匕賴亘丞 毓賳 賲賵賯賮丞 丕賱爻賷丕爻賷 賵賲賳 孬賲 賷賯乇乇 賴賱 賳鬲毓丕胤賮 賲毓賴 丕賵 賱丕 ....賱賱丕爻賮 爻賯賵胤 丕禺賱丕賯賷 噩賲丕毓賷 毓賳 賲爻鬲賵賶 丕賱賲噩鬲賲毓丕鬲 丕賱毓乇亘賷丞
February 1, 2022
"Rusia nu a fost niciodata o tara libera"
Profitand de un personaj principal denuntat-intemnitat 25 de ani in lagar Grossman zugraveste imaginea sinistra a sovietelor in timpul si post Stalin.
Mi au placut in mod deosebit reflectiile si observatiile scriitorului atat in ceea ce priveste natura umana, cat si ideologia comunismului.
Este foarte interesanta psihologia denuntatorului si motivatia lui.
O carte buna, dar in care m am simtit permanent ca merg, cu o pereche de bocanci scalciati , prin nesfarsit noroi.
"
Profitand de un personaj principal denuntat-intemnitat 25 de ani in lagar Grossman zugraveste imaginea sinistra a sovietelor in timpul si post Stalin.
Mi au placut in mod deosebit reflectiile si observatiile scriitorului atat in ceea ce priveste natura umana, cat si ideologia comunismului.
Este foarte interesanta psihologia denuntatorului si motivatia lui.
O carte buna, dar in care m am simtit permanent ca merg, cu o pereche de bocanci scalciati , prin nesfarsit noroi.
"
June 3, 2024
Un roman ca o sentin葲膬.
Panta rhei e o sintagm膬 atribuit膬 lui Heraclit, av芒nd sensul "totul curge".
"Pe cei care coboar膬 卯n acelea葯i r芒uri 卯i scald膬 mereu alte 葯i alte unde".
Ivan Grigorievici, eliberat recent din Gulag, dup膬 o isp膬葯ire care a acumulat trei decenii, g膬se葯te Moscova transformat膬 fa葲膬 de cum o cuno葯tea. 脦l izbe葯te realitatea timpului trecut. Nu mai poate 卯n葲elege ora葯ul, a葯a c膬 simte nevoia s膬 ias膬 c芒t mai repede din el. 脦l 卯mpresoar膬 葯i sugrum膬 siajul amintirilor. 脦n cei 30 de ani c芒t a stat 卯n lag膬r timpul nu l-a iertat nici pe el sau, a葯 putea spune, mai ales pe el.
"葮i omul, care timp de trei lungi decenii nu se g芒ndise nici o singur膬 dat膬 c膬 mai existau pe lumea asta 葯i tufe de liliac, 葯i panselu葲e, 葯i c膬r膬ri pres膬rate cu nisip prin gr膬dini, 葯i tonete cu ap膬 gazoas膬, oft膬, conving芒ndu-se 卯nc膬 o dat膬, dar 卯ntr-un alt fel, c膬 via葲a a mers 卯nainte, c膬 ea 葯i-a continuat drumul 葯i 卯n lipsa lui"
脦n tinere葲e lui Ivan i se prefigura o carier膬 str膬lucit膬 de savant 葯i tr膬ia o iubire 卯mp膬rt膬葯it膬. Cum s-ar spune 卯n societate, p膬rea c膬 o s膬 fie un om 卯mplinit. Dar discursurile sale 卯n cercurile literare, declamate 卯n sprijinul libert膬葲ii, 卯mpotriva materialismului dialectic, i-au adus nenorocirea. A trecut mult de atunci. Acum e g芒rbovit de at芒葲ia ani de munc膬 grea, are riduri ad芒nci, e p膬truns de b膬tr芒ne葲e, cu visurile sf膬r芒mate de povara anilor 葯i neatinse poate doar 卯n nucleul amintirii timpurilor c芒nd o iubea pe Ania. Acum se g芒nde葯te la v膬rul s膬u, Nikolai Andreievici, la 卯nt芒lnirea dintre ei, dar mai ales la 卯ntrebarea pe care o are de pus: 葯i tu ai isc膬lit scrisoarea care-i condamna pe medicii evrei?
Ce via葲膬 diferit膬, 卯ns膬, i-a separat. Diferen葲ele de caracter, dar 葯i decizile luate, l-au f膬cut pe Ivan s膬 cad膬, iar pe Nikolai s膬 se ridice pe muntele de denun葲uri p芒n膬 卯n fruntea Consiliului 葮tiin葲ific Superior, cu referin葲e laudative tocmai de la cunoscutul impostor L卯senko.
O via葲膬 bun膬, am putea spune; artificial膬, c膬znit膬, cu adev膬ruri nerecunoscute 葯i multe justific膬ri pentru a-葯i calma con葯tiin葲a ce tinde uneori s膬 nu mai accepte p芒rghiile minciunii, dar totu葯i o via葲膬 bun膬, 卯ncununat膬 cu mese din care nu lipse葯te caviarul, dar mai ales respectul celor din jur. Asemenea lui sunt mul葲i care au contribuit cu dela葲iuni, constr芒n葯i de ideologia pe care o slujeau sau chiar din dorin葲a de a parveni au devenit p膬rta葯i la suferin葲膬 葯i moarte.
Con葯tiin葲a lui Nikolai Andreievici ne e prezentat膬 卯n prima parte prin vorbele adresate de c膬tre so葲ia lui, Maria Pavlovna, care-i spune ceea ce el g芒ndea deja.
葮i anume c膬 de葯i 葯tie c膬 卯l iube葯te pe Ivan, Nikolai va trebui s膬 卯i ob葲in膬 viz膬 pentru Moscova, ceea ce 卯l va face s膬 piard膬 aniversarea de 50 de ani a unui coleg de Academie, iar ve葯tile c膬 Ivan s-a 卯ntors i-ar putea periclita avansarea. Are totu葯i luciditatea acestui g芒nd 葯i se ru葯ineaz膬 de el. Anii l-au dus pe Nikolai, prin deriva lor ideologic膬, la consecin葲ele alegerilor f膬cute 卯n tinere葲e 葯i pe care a continuat s膬 le fac膬 de-a lungul vie葲ii, compens芒nd lipsa de valoare cu cea a fidelit膬葲ii fa葲膬 de partid 葯i de stat.
Ce anume face ca acest om prezentat ca "cinstit, principial 葯i str膬in de f膬葲膬rnicia celor care se aga葲膬 de posturi " s膬 devin膬 totu葯i fiin葲a plin膬 de contradic葲ii ciocnite de o st芒nc膬 ce-i acoper膬 propria sa con葯tiin葲膬?
脦n glum膬, la dineuri, r膬spunde par葲ial chiar so葲ia lui, Maria Pavlovna, o spune 卯ns膬 cu condescenden葲膬:
- Dac膬 a葲i sta voi cu el sub acela葯i acoperi葯, l-a葲i cunoa葯te mai bine pe minunatul Kolenka: un despot, un psihopat, un egoist cum nu-i altul pe lume.
脦n studen葲ie 卯l rodea 卯n interior lipsa de validare a celorlal葲i. Era stimat, pre葲uit pentru caracterul s膬u, dar departe de a fi recunoscut ca savant. Avea invidii, nesiguran葲e profesionale, 卯ns膬 nu dorea r膬ul altora. Ba chiar, 卯n ultimii ani ai lui Stalin, 卯n cea de-a treia perioad膬 de teroare, c芒nd s-au pornit "demasc膬rile" medicilor evrei, 卯n foiletoanele vremii, presupu葯i criminali 卯n ochii statului, a privit totul cu ne卯ncredere 葯i cu mirare faptul c膬 ele sunt conving膬toare, mai ales pentru min葲ile educate.
C芒nd primii academicieni, medici 葯i profesori evrei fuseser膬 acuza葲i de otr膬vire con葯tiin葲a lui Nikolai se disociaz膬 卯ntre dou膬 tipare de g芒ndire. Cunoa葯te pe mul葲i dintre acei oameni eminen葲i 葯i crede c膬 nu ar fi capabili de a葯a crime.
Dar latura infectat膬 cu dezinformare 葯i ur膬 卯i spune c膬 葯i-au recunoscut crimele, iar dac膬 ei au recunoscut f膬r膬 s膬 fie vinova葲i, atunci ar 卯nsemna s膬 recuno葯ti ce era de nerecunoscut, anume c膬 vinova葲ii sunt conduc膬torii, c膬 卯nsu葯i Stalin e criminalul.
Isteria creat膬 e general膬, paranoia se instaleaz膬 卯n societate. Pacien葲ii refuz膬 de frica otr膬virii s膬 mai fie consulta葲i de medici evrei. Munca lor devine imposibil膬 葯i chiar pasibil膬 cu condamnarea la primul denun葲. Nikolai prive葯te toate evenimentele cu dispre葲, le consider膬 reprobabile 葯i, de葯i 卯l dezaprob膬 pe R卯葯kov c芒nd 卯i condamn膬 pe evrei, nu-i displac laudele aduse acum lui, c芒nd, prin eliminarea unor savan葲i renumi葲i, devine 卯n ochii societ膬葲ii un mare savant rus. Dar nu e 卯ndeajuns, statul 卯i cere fidelitate total膬. Nikolai Andreievici va trebui s膬 cuv芒nteze 卯mpotriva medicilor "asasini", va trebui s膬 卯i 卯nfiereze 葯i s膬 fie unul din semnatarii acelei scrisori infame, 卯ntr-o diluare colectiv膬 a con葯tiin葲ei unor fapte criminale. "To葲i pe lume sunt vinova葲i, pe lume nu-i nici unul vinovat".
Cel mai ad芒nc punct 卯n care 葲inte葯te Vasili Grossman e latura subiacent膬 a min葲ii umane, 葯i anume subcon葯tientul. C芒t de complicat e s膬 fii om, s膬 ai g芒nduri 葯i s膬 le analizezi lucid, ra葲ional, dar mai ales s膬 卯葲i reglezi comportamentul 葯i faptele 卯n concordan葲膬 cu principiile 葯i procesele coordonatoare ale g芒ndirii con葯tiente.
Ce anume e analizabil aici? C芒te c膬r葲i nu s-au scris despre seduc葲ia maselor 卯ntr-un sistem totalitar. Recunoa葯tem iluzia care acoper膬 orice alveol膬 moral膬 葯i care suprim膬 abaterea de la norm膬 prin ochii vigilen葲i ai celorla葲i. Cele c芒teva decenii de "menticid", acest mecanism de suprimare a g芒ndirii ra葲ionale 葯i de infantilizare a marii p膬turi sociale, au dus la un sistem de diluare al acestor procese mentale complexe. Hannah Arendt numea totalitarismul ca pe o transformare a 卯ns膬葯i naturii umane. Statul a preluat fr芒iele g芒ndirii fiec膬rui om, le-a d膬ruit m芒ntuirea fa葲膬 de faptele lor 葯i i-a u葯urat de procesele con葯tiin葲ei. Printre cei pe care sistemul nu a reu葯it s膬-i mancurtizeze, a reu葯it s膬-i supun膬 prin subtila lor cameleonizare, iar pe indezirabili i-a extirpat din societate.
Avem isteria maselor care accept膬 condamnarea la moarte a medicilor evrei acuza葲i de otr膬virea pacien葲ilor. Se vor aduce acuza葲ii tot mai ridicole, iar ele vor fi crezute. Dorin葲a de a crede tot ce le debiteaz膬 Partidul 葯i liderul s膬u cu musta葲膬 stufoas膬 e la fel de mare precum sunt minciunile. Acel lider pe care Grossman 卯l construie葯te imaginativ mai credibil dec芒t tablourile 卯n care pozeaz膬 卯n semizeu: "St膬p芒nul zeificat 卯葯i dezvaluia pe nea葯teptate trupul b膬tr芒n 葯i neputincios ".
脦ns膬 totul curge 葯i 卯n navala timpului nimic nu poate r膬zbate ve葯nic.
C芒nd stalinismul a pierit, Hru葯ciov, el 卯nsu葯i un cameleon 卯n tirania stalinist膬, a criticat 葯i devoalat crimele odiosului must膬cios, iar atunci pelicula orbirii a fost 卯ndep膬rtat膬 葯i fiecare om 卯n parte a fost nevoit s膬 卯葯i vad膬 faptele 葯i consecin葲ele lor. M芒ntuirea era de fapt o butaforie, o potemkinad膬 ridicat膬 卯n locul unei 卯mp膬r膬葲ii utopice. C芒nd delatorul 卯葯i 卯nt芒lne葯te victima infamiei sale, el nu se mai poate min葲i pe sine, numai el e vinovatul. Statul doar i-a garantat vremelnic fapta, dar m芒r葯膬via sa 葯i traumele provocate sunt permanente 葯i las膬 urme prin timp. Dup膬 moartea lui Stalin s-au deschis 葯i ochii lui Nikolai Andreievici. Atunci c芒nd a aflat c膬 medicii evrei erau nevinova葲i, tortura葲i 卯n timpul anchetelor, un sentiment nou se deschidea 卯n mintea lui, 葯i anume, toate amintirile vechi ale denun葲urilor 葯i condamn膬rilor peste care anii se a葯ezaser膬 pr膬fui葲i, memorii tenebroase ca ni葯te pivni葲e 卯n care 卯i fusese team膬 s膬 mai intre. Se nasc acum 卯ntreb膬ri noi.
"Tr膬ise el oare a葯a cum se cuvine? Era el 卯ntr-adev膬r a葯a cum 卯l considerau cei din jur, un om cinstit?"
Aici Grossman are un pasaj demn de un cunosc膬tor fin al min葲ii umane, care 卯mi aduce aminte de minciuna ontologic膬, pe care Alain Besan莽on a descris-o 卯n Sf芒nta Rusie: "El, care se obi葯nuise at芒t de bine, cu at芒ta abilitate, s膬 se prefac膬 fa葲膬 de sine 卯nsu葯i, 卯nc芒t nimeni, dar absolut nimeni, 葯i nici chiar el 卯nsu葯i, s膬 nu remarce pref膬c膬toria. 葮i era sincer m芒ndru de credin葲a 葯i puritatea lui".
Se pref膬cuse at芒ta timp c膬 toate ac葲iunile sale fuseser膬 justificate 卯nc芒t 葯i-a alterat 卯ns膬葯i realitatea 卯n care tr膬ia.
Abia acum avea confirmarea statului c膬 oamenii la a c膬ror condamnare la moarte contribuise 葯i votul s膬u erau nevinova葲i. Statul rus 卯i arat膬 acum omului sufletul 卯n oglind膬. Nu-l condamn膬, 卯ns膬 oglinda 卯i arat膬 c膬 el, mujicul, nacealnicul, comsomolistul, omul sovietic nu e mai bun dec芒t statul care l-a creat, nu se pot condamna unul pe altul, a葯a c膬 trebuie s膬 convie葲uieasc膬 卯n complicitate.
脦n acest tumult sufletesc se mai pot g膬si noi justific膬ri? Pot unele ra葲ionaliz膬ri s膬 卯mpart膬 vina 卯n altele mai mici, tolerabile 葯i mai pu葲in ap膬s膬toare? Aproape 卯ntotdeauna mintea uman膬 are resurse justificatoare, iar atunci c芒nd sunt epuizate 葯i adev膬rul love葯te direct 卯n fa葲膬 survin suferin葲a 葯i ap膬s膬rile interioare, remu葯c膬rile sincere ale unei traume colective la care 卯nsu葯i colectivul a fost for葲at s膬 participe.
Dar ce se mai poate spune acum despre Ivan, care atunci c芒nd se treze葯te 卯n noua via葲膬 卯葯i simte singur膬tatea at芒t de ap膬s膬toare 卯nc芒t crede c膬 "nici o fiin葲膬 p膬m芒ntean膬 nu-i poate supravie葲ui".
P膬r膬sind Moscova 葯i p膬葯ind 卯n Leningrad, ora葯ul studen葲iei sale, dar 葯i al marii lui iubiri, al Aniei Zamkovskaia, e p膬truns de de senza葲ia c膬 nu doar ora葯ul s-a schimbat, ci c膬 el 卯nsu葯i nu mai e acela葯i. 脦n chiar acest ora葯 葯i-a tr膬it fericirile 葯i nefericirile. 葮i atunci 卯i revin amintirile din lag膬r, discu葲iile cu b膬tr芒nii generali din vechea lume a 葲arilor, apus膬, dec膬zu葲i p芒n膬 la nivelul de jos, care 卯葯i evocau acolo, pe prici, memoriile str膬lucirii unor vremuri pierdute 葯i 卯nt芒lnirile lor cu marile personalit膬葲i. Da, ei nici nu au mai vrut s膬 plece din lag膬r, nu 卯i mai a葯teapt膬 nimic afar膬. 葮i ar fi vrut s膬 le spun膬 b膬tr芒nilor aceia, de l芒ng膬 godinul cald, c膬 e groaznic 葯i frig 卯n libertate, c膬 nu 葯tie pe unde s-o apuce 葯i, c膬 asemeni multora, ar vrea uneori s膬 se 卯ntoarc膬 la r膬m膬葯i葲ele vie葲ii familiare. Dar 葯tie 卯n sinea lui c膬 e mai bine s膬 mori 卯n libertate, "m膬car la zece metri de blestemata s芒rm膬 ghimpat膬".
Ivan va trebui s膬 r膬zbat膬 卯n aceast膬 lume nou膬, creatoare a omului nou, o lume 卯n care victimele eliberate se 卯nt芒lnesc uneori cu complicii f膬r膬 a avea habar de infamia celor din urm膬. Dar cititorul va afla din roman desf膬葯urarea vie葲ii sale, cu amintirile care 卯l urmeaz膬 ca ni葯te cle葯ti ce rup buc膬葲i din carnea 葯i sufletul s膬u, pove葯ti at芒t de brutale, care frustreaz膬 葯i duc la indignare tocmai pentru c膬 e un roman al suferin葲ei unei fiin葲e umane 卯ntr-un regim profund inuman.
Pe schi葲a vie葲ii acestui nefericit Vasili Grossman construie葯te un rechizitoriu cumplit 葯i disec膬 regimul 葯i istoria din care 卯葯i trage seva identitar膬.
Panta rhei e o sintagm膬 atribuit膬 lui Heraclit, av芒nd sensul "totul curge".
"Pe cei care coboar膬 卯n acelea葯i r芒uri 卯i scald膬 mereu alte 葯i alte unde".
Ivan Grigorievici, eliberat recent din Gulag, dup膬 o isp膬葯ire care a acumulat trei decenii, g膬se葯te Moscova transformat膬 fa葲膬 de cum o cuno葯tea. 脦l izbe葯te realitatea timpului trecut. Nu mai poate 卯n葲elege ora葯ul, a葯a c膬 simte nevoia s膬 ias膬 c芒t mai repede din el. 脦l 卯mpresoar膬 葯i sugrum膬 siajul amintirilor. 脦n cei 30 de ani c芒t a stat 卯n lag膬r timpul nu l-a iertat nici pe el sau, a葯 putea spune, mai ales pe el.
"葮i omul, care timp de trei lungi decenii nu se g芒ndise nici o singur膬 dat膬 c膬 mai existau pe lumea asta 葯i tufe de liliac, 葯i panselu葲e, 葯i c膬r膬ri pres膬rate cu nisip prin gr膬dini, 葯i tonete cu ap膬 gazoas膬, oft膬, conving芒ndu-se 卯nc膬 o dat膬, dar 卯ntr-un alt fel, c膬 via葲a a mers 卯nainte, c膬 ea 葯i-a continuat drumul 葯i 卯n lipsa lui"
脦n tinere葲e lui Ivan i se prefigura o carier膬 str膬lucit膬 de savant 葯i tr膬ia o iubire 卯mp膬rt膬葯it膬. Cum s-ar spune 卯n societate, p膬rea c膬 o s膬 fie un om 卯mplinit. Dar discursurile sale 卯n cercurile literare, declamate 卯n sprijinul libert膬葲ii, 卯mpotriva materialismului dialectic, i-au adus nenorocirea. A trecut mult de atunci. Acum e g芒rbovit de at芒葲ia ani de munc膬 grea, are riduri ad芒nci, e p膬truns de b膬tr芒ne葲e, cu visurile sf膬r芒mate de povara anilor 葯i neatinse poate doar 卯n nucleul amintirii timpurilor c芒nd o iubea pe Ania. Acum se g芒nde葯te la v膬rul s膬u, Nikolai Andreievici, la 卯nt芒lnirea dintre ei, dar mai ales la 卯ntrebarea pe care o are de pus: 葯i tu ai isc膬lit scrisoarea care-i condamna pe medicii evrei?
Ce via葲膬 diferit膬, 卯ns膬, i-a separat. Diferen葲ele de caracter, dar 葯i decizile luate, l-au f膬cut pe Ivan s膬 cad膬, iar pe Nikolai s膬 se ridice pe muntele de denun葲uri p芒n膬 卯n fruntea Consiliului 葮tiin葲ific Superior, cu referin葲e laudative tocmai de la cunoscutul impostor L卯senko.
O via葲膬 bun膬, am putea spune; artificial膬, c膬znit膬, cu adev膬ruri nerecunoscute 葯i multe justific膬ri pentru a-葯i calma con葯tiin葲a ce tinde uneori s膬 nu mai accepte p芒rghiile minciunii, dar totu葯i o via葲膬 bun膬, 卯ncununat膬 cu mese din care nu lipse葯te caviarul, dar mai ales respectul celor din jur. Asemenea lui sunt mul葲i care au contribuit cu dela葲iuni, constr芒n葯i de ideologia pe care o slujeau sau chiar din dorin葲a de a parveni au devenit p膬rta葯i la suferin葲膬 葯i moarte.
Con葯tiin葲a lui Nikolai Andreievici ne e prezentat膬 卯n prima parte prin vorbele adresate de c膬tre so葲ia lui, Maria Pavlovna, care-i spune ceea ce el g芒ndea deja.
葮i anume c膬 de葯i 葯tie c膬 卯l iube葯te pe Ivan, Nikolai va trebui s膬 卯i ob葲in膬 viz膬 pentru Moscova, ceea ce 卯l va face s膬 piard膬 aniversarea de 50 de ani a unui coleg de Academie, iar ve葯tile c膬 Ivan s-a 卯ntors i-ar putea periclita avansarea. Are totu葯i luciditatea acestui g芒nd 葯i se ru葯ineaz膬 de el. Anii l-au dus pe Nikolai, prin deriva lor ideologic膬, la consecin葲ele alegerilor f膬cute 卯n tinere葲e 葯i pe care a continuat s膬 le fac膬 de-a lungul vie葲ii, compens芒nd lipsa de valoare cu cea a fidelit膬葲ii fa葲膬 de partid 葯i de stat.
Ce anume face ca acest om prezentat ca "cinstit, principial 葯i str膬in de f膬葲膬rnicia celor care se aga葲膬 de posturi " s膬 devin膬 totu葯i fiin葲a plin膬 de contradic葲ii ciocnite de o st芒nc膬 ce-i acoper膬 propria sa con葯tiin葲膬?
脦n glum膬, la dineuri, r膬spunde par葲ial chiar so葲ia lui, Maria Pavlovna, o spune 卯ns膬 cu condescenden葲膬:
- Dac膬 a葲i sta voi cu el sub acela葯i acoperi葯, l-a葲i cunoa葯te mai bine pe minunatul Kolenka: un despot, un psihopat, un egoist cum nu-i altul pe lume.
脦n studen葲ie 卯l rodea 卯n interior lipsa de validare a celorlal葲i. Era stimat, pre葲uit pentru caracterul s膬u, dar departe de a fi recunoscut ca savant. Avea invidii, nesiguran葲e profesionale, 卯ns膬 nu dorea r膬ul altora. Ba chiar, 卯n ultimii ani ai lui Stalin, 卯n cea de-a treia perioad膬 de teroare, c芒nd s-au pornit "demasc膬rile" medicilor evrei, 卯n foiletoanele vremii, presupu葯i criminali 卯n ochii statului, a privit totul cu ne卯ncredere 葯i cu mirare faptul c膬 ele sunt conving膬toare, mai ales pentru min葲ile educate.
C芒nd primii academicieni, medici 葯i profesori evrei fuseser膬 acuza葲i de otr膬vire con葯tiin葲a lui Nikolai se disociaz膬 卯ntre dou膬 tipare de g芒ndire. Cunoa葯te pe mul葲i dintre acei oameni eminen葲i 葯i crede c膬 nu ar fi capabili de a葯a crime.
Dar latura infectat膬 cu dezinformare 葯i ur膬 卯i spune c膬 葯i-au recunoscut crimele, iar dac膬 ei au recunoscut f膬r膬 s膬 fie vinova葲i, atunci ar 卯nsemna s膬 recuno葯ti ce era de nerecunoscut, anume c膬 vinova葲ii sunt conduc膬torii, c膬 卯nsu葯i Stalin e criminalul.
Isteria creat膬 e general膬, paranoia se instaleaz膬 卯n societate. Pacien葲ii refuz膬 de frica otr膬virii s膬 mai fie consulta葲i de medici evrei. Munca lor devine imposibil膬 葯i chiar pasibil膬 cu condamnarea la primul denun葲. Nikolai prive葯te toate evenimentele cu dispre葲, le consider膬 reprobabile 葯i, de葯i 卯l dezaprob膬 pe R卯葯kov c芒nd 卯i condamn膬 pe evrei, nu-i displac laudele aduse acum lui, c芒nd, prin eliminarea unor savan葲i renumi葲i, devine 卯n ochii societ膬葲ii un mare savant rus. Dar nu e 卯ndeajuns, statul 卯i cere fidelitate total膬. Nikolai Andreievici va trebui s膬 cuv芒nteze 卯mpotriva medicilor "asasini", va trebui s膬 卯i 卯nfiereze 葯i s膬 fie unul din semnatarii acelei scrisori infame, 卯ntr-o diluare colectiv膬 a con葯tiin葲ei unor fapte criminale. "To葲i pe lume sunt vinova葲i, pe lume nu-i nici unul vinovat".
Cel mai ad芒nc punct 卯n care 葲inte葯te Vasili Grossman e latura subiacent膬 a min葲ii umane, 葯i anume subcon葯tientul. C芒t de complicat e s膬 fii om, s膬 ai g芒nduri 葯i s膬 le analizezi lucid, ra葲ional, dar mai ales s膬 卯葲i reglezi comportamentul 葯i faptele 卯n concordan葲膬 cu principiile 葯i procesele coordonatoare ale g芒ndirii con葯tiente.
Ce anume e analizabil aici? C芒te c膬r葲i nu s-au scris despre seduc葲ia maselor 卯ntr-un sistem totalitar. Recunoa葯tem iluzia care acoper膬 orice alveol膬 moral膬 葯i care suprim膬 abaterea de la norm膬 prin ochii vigilen葲i ai celorla葲i. Cele c芒teva decenii de "menticid", acest mecanism de suprimare a g芒ndirii ra葲ionale 葯i de infantilizare a marii p膬turi sociale, au dus la un sistem de diluare al acestor procese mentale complexe. Hannah Arendt numea totalitarismul ca pe o transformare a 卯ns膬葯i naturii umane. Statul a preluat fr芒iele g芒ndirii fiec膬rui om, le-a d膬ruit m芒ntuirea fa葲膬 de faptele lor 葯i i-a u葯urat de procesele con葯tiin葲ei. Printre cei pe care sistemul nu a reu葯it s膬-i mancurtizeze, a reu葯it s膬-i supun膬 prin subtila lor cameleonizare, iar pe indezirabili i-a extirpat din societate.
Avem isteria maselor care accept膬 condamnarea la moarte a medicilor evrei acuza葲i de otr膬virea pacien葲ilor. Se vor aduce acuza葲ii tot mai ridicole, iar ele vor fi crezute. Dorin葲a de a crede tot ce le debiteaz膬 Partidul 葯i liderul s膬u cu musta葲膬 stufoas膬 e la fel de mare precum sunt minciunile. Acel lider pe care Grossman 卯l construie葯te imaginativ mai credibil dec芒t tablourile 卯n care pozeaz膬 卯n semizeu: "St膬p芒nul zeificat 卯葯i dezvaluia pe nea葯teptate trupul b膬tr芒n 葯i neputincios ".
脦ns膬 totul curge 葯i 卯n navala timpului nimic nu poate r膬zbate ve葯nic.
C芒nd stalinismul a pierit, Hru葯ciov, el 卯nsu葯i un cameleon 卯n tirania stalinist膬, a criticat 葯i devoalat crimele odiosului must膬cios, iar atunci pelicula orbirii a fost 卯ndep膬rtat膬 葯i fiecare om 卯n parte a fost nevoit s膬 卯葯i vad膬 faptele 葯i consecin葲ele lor. M芒ntuirea era de fapt o butaforie, o potemkinad膬 ridicat膬 卯n locul unei 卯mp膬r膬葲ii utopice. C芒nd delatorul 卯葯i 卯nt芒lne葯te victima infamiei sale, el nu se mai poate min葲i pe sine, numai el e vinovatul. Statul doar i-a garantat vremelnic fapta, dar m芒r葯膬via sa 葯i traumele provocate sunt permanente 葯i las膬 urme prin timp. Dup膬 moartea lui Stalin s-au deschis 葯i ochii lui Nikolai Andreievici. Atunci c芒nd a aflat c膬 medicii evrei erau nevinova葲i, tortura葲i 卯n timpul anchetelor, un sentiment nou se deschidea 卯n mintea lui, 葯i anume, toate amintirile vechi ale denun葲urilor 葯i condamn膬rilor peste care anii se a葯ezaser膬 pr膬fui葲i, memorii tenebroase ca ni葯te pivni葲e 卯n care 卯i fusese team膬 s膬 mai intre. Se nasc acum 卯ntreb膬ri noi.
"Tr膬ise el oare a葯a cum se cuvine? Era el 卯ntr-adev膬r a葯a cum 卯l considerau cei din jur, un om cinstit?"
Aici Grossman are un pasaj demn de un cunosc膬tor fin al min葲ii umane, care 卯mi aduce aminte de minciuna ontologic膬, pe care Alain Besan莽on a descris-o 卯n Sf芒nta Rusie: "El, care se obi葯nuise at芒t de bine, cu at芒ta abilitate, s膬 se prefac膬 fa葲膬 de sine 卯nsu葯i, 卯nc芒t nimeni, dar absolut nimeni, 葯i nici chiar el 卯nsu葯i, s膬 nu remarce pref膬c膬toria. 葮i era sincer m芒ndru de credin葲a 葯i puritatea lui".
Se pref膬cuse at芒ta timp c膬 toate ac葲iunile sale fuseser膬 justificate 卯nc芒t 葯i-a alterat 卯ns膬葯i realitatea 卯n care tr膬ia.
Abia acum avea confirmarea statului c膬 oamenii la a c膬ror condamnare la moarte contribuise 葯i votul s膬u erau nevinova葲i. Statul rus 卯i arat膬 acum omului sufletul 卯n oglind膬. Nu-l condamn膬, 卯ns膬 oglinda 卯i arat膬 c膬 el, mujicul, nacealnicul, comsomolistul, omul sovietic nu e mai bun dec芒t statul care l-a creat, nu se pot condamna unul pe altul, a葯a c膬 trebuie s膬 convie葲uieasc膬 卯n complicitate.
脦n acest tumult sufletesc se mai pot g膬si noi justific膬ri? Pot unele ra葲ionaliz膬ri s膬 卯mpart膬 vina 卯n altele mai mici, tolerabile 葯i mai pu葲in ap膬s膬toare? Aproape 卯ntotdeauna mintea uman膬 are resurse justificatoare, iar atunci c芒nd sunt epuizate 葯i adev膬rul love葯te direct 卯n fa葲膬 survin suferin葲a 葯i ap膬s膬rile interioare, remu葯c膬rile sincere ale unei traume colective la care 卯nsu葯i colectivul a fost for葲at s膬 participe.
Dar ce se mai poate spune acum despre Ivan, care atunci c芒nd se treze葯te 卯n noua via葲膬 卯葯i simte singur膬tatea at芒t de ap膬s膬toare 卯nc芒t crede c膬 "nici o fiin葲膬 p膬m芒ntean膬 nu-i poate supravie葲ui".
P膬r膬sind Moscova 葯i p膬葯ind 卯n Leningrad, ora葯ul studen葲iei sale, dar 葯i al marii lui iubiri, al Aniei Zamkovskaia, e p膬truns de de senza葲ia c膬 nu doar ora葯ul s-a schimbat, ci c膬 el 卯nsu葯i nu mai e acela葯i. 脦n chiar acest ora葯 葯i-a tr膬it fericirile 葯i nefericirile. 葮i atunci 卯i revin amintirile din lag膬r, discu葲iile cu b膬tr芒nii generali din vechea lume a 葲arilor, apus膬, dec膬zu葲i p芒n膬 la nivelul de jos, care 卯葯i evocau acolo, pe prici, memoriile str膬lucirii unor vremuri pierdute 葯i 卯nt芒lnirile lor cu marile personalit膬葲i. Da, ei nici nu au mai vrut s膬 plece din lag膬r, nu 卯i mai a葯teapt膬 nimic afar膬. 葮i ar fi vrut s膬 le spun膬 b膬tr芒nilor aceia, de l芒ng膬 godinul cald, c膬 e groaznic 葯i frig 卯n libertate, c膬 nu 葯tie pe unde s-o apuce 葯i, c膬 asemeni multora, ar vrea uneori s膬 se 卯ntoarc膬 la r膬m膬葯i葲ele vie葲ii familiare. Dar 葯tie 卯n sinea lui c膬 e mai bine s膬 mori 卯n libertate, "m膬car la zece metri de blestemata s芒rm膬 ghimpat膬".
Ivan va trebui s膬 r膬zbat膬 卯n aceast膬 lume nou膬, creatoare a omului nou, o lume 卯n care victimele eliberate se 卯nt芒lnesc uneori cu complicii f膬r膬 a avea habar de infamia celor din urm膬. Dar cititorul va afla din roman desf膬葯urarea vie葲ii sale, cu amintirile care 卯l urmeaz膬 ca ni葯te cle葯ti ce rup buc膬葲i din carnea 葯i sufletul s膬u, pove葯ti at芒t de brutale, care frustreaz膬 葯i duc la indignare tocmai pentru c膬 e un roman al suferin葲ei unei fiin葲e umane 卯ntr-un regim profund inuman.
Pe schi葲a vie葲ii acestui nefericit Vasili Grossman construie葯te un rechizitoriu cumplit 葯i disec膬 regimul 葯i istoria din care 卯葯i trage seva identitar膬.
September 2, 2015
This is not a novel but as another reviewer has quite rightly pointed out, a verdict. Nor is it complete, Vasily Grossman began it in 1955 and was still revising it during his last days in the hospital in September 1964. Grossman was also one of the first witnesses of the consequences of the Holocaust. He published 'The Hell of Treblinka' in Russia, the first journalistic account of a German death-camp in any language.
He even published a non-fictional account of World War II called from the Russian point of view.
But his masterpiece, undeniably, is which was completed in 1960. 鈥淟ife and Fate鈥� (eventually, after its publication) was termed as 鈥淲ar and Peace鈥� of this century, the most complete portrait of Stalinist Russia we are ever likely to have. The manuscript of 鈥淟ife And Fate鈥� was confiscated by the KGB in 1961. Not even one scrap of paper was spared during confiscation. But as luck would have it, , a well known Russian satirist, obtained a copy of the manuscript somehow, copied it on a microfilm and smuggled it out of Russia to the West.
**
鈥淓verything Flows鈥� loosely follows a character named Ivan Grigoryevich who was sent to the Gulags at the height of Stalinist purges. 30 years later, after the death of Stalin, most of the prisoners were released citing the detached reason that they were all wrongfully imprisoned. Ivan鈥檚 journey to rediscover his lost years in the 鈥渇ree鈥� state is very disturbing. Grossman dwells more on submission to state terror by its people than on Ivan鈥檚 journey though. The reasons put forth are very disconcerting and actually makes one think about the possibility of something like this happening again in any corner of the modern world.
I am not much into making people read what I feel is great, but in this case, I would urge every book lover to read the much under-appreciated works of Vasily Grossman. These are truly life changing books. Please read them.
He even published a non-fictional account of World War II called from the Russian point of view.
But his masterpiece, undeniably, is which was completed in 1960. 鈥淟ife and Fate鈥� (eventually, after its publication) was termed as 鈥淲ar and Peace鈥� of this century, the most complete portrait of Stalinist Russia we are ever likely to have. The manuscript of 鈥淟ife And Fate鈥� was confiscated by the KGB in 1961. Not even one scrap of paper was spared during confiscation. But as luck would have it, , a well known Russian satirist, obtained a copy of the manuscript somehow, copied it on a microfilm and smuggled it out of Russia to the West.
**
鈥淓verything Flows鈥� loosely follows a character named Ivan Grigoryevich who was sent to the Gulags at the height of Stalinist purges. 30 years later, after the death of Stalin, most of the prisoners were released citing the detached reason that they were all wrongfully imprisoned. Ivan鈥檚 journey to rediscover his lost years in the 鈥渇ree鈥� state is very disturbing. Grossman dwells more on submission to state terror by its people than on Ivan鈥檚 journey though. The reasons put forth are very disconcerting and actually makes one think about the possibility of something like this happening again in any corner of the modern world.
I am not much into making people read what I feel is great, but in this case, I would urge every book lover to read the much under-appreciated works of Vasily Grossman. These are truly life changing books. Please read them.
April 2, 2022
19.02.2022:
孝芯胁邪 薪械 械 褉芯屑邪薪. 孝芯胁邪 械 锌褉懈褋褗写邪. 袩邪屑械褌 蟹邪 卸械褉褌胁懈褌械 薪邪 谐械薪芯褑懈写.
袩褗褉胁芯薪邪褔邪谢薪芯 褉械胁褞:
鈥炐斞冄埿把傂� 薪邪 褏懈褉褍褉谐邪 械 胁 薪芯卸邪 屑褍."
孝芯胁邪 薪械 械 褉芯屑邪薪. 孝芯胁邪 械 锌褉懈褋褗写邪. 袩邪屑械褌 蟹邪 卸械褉褌胁懈褌械 薪邪 谐械薪芯褑懈写.
袩褗褉胁芯薪邪褔邪谢薪芯 褉械胁褞:
鈥炐斞冄埿把傂� 薪邪 褏懈褉褍褉谐邪 械 胁 薪芯卸邪 屑褍."
袛褍褕邪褌邪 薪邪 袙邪褋懈谢懈泄 袚褉芯褋屑邪薪 械 胁谢芯卸械薪邪 斜械蟹 芯褋褌邪褌褗泻 胁 泻褉邪褌泻邪褌邪 懈 薪邪锌褗谢薪芯 薪械懈蟹胁械褋褌薪邪 蟹邪 屑械薪 锌芯胁械褋褌 鈥炐捬佇秆囆盒� 褌械褔械鈥�. 袩芯胁械褋褌褌邪 械 锌懈褋邪薪邪 褋邪屑芯 鈥炐沸� 褔械泻屑械写卸械褌芯鈥�, 胁 锌芯褋谢械写薪懈褌械 谐芯写懈薪懈 芯褌 卸懈胁芯褌邪 薪邪 袚褉芯褋屑邪薪 (1955 鈥� 1963 谐.), 褋谢械写 泻邪褌芯 械 锌芯谢褍褔懈谢 锌芯褉械写懈褑邪 芯褌 芯褌泻邪蟹懈 写邪 斜褗写械 锌褍斜谢懈泻褍胁邪薪邪 胁 小小小袪 褋 邪褉谐褍屑械薪褌邪 鈥炐椥把壭� 泻褗屑 邪褌芯屑薪懈褌械 斜芯屑斜懈 薪邪 胁褉邪谐芯胁械褌械 写邪 写芯斜邪胁褟屑械 懈 袙邪褕邪褌邪 泻薪懈谐邪?鈥�.
鈥溞捬佇秆囆盒� 褌械褔械鈥� 械 薪芯卸, 写懈邪谐薪芯蟹邪, 锌褉懈褋褗写邪 懈 械锌懈褌邪褎懈褟.
袧芯卸, 泻芯泄褌芯 褉械卸械 褋 锌褉械褑懈蟹薪懈, 械谢械谐邪薪褌薪懈, 泻芯屑锌械褌械薪褌薪懈 写胁懈卸械薪懈褟. 袪邪蟹泻褉懈胁邪 褋谢芯泄 褋谢械写 褋谢芯泄 褋 斜械蟹卸邪谢芯褋褌薪邪 褟褋薪芯褌邪.
袛懈邪谐薪芯蟹邪 薪邪 芯斜褖械褋褌胁芯, 褍锌褉邪胁谢褟胁邪薪芯 芯褌 褉邪蟹褍屑薪邪褌邪 薪械芯斜褏芯写懈屑芯褋褌 写邪 褋械 懈蟹斜懈褟褌 懈 懈蟹褋械谢褟褌 屑懈谢懈芯薪懈, 蟹邪 写邪 写芯泄写械 械写懈薪 锌芯-写芯斜褗褉 褋胁褟褌.
袩褉懈褋褗写邪 薪邪写 胁褋械泻懈 褉邪蟹褍屑 懈 懈写械芯谢芯谐懈褟, 芯锌褉邪写邪胁邪褖懈 褌邪泻褗胁 谐械薪芯褑懈写. 袠蟹写邪写械薪邪 锌褉懈褋褗写邪 薪邪写 小褌邪谢懈薪 - 斜械蟹 锌褉邪胁芯 薪邪 芯斜卸邪谢胁邪薪械, 褌芯褔薪芯 锌芯 谢褞斜懈屑懈褟 褔谢械薪 58.
袝锌懈褌邪褎懈褟 薪邪 褋邪屑懈褟 袚褉芯褋屑邪薪. 小胁懈写械褌械谢褋褌胁芯, 褔械 锌芯薪械 械写懈薪 褔芯胁械泻 械 褋褗褍屑褟谢 写邪 芯褋褌邪薪械 褔芯胁械泻, 褔械 懈 褋 锌芯褋谢械写薪懈褟 褋懈 写褗褏 锌褉芯写褗谢卸邪胁邪 写邪 锌褉械写邪胁邪 锌芯褋谢械写薪懈褟 褋懈 褉械锌芯褉褌邪卸, 泻邪泻褌芯 泻芯谐邪褌芯 械 斜懈谢 懈 泻芯褉械褋锌芯薪写械薪褌 薪邪 褎褉芯薪褌邪. 袝锌懈褌邪褎懈褟 蟹邪 谢邪谐械褉薪懈褑懈褌械 写芯 锌芯谢褟褉薪懈褟 泻褉褗谐 - 屑械薪褕械胁懈泻懈 懈 斜芯谢褕械胁懈泻懈, 褔械褉胁械薪芯邪褉屑械泄褑懈 (褌邪屑 褋邪 懈 谐械褉芯懈褌械 芯褌 鈥溞毿靶� 褋械 泻邪谢褟胁邪褕械 褋褌芯屑邪薪邪褌邪鈥� 懈 鈥溞澬敌毙� 薪邪 胁芯泄薪邪褌邪鈥�, 褌邪 写芯褉懈 懈 芯褌 鈥�17 屑懈谐邪 芯褌 锌褉芯谢械褌褌邪鈥�), 斜械谢芯谐胁邪褉写械泄褑懈, 械胁褉械懈, 锌芯谢褟褑懈 懈 斜械褋邪褉邪斜褋泻懈 斜褗谢谐邪褉懈, 屑褗卸械 懈 卸械薪懈, 屑邪泄泻懈 懈 斜邪褖懈, 锌邪褉褌懈泄薪懈 邪锌邪褉邪褌褔懈褑懈 懈 褋械谢褟薪懈. 袝锌懈褌邪褎懈褟 蟹邪 卸械褉褌胁懈褌械 薪邪 袚谢邪写芯屑芯褉邪 - 屑邪泄泻懈, 写械褑邪, 斜邪褖懈, 泻褉芯褌懈褔泻芯褌芯 屑邪谢泻芯 褋械屑械泄褋褌胁芯 薪邪 袙邪褋懈谢懈泄 孝懈屑芯褎械械胁懈褔 - 屑褗褔械薪懈褑懈 薪邪 褍卸邪褋褟胁邪褖芯 薪械邪写械泻胁邪褌薪懈 懈泻芯薪芯屑懈褔械褋泻懈 褉械褕械薪懈褟 懈 谐褉邪斜械卸. 袝锌懈褌邪褎懈褟 蟹邪 芯褑械谢械谢懈褌械 胁 褌械褋薪懈褌械 褉邪屑泻懈 薪邪 锌芯蟹胁芯谢械薪芯褌芯, 褋 褑械薪邪褌邪 屑邪 褋芯斜褋褌胁械薪懈褌械 懈屑 写褍褕懈.
袠 褋械 褉械写褟褌 胁褗锌褉芯褋懈, 胁褗锌褉芯褋懈, 胁褗锌褉芯褋懈...
1. 袣邪泻胁邪 械 褌邪泄薪邪褌邪 薪邪 褉褍褋泻邪褌邪 写褍褕邪?
鈥�...褉褍褋泻邪褌邪 写褍褕邪 械 褏懈谢褟写芯谢械褌薪邪 褉芯斜懈薪褟. 袣邪泻胁芯 褖械 写邪写械 薪邪 褋胁械褌邪 械写薪邪 褏懈谢褟写芯谢械褌薪邪 褉芯斜懈薪褟, 写芯褉懈 写邪 械 胁褋械褋懈谢薪邪?鈥�
K邪泻胁芯 械 袪褍褋懈褟? 袠屑邪 懈 屑芯卸械 谢懈 写邪 懈屑邪 褌邪泻芯胁邪 薪械褖芯 泻邪褌芯 "褋胁芯斜芯写薪邪 袪褍褋懈褟". 笑褟谢芯褌芯 懈 屑懈薪邪谢芯 褋械 泻褉械锌懈 薪邪 薪械褋胁芯斜芯写邪褌邪 懈 薪械泄薪懈褌械 锌芯谢蟹懈. 笑褟谢芯褌芯 懈 薪邪褋褌芯褟褖械 胁 锌械褉懈芯写邪 1955 鈥� 1963 谐. 褋械 泻褉械锌懈 薪邪 褌邪蟹懈 薪械褋胁芯斜芯写邪.
鈥溞懶敌沸葱叫把傂� 斜懈谢邪 胁 褌芯胁邪, 褔械 褉邪蟹胁懈褌懈械褌芯 薪邪 袟邪锌邪写邪 褋械 芯锌谢芯卸写邪谢芯 芯褌 褉邪褋褌械卸邪 薪邪 褋胁芯斜芯写邪褌邪, 邪 褉邪蟹胁懈褌懈械褌芯 薪邪 袪褍褋懈褟 褋械 芯锌谢芯卸写邪谢芯 芯褌 褉邪蟹胁懈褌懈械褌芯 薪邪 褉芯斜褋褌胁芯褌芯.鈥�
鈥炐澬把喰感秆傂� 懈 写褗褉卸邪胁懈褌械 屑芯谐邪褌 写邪 褋械 褉邪蟹胁懈胁邪褌 胁 懈屑械褌芯 薪邪 褋懈谢邪褌邪 懈 薪邪锌褍泻 薪邪 褋胁芯斜芯写邪褌邪! 孝芯胁邪 薪械 斜械褕械 褏褉邪薪邪 蟹邪 蟹写褉邪胁懈, 褌芯胁邪 斜械 薪邪褉泻芯褌懈泻褗褌 薪邪 薪械褍褋锌褟胁邪褖懈褌械, 斜芯谢薪懈褌械 懈 褋谢邪斜懈褌械, 懈蟹芯褋褌邪薪邪谢懈褌械 懈 斜懈褌懈褌械.鈥�
2. 袟邪褖芯 褉械胁芯谢褞褑懈褟褌邪 褍斜懈胁邪 写械褑邪褌邪 褋懈 懈 褋械 懈蟹褉邪卸写邪 褌芯褔薪芯 胁 褌懈褉邪薪懈褟褌邪, 褋褉械褖褍 泻芯褟褌芯 褋械 械 斜芯褉懈谢邪? 袟邪褖芯, 胁械写薪褗卸 锌芯斜械写懈谢邪, 褋械 泻褉械锌懈 薪邪 懈薪褋褌懈褌褍褑懈芯薪邪谢懈蟹懈褉邪薪芯褌芯, 斜械蟹谢懈褔薪芯, 斜褞褉芯泻褉邪褌懈蟹懈褉邪薪芯 蟹谢芯?
鈥炐澬� 薪芯胁邪褌邪 写褗褉卸邪胁邪 薪械 懈 褌褉褟斜胁邪褏邪 褋胁械褌懈 邪锌芯褋褌芯谢懈, 械泻褋褌邪褌懈褔薪懈 褋褌褉芯懈褌械谢懈, 胁褟褉胁邪褖懈 锌芯褋谢械写芯胁邪褌械谢懈. 袧芯胁邪褌邪 写褗褉卸邪胁邪 薪褟屑邪褕械 薪褍卸写邪 写芯褉懈 芯褌 褋谢褍谐懈 - 褋邪屑芯 芯褌 褋谢褍卸械褖懈. 袠 褌褉械胁芯谐邪褌邪 薪邪 写褗褉卸邪胁邪褌邪 懈写胁邪褕械 芯褌 褌芯胁邪, 褔械 薪械泄薪懈褌械 褋谢褍卸械褖懈 褋械 芯泻邪蟹胁邪褏邪 锌芯薪褟泻芯谐邪 锌褉械泻邪谢械薪芯 写褉械斜薪芯, 锌褉懈 褌芯胁邪 谢褗卸谢懈胁芯 懈 泻褉邪写谢懈胁芯 锌谢械屑械.鈥�
袠 胁褋械 锌邪泻, 褉械胁芯谢褞褑懈褟 械 胁褗蟹屑芯卸薪邪, 锌褉芯褋褌芯 褌褉褟斜胁邪 写邪 械 锌褉邪胁懈谢薪邪褌邪:
鈥溞⌒靶夹� 芯薪械蟹懈, 泻芯懈褌芯 锌芯褋褟谐邪褌 薪邪 芯褋薪芯胁懈褌械 薪邪 褋褌邪褉邪 袪褍褋懈褟 - 薪械泄薪邪褌邪 褉芯斜褋泻邪 写褍褕邪 - 褋邪 褉械胁芯谢褞褑懈芯薪械褉懈.鈥�
袝写懈薪 芯褌 薪邪泄-懈薪褌械褉械褋薪懈褌械 锌芯褉褌褉械褌懈 薪邪 袥械薪懈薪 械 褔邪褋褌 芯褌 褉邪蟹屑懈褋谢懈褌械 懈 褌械褉邪蟹薪懈褟褌邪 薪邪 袠胁邪薪 袚褉懈谐芯褉懈械胁懈褔/ 袙邪褋懈谢懈泄 袚褉芯褋屑邪薪. 袥械薪懈薪 鈥� 谢褞斜懈褌械谢褟褌 薪邪 鈥炐愋啃把佇感拘叫把傂扳€�. 袥械薪懈薪 鈥� 泻芯泄褌芯 胁 褋锌芯褉邪 褌褗褉褋懈 褋邪屑芯 锌芯斜械写邪褌邪, 薪芯 薪械 懈 懈褋褌懈薪邪褌邪. 袥械薪懈薪 鈥� 褋泻褉芯屑薪懈褟褌. 袥械薪懈薪 鈥� 斜械蟹卸邪谢芯褋褌薪懈褟褌, 泻芯泄褌芯 胁 懈屑械褌芯 薪邪 斜褗写械褖邪褌邪 褋胁芯斜芯写邪 懈蟹斜懈褉邪 写邪 褍薪懈褖芯卸懈 胁褋懈褔泻懈 薪邪褋褌芯褟褖懈 褋胁芯斜芯写懈.
3. 袣邪泻 褔芯胁械泻 写邪 芯褋褌邪薪械 褔芯胁械泻?
鈥溞浶靶承笛€薪懈褌械 褏芯褉邪 锌芯屑邪谐邪褏邪 薪邪 袠胁邪薪 袚褉懈谐芯褉懈械胁懈褔 写邪 褉邪蟹斜懈褉邪 褏芯褉邪褌邪 芯褌 褋胁芯斜芯写邪褌邪. ... 袝写薪邪泻胁懈 斜褟褏邪 褏芯褉邪褌邪. 袘械褕械 屑褍 卸邪谢 蟹邪 褌褟褏.鈥�
鈥炐椥� 褔芯胁械泻邪 写邪 卸懈胁械械, 蟹薪邪褔懈 写邪 斜褗写械 褋胁芯斜芯写械薪.鈥�
袙蟹械 锌邪泻 写芯褋械谐邪 薪懈泻芯褟 褋懈褋褌械屑邪 薪械 械 褍褋锌褟谢邪 写邪 锌芯斜械写懈 卸懈胁芯褌邪 - 懈 褌芯胁邪 械 褍褌械褕懈褌械谢薪芯.
袣邪泻 斜懈 锌芯褋褌褗锌懈谢 胁褋械泻懈 芯褌 薪邪褋, 邪泻芯 斜械褕械 褌邪屑 懈 褌芯谐邪胁邪? 孝芯蟹懈 芯褌谐芯胁芯褉 屑芯卸械 斜懈 械 锌芯-写芯斜褉械 写邪 薪械 蟹薪邪械屑.
May 31, 2023
Elimdeki -ve san谋r谋m dilimize 莽evrilmi艧- Vasili Grossman鈥櫮眓 son kitab谋n谋 da bitirdim.
Ben normalde bir yazar谋n seri olmayan kitaplar谋n谋 belli bir s谋rayla okumaya dikkat etmem, pek 枚nemli oldu臒unu da d眉艧眉nmem a莽谋kcas谋. Ancak Vasili Grossman bu konuda bir istisna oldu benim i莽in. Ya艧am ve Yazg谋鈥檡谋 okuduktan sonra Ta艧lar 脺lkesine Yolculuk ve son olarak da - ki kendisinin de yazd谋臒谋 hatta tamamlanmam谋艧 olarak yay谋nlanmak zorunda kal谋nan son kitab谋- Her 艦ey Ge莽ip Gider鈥檌 okumak yazar谋 ve ya艧ad谋klar谋n谋 tam olarak kavrayabilmek ad谋na 莽ok do臒ru bir yol.
Zira Ya艧am ve Yazg谋鈥檇a 陌kinci D眉nya Sava艧谋, Stalin鈥檌n yaratt谋臒谋 totaliter rejim ve antisemitizmin y眉kseli艧ine odaklan谋yor ve bu s眉recin ele艧tirisini veriyor. Hatta Stalin鈥檌n 枚l眉m眉n眉n ard谋ndan bu kitab谋n da SSCB鈥檇e yay谋nlanabilece臒ine duydu臒u inanc谋n sebebi de budur belki de. Ancak Ya艧am ve Yazg谋鈥檡a gizli servisin el koymas谋, hatta bir 艧ekilde SSCB d谋艧谋nda yay谋nlanmas谋 durumunda bunun bedelini 枚deyecek olmas谋 ve yazd谋klar谋na uygulanan sans眉r -bask谋 ile yava艧 yava艧 sistemin d谋艧谋na at谋lmas谋 Vasili Grossman鈥檇a hem 莽ok b眉y眉k bir 莽枚k眉艧e hem de inand谋臒谋 Sovyet ideali ve tarihine dair pek 莽ok 艧eyi sorgulamaya ba艧lamas谋na sebep oluyor. Ta艧lar 脺lkesine Yolculuk鈥檛a Ermenistan鈥檇a g枚rd眉臒眉 farkl谋l谋klarla ba艧layan soru i艧aretleri Her 艦ey Ge莽ip Gider鈥檇e muazzam bir y眉zle艧meye d枚n眉艧眉yor. A莽谋kcas谋 ben bu kitap i莽in bir kurgu eser demekte zorlan谋yorum. Kitap 枚臒rencili臒inde bir ihbar sonucu kamplara g枚nderilen yine de sosyalizme inanc谋n谋 hi莽 kaybetmeyen ve yirmi dokuz y谋l谋n ard谋ndan yeniden 枚zg眉rl眉臒眉ne kavu艧tu臒unda kar艧谋la艧t谋臒谋 sosyalizmi tan谋yamay谋p yabanc谋 kalan Ivan Grigoryevi莽鈥檌n hikayesini anlat谋yor. Parlak bir bilim adam谋 olan ancak bu alanda ilerleyebilmek i莽in nice tavizler veren kuzeniyle kar艧谋la艧mas谋yla ba艧layan hikaye, a艧谋k oldu臒u kad谋n谋n ihaneti ve sonras谋nda ihbarc谋s谋yla kar艧谋la艧mas谋n谋n ard谋ndan yazar谋n okuruna Stalin d枚nemi Yahuda鈥檒ar谋n谋n j眉rili臒ini yapt谋rmaya ba艧lad谋臒谋 noktada kurgudan git gide s谋yr谋lmaya ba艧l谋yor. Hatta ilerledik莽e 枚yle bir noktaya geliyorsunuz ki yazar ile karakter git gide b眉t眉nle艧iyor. Ki burada bahsetti臒im durum Ya艧am ve Yazg谋鈥檇aki 艦trum ile g枚rd眉臒眉m眉z yans谋tman谋n 莽ok 枚tesinde. Zira art谋k yazar ile Ivan鈥櫮� birbirinden ay谋ram谋yorsunuz. Robert Chandler鈥櫮眓 枚ns枚z眉nde 鈥淓ser yap谋 olarak dengeli de臒ildir ve ta艧谋d谋臒谋 tarih y眉k眉 o kadar b眉y眉kt眉r ki, a臒谋rl谋臒谋yla bir莽ok roman谋 ezer.鈥� ibaresi bu durumu 莽ok g眉zel 枚zetliyor asl谋nda. Zira 250 sayfal谋k bu kitapta, Grossman鈥櫮眓 1200 sayfal谋k Ya艧am ve Yazg谋鈥檇a dile getirdi臒inden 莽ok daha yo臒un ve karanl谋k bir Sovyet Rusya tarihi bulunuyor. Toplum ve y枚netim ele艧tirisi Stalin 莽emberinden 莽谋k谋p Lenin鈥檈 kadar uzan谋yor ve Ukrayna鈥檇a a莽l谋kla uygulanan ve maalesef -枚zellikle de edebiyatta- 莽ok az de臒inilen Ukrayna鈥檇aki soyk谋r谋ma, Grossman鈥櫮眓 da imza att谋臒谋 ve sonras谋nda en b眉y眉k pi艧manl谋klar谋ndan birisi olan Yahudi tasviyelerine 枚nc眉l眉k eden 鈥淜atil Doktorlar鈥� mektubuna kadar 眉zeri kapat谋lm谋艧 pek 莽ok toplumsal konuyu ortaya d枚k眉yor. Asl谋nda 枚zetle; ama莽 ve ideoloji ne olursa olsun toplum m眉hendisli臒inin ve tek elde toplanan g眉c眉n toplumu 枚zg眉rle艧tirme ba艧l谋臒谋 alt谋nda nas谋l ulusal k枚lelikler yaratt谋臒谋n谋, bir yandan da devletin her insan谋n bilincinin iplerini ele ge莽irerek yurtta艧lar谋n谋 nas谋l vicdan y眉k眉nden kurtar谋p yapt谋klar谋 muhbirliklerin ve verdikleri desteklerin alt谋ndan nas谋l kalkt谋klar谋n谋 muazzam ve 莽ok sert bir dille anlat谋yor.
Bu arada Sovyet tarihinin kara lekesi olarak g枚r眉len ve SSCB鈥檔in da臒谋lma s眉recine girmesine sebep oldu臒u d眉艧眉n眉len di臒er yandan ise Stalin tiranl谋臒谋nda boyun e臒enlerden olup pek 莽ok idam karar谋nda da imzas谋 bulunan Nikita Kru艧莽ev鈥檌n SSCB tarihindeki en hay谋rl谋 hareketi muhtemelen Stalin鈥檌n yaratmak i莽in y谋llar谋n谋 ve halk谋n谋 harcad谋臒谋 鈥測ar谋 tanr谋鈥� imaj谋n谋n 眉zerindeki perdeyi kald谋r谋p, su莽lar谋n谋 if艧a etmesi, bunu yaparken de herkesi kendi yapt谋klar谋yla y眉zle艧meye zorlamas谋d谋r san谋r谋m. Tabii ki kendisini bu y眉zle艧menin b眉y眉k bir b枚l眉m眉n眉n d谋艧谋nda tutmu艧tur. Ancak bu kitapla ilgili olan k谋sm谋 Sovyet tarihiyle ilgili bu g眉莽l眉 y眉zle艧menin; muhbirin kurban谋yla kar艧谋lamas谋n谋n zeminini haz谋rlamas谋 say谋labilir belki. Ayr谋ca bu kitab谋 yaln谋zca bir kendi yak谋n tarihiyle ve ve Sovyet sistemiyle y眉zle艧me seviyesinde g枚rmek b眉y眉k bir hata olur elbette. Zira di臒er kitaplar谋nda oldu臒u gibi yine gerek 莽evreyi- do臒ay谋 gerekse insanl谋k durumlar谋n谋 size anlatmaktan 枚te ya艧atan bir kitap bu da. Ukrayna鈥檇aki A莽l谋k Ter枚r眉鈥檔眉 anlatt谋臒谋 b枚l眉mleri midenizde bir yumru hissetmeden, fiziksel bir rahats谋zl谋k olmadan okuman谋z m眉mk眉n de臒il. 艦imdiye kadar a莽l谋臒谋 en iyi Knut Hamsun鈥檜n anlatt谋臒谋n谋 d眉艧眉n眉yordum ama bu kitaptan sonra bu konuda hi莽bir 艧ey bilmiyormu艧um dedim a莽谋kcas谋.
Vasili Grossman benim bu kadar ge莽 tan谋艧t谋臒谋ma pi艧man oldu臒um ancak bir yandan da iyi ki baz谋 艧eyleri okuyup anlad谋ktan ya da baz谋 枚nyarg谋lar谋 a艧t谋ktan sonra ger莽ek anlam谋yla kendisiyle tan谋艧abildi臒ime memnun oldu臒um; k谋r谋lganl谋klar谋n谋, pi艧manl谋klar谋n谋 ve hatalar谋n谋 asla 莽ekinmeden ortaya koyabilen ancak bunun yan谋nda bu d眉nyan谋n g枚rd眉臒眉 en ac谋 d枚nemler hakk谋nda da asla geri durmadan yazabilen 莽ok g眉莽l眉 bir yazar. Sovyet rejiminin a莽l谋臒a, korkuya, karanl谋臒a ve 枚zg眉r topluma y枚nelik derin nefretine dayanan korkun莽 y眉z眉n眉 g枚steren, bask谋c谋 siyasi sistemlerin zalimli臒ini anlatan ve bu sistemlerin alt谋nda ezilen halk谋n yas谋n谋 tutturan olduk莽a zor bir okuma. Ama k枚lele艧tirilmi艧 bir toplumun deh艧etini son derece 莽arp谋c谋 ve edebi a莽谋dan b眉y眉leyici bir 艧ekilde g枚rmek ad谋na; ke艧ke di臒er metinlerini de t眉rk莽e de g枚rebilsek ve b眉t眉n zorlu臒una ra臒men ke艧ke herkes okusa.
Bu arada Vasili Grossman hem bu kitapta hem de Ya艧am ve Yazg谋鈥檇a birka莽 kez 脟ehov鈥檜n Piskopos 枚yk眉s眉ne at谋fta bulunuyor. E臒er 枚yk眉y眉 okursan谋z neden kendisini a臒latt谋臒谋n谋 ve sat谋r aralar谋nda yazar谋n annesiyle olan ili艧kisine ve pi艧manl谋klar谋na dair daha fazla 艧ey bulabilirsiniz.
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鈥淒evlet patron olmu艧tu, ulusal olan 艧ekil olmaktan 莽谋km谋艧 i莽erik ve 枚z olmu艧, sosyalist olan谋 d谋艧ar谋 atm谋艧, s眉sl眉 bir s枚z, bir kabuk, bir d谋艧 bi莽im haline sokmu艧tu. Ya艧am谋n kutsal yasas谋 trajik bir a莽谋kl谋kla belirlenmi艧tir: 陌nsan谋n 枚zg眉rl眉臒眉 her 艧eyin 眉st眉ndedir; d眉nyada u臒runa insan 枚zg眉rl眉臒眉n眉n feda edilebilece臒i tek bir ama莽 yoktur.鈥�
鈥淎莽l谋臒谋 ila莽la iyile艧tiremezsiniz. K枚y yapayaln谋z kalm谋艧t谋, etraf bo艧tu ve evlerde a莽 insanlar vard谋r. Kentten t眉rl眉 t眉rl眉 temsilciler de gelmekten vazge莽mi艧lerdi art谋k, ne i莽in geleceklerdi zaten. A莽 insanlar谋n elinden alacak bir 艧ey yoktu, dolay谋s谋yla gelmelerine gerek de yoktu. Devlet bir insandan hi莽bir 艧ey alamad谋臒谋 zaman o insan yarars谋z biri olur. Onu ne diye okutsun, tedavi etsin ki?鈥�
鈥淓vet her 艧ey ge莽ip gider, her 艧ey de臒i艧ir, ayn谋 katara iki kez binmek olanaks谋zd谋r.鈥�
鈥淩us topra臒谋 kendi Platonlar谋n谋 da, keskin zekal谋 Newtonlar谋n谋 da c枚mert莽e do臒urur, ama kendi 莽ocuklar谋n谋 korkun莽 bir 艧ekilde, b眉y眉k bir basitlikle yer.鈥�
Ben normalde bir yazar谋n seri olmayan kitaplar谋n谋 belli bir s谋rayla okumaya dikkat etmem, pek 枚nemli oldu臒unu da d眉艧眉nmem a莽谋kcas谋. Ancak Vasili Grossman bu konuda bir istisna oldu benim i莽in. Ya艧am ve Yazg谋鈥檡谋 okuduktan sonra Ta艧lar 脺lkesine Yolculuk ve son olarak da - ki kendisinin de yazd谋臒谋 hatta tamamlanmam谋艧 olarak yay谋nlanmak zorunda kal谋nan son kitab谋- Her 艦ey Ge莽ip Gider鈥檌 okumak yazar谋 ve ya艧ad谋klar谋n谋 tam olarak kavrayabilmek ad谋na 莽ok do臒ru bir yol.
Zira Ya艧am ve Yazg谋鈥檇a 陌kinci D眉nya Sava艧谋, Stalin鈥檌n yaratt谋臒谋 totaliter rejim ve antisemitizmin y眉kseli艧ine odaklan谋yor ve bu s眉recin ele艧tirisini veriyor. Hatta Stalin鈥檌n 枚l眉m眉n眉n ard谋ndan bu kitab谋n da SSCB鈥檇e yay谋nlanabilece臒ine duydu臒u inanc谋n sebebi de budur belki de. Ancak Ya艧am ve Yazg谋鈥檡a gizli servisin el koymas谋, hatta bir 艧ekilde SSCB d谋艧谋nda yay谋nlanmas谋 durumunda bunun bedelini 枚deyecek olmas谋 ve yazd谋klar谋na uygulanan sans眉r -bask谋 ile yava艧 yava艧 sistemin d谋艧谋na at谋lmas谋 Vasili Grossman鈥檇a hem 莽ok b眉y眉k bir 莽枚k眉艧e hem de inand谋臒谋 Sovyet ideali ve tarihine dair pek 莽ok 艧eyi sorgulamaya ba艧lamas谋na sebep oluyor. Ta艧lar 脺lkesine Yolculuk鈥檛a Ermenistan鈥檇a g枚rd眉臒眉 farkl谋l谋klarla ba艧layan soru i艧aretleri Her 艦ey Ge莽ip Gider鈥檇e muazzam bir y眉zle艧meye d枚n眉艧眉yor. A莽谋kcas谋 ben bu kitap i莽in bir kurgu eser demekte zorlan谋yorum. Kitap 枚臒rencili臒inde bir ihbar sonucu kamplara g枚nderilen yine de sosyalizme inanc谋n谋 hi莽 kaybetmeyen ve yirmi dokuz y谋l谋n ard谋ndan yeniden 枚zg眉rl眉臒眉ne kavu艧tu臒unda kar艧谋la艧t谋臒谋 sosyalizmi tan谋yamay谋p yabanc谋 kalan Ivan Grigoryevi莽鈥檌n hikayesini anlat谋yor. Parlak bir bilim adam谋 olan ancak bu alanda ilerleyebilmek i莽in nice tavizler veren kuzeniyle kar艧谋la艧mas谋yla ba艧layan hikaye, a艧谋k oldu臒u kad谋n谋n ihaneti ve sonras谋nda ihbarc谋s谋yla kar艧谋la艧mas谋n谋n ard谋ndan yazar谋n okuruna Stalin d枚nemi Yahuda鈥檒ar谋n谋n j眉rili臒ini yapt谋rmaya ba艧lad谋臒谋 noktada kurgudan git gide s谋yr谋lmaya ba艧l谋yor. Hatta ilerledik莽e 枚yle bir noktaya geliyorsunuz ki yazar ile karakter git gide b眉t眉nle艧iyor. Ki burada bahsetti臒im durum Ya艧am ve Yazg谋鈥檇aki 艦trum ile g枚rd眉臒眉m眉z yans谋tman谋n 莽ok 枚tesinde. Zira art谋k yazar ile Ivan鈥櫮� birbirinden ay谋ram谋yorsunuz. Robert Chandler鈥櫮眓 枚ns枚z眉nde 鈥淓ser yap谋 olarak dengeli de臒ildir ve ta艧谋d谋臒谋 tarih y眉k眉 o kadar b眉y眉kt眉r ki, a臒谋rl谋臒谋yla bir莽ok roman谋 ezer.鈥� ibaresi bu durumu 莽ok g眉zel 枚zetliyor asl谋nda. Zira 250 sayfal谋k bu kitapta, Grossman鈥櫮眓 1200 sayfal谋k Ya艧am ve Yazg谋鈥檇a dile getirdi臒inden 莽ok daha yo臒un ve karanl谋k bir Sovyet Rusya tarihi bulunuyor. Toplum ve y枚netim ele艧tirisi Stalin 莽emberinden 莽谋k谋p Lenin鈥檈 kadar uzan谋yor ve Ukrayna鈥檇a a莽l谋kla uygulanan ve maalesef -枚zellikle de edebiyatta- 莽ok az de臒inilen Ukrayna鈥檇aki soyk谋r谋ma, Grossman鈥櫮眓 da imza att谋臒谋 ve sonras谋nda en b眉y眉k pi艧manl谋klar谋ndan birisi olan Yahudi tasviyelerine 枚nc眉l眉k eden 鈥淜atil Doktorlar鈥� mektubuna kadar 眉zeri kapat谋lm谋艧 pek 莽ok toplumsal konuyu ortaya d枚k眉yor. Asl谋nda 枚zetle; ama莽 ve ideoloji ne olursa olsun toplum m眉hendisli臒inin ve tek elde toplanan g眉c眉n toplumu 枚zg眉rle艧tirme ba艧l谋臒谋 alt谋nda nas谋l ulusal k枚lelikler yaratt谋臒谋n谋, bir yandan da devletin her insan谋n bilincinin iplerini ele ge莽irerek yurtta艧lar谋n谋 nas谋l vicdan y眉k眉nden kurtar谋p yapt谋klar谋 muhbirliklerin ve verdikleri desteklerin alt谋ndan nas谋l kalkt谋klar谋n谋 muazzam ve 莽ok sert bir dille anlat谋yor.
Bu arada Sovyet tarihinin kara lekesi olarak g枚r眉len ve SSCB鈥檔in da臒谋lma s眉recine girmesine sebep oldu臒u d眉艧眉n眉len di臒er yandan ise Stalin tiranl谋臒谋nda boyun e臒enlerden olup pek 莽ok idam karar谋nda da imzas谋 bulunan Nikita Kru艧莽ev鈥檌n SSCB tarihindeki en hay谋rl谋 hareketi muhtemelen Stalin鈥檌n yaratmak i莽in y谋llar谋n谋 ve halk谋n谋 harcad谋臒谋 鈥測ar谋 tanr谋鈥� imaj谋n谋n 眉zerindeki perdeyi kald谋r谋p, su莽lar谋n谋 if艧a etmesi, bunu yaparken de herkesi kendi yapt谋klar谋yla y眉zle艧meye zorlamas谋d谋r san谋r谋m. Tabii ki kendisini bu y眉zle艧menin b眉y眉k bir b枚l眉m眉n眉n d谋艧谋nda tutmu艧tur. Ancak bu kitapla ilgili olan k谋sm谋 Sovyet tarihiyle ilgili bu g眉莽l眉 y眉zle艧menin; muhbirin kurban谋yla kar艧谋lamas谋n谋n zeminini haz谋rlamas谋 say谋labilir belki. Ayr谋ca bu kitab谋 yaln谋zca bir kendi yak谋n tarihiyle ve ve Sovyet sistemiyle y眉zle艧me seviyesinde g枚rmek b眉y眉k bir hata olur elbette. Zira di臒er kitaplar谋nda oldu臒u gibi yine gerek 莽evreyi- do臒ay谋 gerekse insanl谋k durumlar谋n谋 size anlatmaktan 枚te ya艧atan bir kitap bu da. Ukrayna鈥檇aki A莽l谋k Ter枚r眉鈥檔眉 anlatt谋臒谋 b枚l眉mleri midenizde bir yumru hissetmeden, fiziksel bir rahats谋zl谋k olmadan okuman谋z m眉mk眉n de臒il. 艦imdiye kadar a莽l谋臒谋 en iyi Knut Hamsun鈥檜n anlatt谋臒谋n谋 d眉艧眉n眉yordum ama bu kitaptan sonra bu konuda hi莽bir 艧ey bilmiyormu艧um dedim a莽谋kcas谋.
Vasili Grossman benim bu kadar ge莽 tan谋艧t谋臒谋ma pi艧man oldu臒um ancak bir yandan da iyi ki baz谋 艧eyleri okuyup anlad谋ktan ya da baz谋 枚nyarg谋lar谋 a艧t谋ktan sonra ger莽ek anlam谋yla kendisiyle tan谋艧abildi臒ime memnun oldu臒um; k谋r谋lganl谋klar谋n谋, pi艧manl谋klar谋n谋 ve hatalar谋n谋 asla 莽ekinmeden ortaya koyabilen ancak bunun yan谋nda bu d眉nyan谋n g枚rd眉臒眉 en ac谋 d枚nemler hakk谋nda da asla geri durmadan yazabilen 莽ok g眉莽l眉 bir yazar. Sovyet rejiminin a莽l谋臒a, korkuya, karanl谋臒a ve 枚zg眉r topluma y枚nelik derin nefretine dayanan korkun莽 y眉z眉n眉 g枚steren, bask谋c谋 siyasi sistemlerin zalimli臒ini anlatan ve bu sistemlerin alt谋nda ezilen halk谋n yas谋n谋 tutturan olduk莽a zor bir okuma. Ama k枚lele艧tirilmi艧 bir toplumun deh艧etini son derece 莽arp谋c谋 ve edebi a莽谋dan b眉y眉leyici bir 艧ekilde g枚rmek ad谋na; ke艧ke di臒er metinlerini de t眉rk莽e de g枚rebilsek ve b眉t眉n zorlu臒una ra臒men ke艧ke herkes okusa.
Bu arada Vasili Grossman hem bu kitapta hem de Ya艧am ve Yazg谋鈥檇a birka莽 kez 脟ehov鈥檜n Piskopos 枚yk眉s眉ne at谋fta bulunuyor. E臒er 枚yk眉y眉 okursan谋z neden kendisini a臒latt谋臒谋n谋 ve sat谋r aralar谋nda yazar谋n annesiyle olan ili艧kisine ve pi艧manl谋klar谋na dair daha fazla 艧ey bulabilirsiniz.
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鈥淒evlet patron olmu艧tu, ulusal olan 艧ekil olmaktan 莽谋km谋艧 i莽erik ve 枚z olmu艧, sosyalist olan谋 d谋艧ar谋 atm谋艧, s眉sl眉 bir s枚z, bir kabuk, bir d谋艧 bi莽im haline sokmu艧tu. Ya艧am谋n kutsal yasas谋 trajik bir a莽谋kl谋kla belirlenmi艧tir: 陌nsan谋n 枚zg眉rl眉臒眉 her 艧eyin 眉st眉ndedir; d眉nyada u臒runa insan 枚zg眉rl眉臒眉n眉n feda edilebilece臒i tek bir ama莽 yoktur.鈥�
鈥淎莽l谋臒谋 ila莽la iyile艧tiremezsiniz. K枚y yapayaln谋z kalm谋艧t谋, etraf bo艧tu ve evlerde a莽 insanlar vard谋r. Kentten t眉rl眉 t眉rl眉 temsilciler de gelmekten vazge莽mi艧lerdi art谋k, ne i莽in geleceklerdi zaten. A莽 insanlar谋n elinden alacak bir 艧ey yoktu, dolay谋s谋yla gelmelerine gerek de yoktu. Devlet bir insandan hi莽bir 艧ey alamad谋臒谋 zaman o insan yarars谋z biri olur. Onu ne diye okutsun, tedavi etsin ki?鈥�
鈥淓vet her 艧ey ge莽ip gider, her 艧ey de臒i艧ir, ayn谋 katara iki kez binmek olanaks谋zd谋r.鈥�
鈥淩us topra臒谋 kendi Platonlar谋n谋 da, keskin zekal谋 Newtonlar谋n谋 da c枚mert莽e do臒urur, ama kendi 莽ocuklar谋n谋 korkun莽 bir 艧ekilde, b眉y眉k bir basitlikle yer.鈥�
October 9, 2017
Despu茅s de la majestuosa literatura zarista de la Rusia del siglo XIX, surge una pl茅yade de escritores sovi茅ticos cuyo talento no le va mucho a la saga al de aquellos escritores que produjo el siglo XIX. Uno de ellos es Vasili Grossman (1905-1964), cuya obra 鈥淰ida y Destino鈥� es un logro literario asombroso y que ahora nos regala con esta novela sobre la Rusia estalinista.
Este texto es una de tantas obras que relatan y a la vez tratan de revelar todas las atrocidades del r茅gimen de Stalin (1878-1953); el dise帽o, construcci贸n y desarrollo de ese r茅gimen; sus motivos y todas las barbaridades que encerr贸 esta construcci贸n del estado sovi茅tico. Cada vez me convenzo m谩s de que ese Stalin fue un ente de dif铆cil definici贸n y m谩s dif铆cil a煤n aceptar su existencia.
El libro es una especie de lo que en m煤sica ser铆a una Suite (serie de danzas unidas por un rasgo o motivo com煤n) que, trasladando el concepto a la Literatura, dir铆amos que esta obra es una especie de relatos cohesionados por un tema principal: la ausencia de libertad y la destrucci贸n de la dignidad humana.
El autor crea un personaje llamado Iv谩n Grig贸rievich quien tras pasar casi 30 a帽os confinado en campos de concentraci贸n estalinistas, regresa a Mosc煤 para encontrar un nuevo mundo. La obra mezcla un tanto el relato, a trav茅s de las vivencias de este personaje, con elementos de lo que podr铆a ser un ensayo, ya que Grossman expone sus ideas sobre c贸mo se pudo construir esa barbarie llamada estado sovi茅tico, el cual se edific贸 sobre el sufrimiento milenario del pueblo ruso, mismo que ha visto y experimentado todo, excepto la libertad.
Tambi茅n nos habla de c贸mo el sistema de vida bajo Stalin privilegi贸 una sola cosa: el Estado en detrimento de las personas, causando con esto a煤n m谩s sufrimiento a los ciudadanos rusos, ausencia de libertad, la arbitrariedad como ley, miedo cr贸nico, depravaci贸n espiritual, destino tr谩gico. Un infierno sobre la Tierra.
Una obra que confirma la gran altura literaria de este escritor ruso.
Este texto es una de tantas obras que relatan y a la vez tratan de revelar todas las atrocidades del r茅gimen de Stalin (1878-1953); el dise帽o, construcci贸n y desarrollo de ese r茅gimen; sus motivos y todas las barbaridades que encerr贸 esta construcci贸n del estado sovi茅tico. Cada vez me convenzo m谩s de que ese Stalin fue un ente de dif铆cil definici贸n y m谩s dif铆cil a煤n aceptar su existencia.
El libro es una especie de lo que en m煤sica ser铆a una Suite (serie de danzas unidas por un rasgo o motivo com煤n) que, trasladando el concepto a la Literatura, dir铆amos que esta obra es una especie de relatos cohesionados por un tema principal: la ausencia de libertad y la destrucci贸n de la dignidad humana.
El autor crea un personaje llamado Iv谩n Grig贸rievich quien tras pasar casi 30 a帽os confinado en campos de concentraci贸n estalinistas, regresa a Mosc煤 para encontrar un nuevo mundo. La obra mezcla un tanto el relato, a trav茅s de las vivencias de este personaje, con elementos de lo que podr铆a ser un ensayo, ya que Grossman expone sus ideas sobre c贸mo se pudo construir esa barbarie llamada estado sovi茅tico, el cual se edific贸 sobre el sufrimiento milenario del pueblo ruso, mismo que ha visto y experimentado todo, excepto la libertad.
Tambi茅n nos habla de c贸mo el sistema de vida bajo Stalin privilegi贸 una sola cosa: el Estado en detrimento de las personas, causando con esto a煤n m谩s sufrimiento a los ciudadanos rusos, ausencia de libertad, la arbitrariedad como ley, miedo cr贸nico, depravaci贸n espiritual, destino tr谩gico. Un infierno sobre la Tierra.
Una obra que confirma la gran altura literaria de este escritor ruso.
June 19, 2018
A very moving account of the horrors of Bolshevism and Stalinism in Russia.The chapter that touched me the most was the story of a young mother who was taken away from her mother and child to Siberia where she eventually dies of disease and despair No decent human being could fail to be moved by this account of a nightmare that really happened It is told in the rich literary style that can only come from a Russian writer-bringing to life the horrors of Communist tyranny and the beauty of Russian life that survived it
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June 13, 2017This is a brave and thoughtful account of the Stalin years. Admittedly, Grossman wrote this documentary style fiction well after Stalin's death when it had become more possible to acknowledge that mistakes had been made. However, he knew from his experience of trying to get his previous book past the censor that the freedom to write the truth was still far from possible in tightly controlled, KGB run, soviet Russia. This book, unpublished in his lifetime, provides an insight into the psychology of the soviet citizen, seemingly willing to obey the most illogical of orders without question and to take punishment even when not guilty, all in the name of the greater good. Grossman analyses the culture of denunciation of neighbours, colleagues and even friends who were then shipped off to the camps for decades. He highlights the ease with which people find justifications for their actions and examines with huge sensitivity such diverse themes as man's propensity for violence as well as his unremitting quest for freedom.
February 24, 2020
Foi o meu primeiro contacto com este autor e fiquei cheia de vontade de ler "Vida e Destino".
Este livro 茅 sobre a era p贸s-stalinista e conta a hist贸ria de um ex-preso pol铆tico que foi libertado depois de 30 anos de trabalhos for莽ados na Sib茅ria.
A alma russa est谩 bem presente, e h谩 muitas refer锚ncias a personalidades russas.
Fiquei, tamb茅m, com imensa vontade de ler "Almas Mortas" de G贸gol porque h谩 algumas cita莽玫es do livro.
Este livro 茅 sobre a era p贸s-stalinista e conta a hist贸ria de um ex-preso pol铆tico que foi libertado depois de 30 anos de trabalhos for莽ados na Sib茅ria.
A alma russa est谩 bem presente, e h谩 muitas refer锚ncias a personalidades russas.
Fiquei, tamb茅m, com imensa vontade de ler "Almas Mortas" de G贸gol porque h谩 algumas cita莽玫es do livro.
January 8, 2025
Everything Flows is both a novel about a dissident returning from the gulags and a condemnation of a State that puts itself above human life. Ivan Gigoryevich is released from the gulag after thirty years for speaking out against Soviet repression of freedom to a world that has become new and alien to him. Much of the book goes into detail about how the State crushed individual freedom through informants, collectivization, mass starvation, and the vast system of labor camps called gulags. All of the arbitrary arrests and the false accusations are all part of the State to crush freedom through fear. The text of the book read like great literature as the author depicts characters who lived under Stalin's totalitarian State founded by Lenin. Vasily Grossman was a writer that pulled no punches in revealing the truth about Stalinist Russia.
April 2, 2022
Bench茅 lo faccia tramite un romanzo che ben presto finisce per essere un saggio storico e politico, Vasilij Grossman riesce nell鈥檌mpresa di descrivere le fondamenta dell鈥檃nimo russo nell鈥檃rco di sole duecento pagine.
Mai come in questo periodo - la guerra in Ucraina - questo libro si rivela utile per comprendere cosa vi sia dietro la mentalit脿 del popolo russo (senza assolutamente giustificarli comunque).
La - poca - trama dedicata al protagonista, Ivan Grigorevic, di recente liberato dai gulag e 鈥渢ornato alla vita鈥�, si alterna a capitoli al limite con la saggistica che parlano della storia russa, della rivoluzione, dell鈥橦olodomor (un breve capitolo risulter脿 ai pi霉 agghiacciante) e per finire della non-libert脿 dei russi.
Un piccolo libro estremamente denso.
Mai come in questo periodo - la guerra in Ucraina - questo libro si rivela utile per comprendere cosa vi sia dietro la mentalit脿 del popolo russo (senza assolutamente giustificarli comunque).
La - poca - trama dedicata al protagonista, Ivan Grigorevic, di recente liberato dai gulag e 鈥渢ornato alla vita鈥�, si alterna a capitoli al limite con la saggistica che parlano della storia russa, della rivoluzione, dell鈥橦olodomor (un breve capitolo risulter脿 ai pi霉 agghiacciante) e per finire della non-libert脿 dei russi.
Un piccolo libro estremamente denso.
January 6, 2019
Ivan Grigor鈥檈vi膷, quasi trent鈥檃nni in un lager sovietico, alla morte di Stalin viene liberato e torna al cospetto dei vivi, di coloro che erano rimasti nelle loro citt脿, nelle loro case. Senza accusare nessuno, fa vacillare le loro coscienze, sigillate nell鈥檌dea di essere stati giusti, opportuni, bravi uomini insomma, invece le coscienze tremano, riprendono le loro tortuose vie nei meandri dell鈥檃bisso, quelli della verit脿 corrosiva, spaventevole, orrida. Ivan non recrimina niente, basta la sua presenza a generare l鈥檕rrore del loro operato, mentre anch鈥檈gli si stupisce, perso nel paradosso della libert脿: 鈥渆ffettivamente si sta proprio male nella libert脿!鈥�.
Com鈥櫭� la sua patria dopo tutto? Dopo Pietro il Grande, dopo Caterina, dopo la rivoluzione, dopo Lenin, dopo Stalin? Non resta che considerare che la Russia ha raggiunto il progresso a discapito della libert脿 del suo popolo, rinnovandone e alimentandone la schiavit霉; perseguendo l鈥檜topia di rinnegare lo sviluppo capitalistico ha mantenuto schiavi i suoi cittadini, cambiando solo il padrone: lo Stato che perdendo di vista l鈥檕biettivo, ha sacrificato la libert脿 individuale. L鈥檃nalisi del protagonista 猫 lucida, una condanna sicura dell鈥檜topia comunista con l鈥檌ndividuazione di precisi errori storici pi霉 nella persona di Lenin che in quella di Stalin.
Il romanzo 猫 strutturato in modo tale da permettere, attraverso il susseguirsi degli incontri che porteranno lentamente Ivan a reintegrarsi nella societ脿, la conoscenza delle diverse prospettive che furono coinvolte nell鈥檃nnientamento dell鈥檜omo. Si pu貌 percepire la debolezza del delatore, la paura dell鈥檃ccusatore, la rettitudine della moglie che non pu貌 accusare il marito di una colpa inesistente, la quotidianit脿 macchiata di codardia di chi ha scampato ogni pericolo facendolo subire ad un suo prossimo, il timore dell鈥檈breo, la fame dell鈥� Ucraina鈥i sono pagine talmente vivide nel loro realismo da provocare inquietudine e malessere, la fame in particolare 猫 descritta cos矛 pungente che si arriva a un vero e proprio processo di immedesimazione , tale da far percepire sensazioni al limite del reale. Oltremodo sono pungenti le considerazioni politiche e storiche, portano ad un鈥檈nnesima riflessione sulla piccolezza dell鈥檈ssere umano che dimentica la sua natura umana, doveroso allora non accettare l鈥檌rrazionale perch茅, a dispetto di Hegel, 鈥溾€on tutto ci貌 che 猫 reale 猫 razionale. Tutto ci貌 che 猫 disumano 猫 assurdo e inutile.鈥�
Intanto Ivan, terminate le sue peregrinazioni, giace sconfitto in una landa desolata, eppure egli 猫 immutabile e immutato perch茅 猫 riuscito, nonostante tutto, a rimanere un uomo.
Che ne sar脿 della Russia?
鈥淒ov鈥櫭� il tempo dell鈥檃nima russa libera e umana? Quando mai verr脿 quel giorno?鈥�
Per Ivan- Grossman la risposta non pu貌 che essere questa: 鈥淐hiss脿, forse non verr脿 mai, mai spunter脿.鈥�
Ricordiamolo: anche il manoscritto di 鈥淭utto scorre鈥� fu sequestrato insieme a quello di 鈥淰ita e destino鈥�, per fortuna l鈥檃utore ne scrisse un鈥檃ltra copia che fu poi pubblicata alla sua morte.
Comprensibile l鈥檃marezza della sua risposta.
Com鈥櫭� la sua patria dopo tutto? Dopo Pietro il Grande, dopo Caterina, dopo la rivoluzione, dopo Lenin, dopo Stalin? Non resta che considerare che la Russia ha raggiunto il progresso a discapito della libert脿 del suo popolo, rinnovandone e alimentandone la schiavit霉; perseguendo l鈥檜topia di rinnegare lo sviluppo capitalistico ha mantenuto schiavi i suoi cittadini, cambiando solo il padrone: lo Stato che perdendo di vista l鈥檕biettivo, ha sacrificato la libert脿 individuale. L鈥檃nalisi del protagonista 猫 lucida, una condanna sicura dell鈥檜topia comunista con l鈥檌ndividuazione di precisi errori storici pi霉 nella persona di Lenin che in quella di Stalin.
Il romanzo 猫 strutturato in modo tale da permettere, attraverso il susseguirsi degli incontri che porteranno lentamente Ivan a reintegrarsi nella societ脿, la conoscenza delle diverse prospettive che furono coinvolte nell鈥檃nnientamento dell鈥檜omo. Si pu貌 percepire la debolezza del delatore, la paura dell鈥檃ccusatore, la rettitudine della moglie che non pu貌 accusare il marito di una colpa inesistente, la quotidianit脿 macchiata di codardia di chi ha scampato ogni pericolo facendolo subire ad un suo prossimo, il timore dell鈥檈breo, la fame dell鈥� Ucraina鈥i sono pagine talmente vivide nel loro realismo da provocare inquietudine e malessere, la fame in particolare 猫 descritta cos矛 pungente che si arriva a un vero e proprio processo di immedesimazione , tale da far percepire sensazioni al limite del reale. Oltremodo sono pungenti le considerazioni politiche e storiche, portano ad un鈥檈nnesima riflessione sulla piccolezza dell鈥檈ssere umano che dimentica la sua natura umana, doveroso allora non accettare l鈥檌rrazionale perch茅, a dispetto di Hegel, 鈥溾€on tutto ci貌 che 猫 reale 猫 razionale. Tutto ci貌 che 猫 disumano 猫 assurdo e inutile.鈥�
Intanto Ivan, terminate le sue peregrinazioni, giace sconfitto in una landa desolata, eppure egli 猫 immutabile e immutato perch茅 猫 riuscito, nonostante tutto, a rimanere un uomo.
Che ne sar脿 della Russia?
鈥淒ov鈥櫭� il tempo dell鈥檃nima russa libera e umana? Quando mai verr脿 quel giorno?鈥�
Per Ivan- Grossman la risposta non pu貌 che essere questa: 鈥淐hiss脿, forse non verr脿 mai, mai spunter脿.鈥�
Ricordiamolo: anche il manoscritto di 鈥淭utto scorre鈥� fu sequestrato insieme a quello di 鈥淰ita e destino鈥�, per fortuna l鈥檃utore ne scrisse un鈥檃ltra copia che fu poi pubblicata alla sua morte.
Comprensibile l鈥檃marezza della sua risposta.
May 8, 2011
This is very powerfull and frightfull text. It's actually more a verdict then a novel. A verdict to the Stalin's regime.
Stalin dies, old broken bald man is freed from one of the Stalin's labour camps and "Forever flowing" is his thoughts while he stumbles across this Moscow and Leningrad world of not-imprisoned people, which he did not see for 20 years. He meets the man who sold him, he meets his old love who forgot him, he meets his brother who found a way to succeed inside Stalin regime, he learns the way they live and he remembers all turtures he and other people at the camp had to go through and he tries to understand how all this happened, how it became possible to kill and torture mililons of people and he sees in front of him all thousand year history of slavery and lack of freedom in Russia,he sees Lenin and Stalin's role in it and he predicts that Soviet regime will collapse very soon and freedom will win.
The book was written shortly after Stalin's death when Grossman himself was released from a labour camp. Soviets confiscated manuscript of "Forever flowing", Grossman tried to get it back but failed. Soviet prime-minister Suslov gave him an audiende and told him about another his book ("Life and fate") that it can be published only in 200-300 years, not earlier. Grossman wrote "Forever flowing" for a second time and it was distrubuted through underground press, it became an impulse for Andrey Tarkovsky to film his main masterpiece "Mirror" and in the end, Grossman as we know now was right - regime collapsed much faster then 200 years.
Stalin dies, old broken bald man is freed from one of the Stalin's labour camps and "Forever flowing" is his thoughts while he stumbles across this Moscow and Leningrad world of not-imprisoned people, which he did not see for 20 years. He meets the man who sold him, he meets his old love who forgot him, he meets his brother who found a way to succeed inside Stalin regime, he learns the way they live and he remembers all turtures he and other people at the camp had to go through and he tries to understand how all this happened, how it became possible to kill and torture mililons of people and he sees in front of him all thousand year history of slavery and lack of freedom in Russia,he sees Lenin and Stalin's role in it and he predicts that Soviet regime will collapse very soon and freedom will win.
The book was written shortly after Stalin's death when Grossman himself was released from a labour camp. Soviets confiscated manuscript of "Forever flowing", Grossman tried to get it back but failed. Soviet prime-minister Suslov gave him an audiende and told him about another his book ("Life and fate") that it can be published only in 200-300 years, not earlier. Grossman wrote "Forever flowing" for a second time and it was distrubuted through underground press, it became an impulse for Andrey Tarkovsky to film his main masterpiece "Mirror" and in the end, Grossman as we know now was right - regime collapsed much faster then 200 years.
December 29, 2023
Vasili Grossman鈥櫮眓 bu i莽 yak谋c谋 kitab谋 hakk谋nda iki kitap kurdu sevgili 鈥渕erixien鈥� ve sevgili 鈥渆vdiyebiryer鈥� o kadar g眉zel yorumlar yazm谋艧lar ki onlardan sonra bir 艧eyler yazmak anlams谋z olur. Bu iki yorumun linkini a艧a臒谋ya koyuyorum.
脰nerim bu kitab谋 1000 sayfal谋k 鈥淵a艧am ve Yazg谋鈥� isimli k眉lt eserden sonra okuyun ki, Vasili鈥檔in hakl谋 枚fkesini 枚yle de臒erlendirin.
Bu kitaba d眉艧眉k puan verenlerin ideolojik olarak puanlama yapt谋klar谋n谋 d眉艧眉n眉yorum. Ben de sosyalist d眉nya g枚r眉艧眉ne sahibim ama 鈥渂眉y眉k tasfiyeyi鈥�, 鈥渉olodomor鈥漸, antisemitizm ve 鈥渄oktorlar olay谋鈥漬谋 nas谋l yok sayabilirim ? 陌nsan谋n 枚zg眉rl眉臒眉 ve onuru en y眉ce de臒erdir !
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脰nerim bu kitab谋 1000 sayfal谋k 鈥淵a艧am ve Yazg谋鈥� isimli k眉lt eserden sonra okuyun ki, Vasili鈥檔in hakl谋 枚fkesini 枚yle de臒erlendirin.
Bu kitaba d眉艧眉k puan verenlerin ideolojik olarak puanlama yapt谋klar谋n谋 d眉艧眉n眉yorum. Ben de sosyalist d眉nya g枚r眉艧眉ne sahibim ama 鈥渂眉y眉k tasfiyeyi鈥�, 鈥渉olodomor鈥漸, antisemitizm ve 鈥渄oktorlar olay谋鈥漬谋 nas谋l yok sayabilirim ? 陌nsan谋n 枚zg眉rl眉臒眉 ve onuru en y眉ce de臒erdir !
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July 3, 2023
鈥炩€π狙佇拘毙敌叫狙佈傂秆傂� 薪邪 褉褍褋泻邪褌邪 写褍褕邪 褋邪 褉芯写械薪懈 芯褌 薪械褋胁芯斜芯写邪褌邪鈥︹€�
鈥炩€π敌葱感窖佈傂残敌叫� 褏懈谢褟写芯谐芯写懈褕薪芯褌芯 褉芯斜褋褌胁芯 械 褋褗蟹写邪谢芯 屑懈褋褌懈泻邪褌邪 薪邪 褉褍褋泻邪褌邪 写褍褕邪.鈥�
鈥炐樠佈傂狙€懈褟褌邪 薪邪 褔芯胁械泻邪 械 懈褋褌芯褉懈褟 薪邪 薪械谐芯胁邪褌邪 褋胁芯斜芯写邪.鈥�
鈥炐熜拘毙敌葱把傂� 薪邪 袥械薪懈薪 褋褌邪薪邪 薪械谐芯胁芯 锌芯褉邪卸械薪懈械. 袧芯 褌褉邪谐械写懈褟褌邪 薪邪 袥械薪懈薪 薪械 斜械 褋邪屑芯 褉褍褋泻邪 褌褉邪谐械写懈褟, 褌褟 褋褌邪薪邪 褋胁械褌芯胁薪邪.鈥�
鈥炐� 褌邪蟹懈 写褗褉卸邪胁邪 薪褟屑邪 芯斜褖械褋褌胁芯 鈥� 薪邪谢懈 芯斜褖械褋褌胁芯褌芯 褋械 芯褋薪芯胁邪胁邪 薪邪 褋胁芯斜芯写薪邪褌邪 斜谢懈蟹芯褋褌 懈 褋胁芯斜芯写薪懈褟 邪薪褌邪谐芯薪懈蟹褗屑 屑械卸写褍 褏芯褉邪褌邪, 邪 胁 写褗褉卸邪胁邪 斜械蟹 褋胁芯斜芯写邪 褋胁芯斜芯写薪懈褌械 斜谢懈蟹芯褋褌 懈 胁褉邪卸写邪 褋邪 薪械屑懈褋谢懈屑懈.鈥�
鈥炐⌒靶夹� 械写薪芯 薪械 斜械褕械 胁懈写褟谢邪 褉褍褋懈褟 蟹邪 褏懈谢褟写邪 谐芯写懈薪懈: 褋胁芯斜芯写邪.鈥�
袙械褉芯褟褌薪芯 褌懈锌懈褔薪邪 褋褑械薪邪 屑邪谢泻芯 褋谢械写 褋屑褗褉褌褌邪 薪邪 小褌邪谢懈薪. 袙谢邪泻 薪邪 锌褗褌 蟹邪 袦芯褋泻胁邪, 械写懈薪 芯褌 锌褗褌薪懈褑懈褌械, 锌芯斜械谢褟谢 懈 芯泻褗褋邪薪, 锌芯写锌褉褟谢 褉褗褑械 薪邪 谐谢邪胁邪褌邪 褋懈, (褋邪屑芯)懈蟹芯谢懈褉邪薪 芯褌 芯褋褌邪薪邪谢懈褌械 褋锌褗褌薪懈褑懈. 袙褉褗褖邪 褋械 褋谢械写 褌褉懈写械褋械褌 谐芯写懈薪懈 胁 谢邪谐械褉, 褖械 胁懈写懈 褉芯写薪懈褌械 屑械褋褌邪, 锌褉懈褟褌械谢懈 懈 斜谢懈蟹泻懈, 邪泻芯 褋邪 芯褋褌邪薪邪谢懈 褌邪泻懈胁邪鈥π� 蟹邪褖芯 薪械 懈 锌褉械写邪褌械谢懈, 褌械 褔械褋褌芯 薪邪写卸懈胁褟胁邪褌 锌褉械写邪写械薪懈褌械.
小褗写斜邪褌邪 薪邪 袠胁邪薪 袚褉懈谐芯褉懈械胁懈褔 薪械 械 褋 薪懈褖芯 锌芯-褋锌械褑懈邪谢薪邪, 褋 薪懈褖芯 锌芯-褉邪蟹谢懈褔薪邪 芯褌 褌邪蟹懈 薪邪 屑懈谢懈芯薪懈 写褉褍谐懈, 褔懈泄褌芯 卸懈胁芯褌 械 锌褉械泻褗褉褕械薪 锌芯 谢邪谐械褉懈 懈 蟹邪褌胁芯褉懈. 袩芯谐褗谢薪邪褌懈 芯褌 褋胁褉褗褏写褗褉卸邪胁邪褌邪, 褌械 蟹邪胁懈薪邪谐懈 懈蟹褔械蟹胁邪褌 泻邪褌芯 谢懈褔薪芯褋褌懈, 写芯褉懈 写邪 芯褑械谢械褟褌 褎懈蟹懈褔械褋泻懈. 袠褋褌懈薪褋泻芯褌芯 蟹邪胁褉褗褖邪薪械 胁 褋胁械褌邪 薪邪 卸懈胁懈褌械 芯褌胁褗写 褌械谢械薪邪褌邪 芯谐褉邪写邪 褉褟写泻芯 械 胁褗蟹屑芯卸薪芯; 芯褋褌邪胁械薪懈褟褌 芯褌 褌褟褏薪芯褌芯 写褗谢谐芯谐芯写懈褕薪芯 芯褌褋褗褋褌胁懈械 胁邪泻褍褍屑 褋械 蟹邪锌褗谢胁邪 斜褗褉蟹芯 芯褌 谐褗褋褌懈 邪褌屑芯褋褎械褉懈 褋褌褉邪褏 懈 泻芯薪褎芯褉屑懈蟹褗屑. 袧懈褖芯 薪褟屑邪 写邪 械 泻邪泻褌芯 锌褉械写懈, 薪懈褖芯 薪械 屑芯卸械 写邪 械 泻邪泻褌芯 锌褉械写懈. 袝写懈薪 胁懈写 薪械褋胁芯斜芯写邪 褋械 蟹邪屑械薪褟 褋 写褉褍谐, 邪 蟹邪胁褗褉薪邪谢懈褟褌 褋械 薪芯褋懈 芯褌褋褗褋褌胁懈械褌芯 褋懈 泻邪褌芯 屑芯泻褉芯 芯写械褟谢芯.
袙褋械 锌芯胁械褔械 褋械 褍斜械卸写邪胁邪屑, 褔械 懈褋褌芯褉懈褟褌邪 薪邪 袪褍褋懈褟 械 锌褉懈褋褗写邪. 袧邪写 薪械泄薪懈褟 薪邪褉芯写 懈 薪械 褋邪屑芯. 袠 褌邪蟹懈 锌芯胁械褋褌 芯褌 屑邪谢泻芯 薪邪写 写胁械褋褌邪 褋褌褉邪薪懈褑懈 褋胁褉褗褏泻芯薪褑械薪褌褉懈褉邪 谐芯谢褟屑邪褌邪 写褉邪屑邪, 胁褋褗褖薪芯褋褌 械锌懈褔械褋泻邪褌邪 褌褉邪谐械写懈褟, 泻芯褟褌芯 锌褉械写褋褌邪胁谢褟胁邪 褉褍褋泻邪褌邪 懈褋褌芯褉懈褟 鈥� 薪械 褋邪屑芯 泻邪褌芯 褏褉芯薪芯谢芯谐懈褟 薪邪 褋谢褍褔懈谢芯褌芯 褋械 褋谢械写 1917 谐., 薪芯 懈 泻邪褌芯 屑械褌邪褎懈蟹懈泻邪, 褎邪褌邪谢懈蟹褗屑, 褑懈泻谢懈褔薪邪 芯斜褉械褔械薪芯褋褌. 袙褋懈褔泻芯 褌械褔械, 褋屑械薪褟褌 褋械 械锌芯褏懈, 褑邪褉械 懈 写懈泻褌邪褌芯褉懈, 褋邪屑芯 褉芯斜懈褟褌邪 褋褌邪胁邪 锌芯-褋褌褉邪褕薪邪. 小胁芯斜芯写邪褌邪 械 懈 胁褗锌褉芯褋 薪邪 锌褉邪泻褌懈泻邪, 锌芯褔褌懈 褎懈蟹懈褔械褋泻芯 褍锌褉邪卸薪械薪懈械. 袟邪泻褗褉薪械谢懈褌械 懈薪褋褌懈薪泻褌懈 褋邪 泻邪褌芯 邪褌褉芯褎懈褉邪谢懈褌械 屑褍褋泻褍谢懈, 邪 写褍褕邪褌邪, 褋褗褖芯 泻邪褌芯 褌褟谢芯褌芯, 懈屑邪 锌邪屑械褌 懈 褋褗褏褉邪薪褟胁邪 胁褋懈褔泻懈 锌褉械谐褉械褕械薪懈褟 褋锌褉褟屑芯 薪械褟.
鈥炐捬佇秆囆盒� 褌械褔械鈥� 械 械写懈薪 芯褌 薪邪泄-写芯斜褉懈褌械 泻谢褞褔芯胁械 泻褗屑 褌芯胁邪, 泻芯械褌芯 褋械 褋谢褍褔胁邪 胁 袪褍褋懈褟 懈 写薪械褋, 谐芯谢褟屑邪褌邪 屑邪谢泻邪 泻薪懈谐邪, 褑褟谢邪褌邪 薪邪锌褉邪胁械薪邪 芯褌 斜芯谢泻邪 懈 懈褋褌懈薪邪.
鈥炩€π敌葱感窖佈傂残敌叫� 褏懈谢褟写芯谐芯写懈褕薪芯褌芯 褉芯斜褋褌胁芯 械 褋褗蟹写邪谢芯 屑懈褋褌懈泻邪褌邪 薪邪 褉褍褋泻邪褌邪 写褍褕邪.鈥�
鈥炐樠佈傂狙€懈褟褌邪 薪邪 褔芯胁械泻邪 械 懈褋褌芯褉懈褟 薪邪 薪械谐芯胁邪褌邪 褋胁芯斜芯写邪.鈥�
鈥炐熜拘毙敌葱把傂� 薪邪 袥械薪懈薪 褋褌邪薪邪 薪械谐芯胁芯 锌芯褉邪卸械薪懈械. 袧芯 褌褉邪谐械写懈褟褌邪 薪邪 袥械薪懈薪 薪械 斜械 褋邪屑芯 褉褍褋泻邪 褌褉邪谐械写懈褟, 褌褟 褋褌邪薪邪 褋胁械褌芯胁薪邪.鈥�
鈥炐� 褌邪蟹懈 写褗褉卸邪胁邪 薪褟屑邪 芯斜褖械褋褌胁芯 鈥� 薪邪谢懈 芯斜褖械褋褌胁芯褌芯 褋械 芯褋薪芯胁邪胁邪 薪邪 褋胁芯斜芯写薪邪褌邪 斜谢懈蟹芯褋褌 懈 褋胁芯斜芯写薪懈褟 邪薪褌邪谐芯薪懈蟹褗屑 屑械卸写褍 褏芯褉邪褌邪, 邪 胁 写褗褉卸邪胁邪 斜械蟹 褋胁芯斜芯写邪 褋胁芯斜芯写薪懈褌械 斜谢懈蟹芯褋褌 懈 胁褉邪卸写邪 褋邪 薪械屑懈褋谢懈屑懈.鈥�
鈥炐⌒靶夹� 械写薪芯 薪械 斜械褕械 胁懈写褟谢邪 褉褍褋懈褟 蟹邪 褏懈谢褟写邪 谐芯写懈薪懈: 褋胁芯斜芯写邪.鈥�
袙械褉芯褟褌薪芯 褌懈锌懈褔薪邪 褋褑械薪邪 屑邪谢泻芯 褋谢械写 褋屑褗褉褌褌邪 薪邪 小褌邪谢懈薪. 袙谢邪泻 薪邪 锌褗褌 蟹邪 袦芯褋泻胁邪, 械写懈薪 芯褌 锌褗褌薪懈褑懈褌械, 锌芯斜械谢褟谢 懈 芯泻褗褋邪薪, 锌芯写锌褉褟谢 褉褗褑械 薪邪 谐谢邪胁邪褌邪 褋懈, (褋邪屑芯)懈蟹芯谢懈褉邪薪 芯褌 芯褋褌邪薪邪谢懈褌械 褋锌褗褌薪懈褑懈. 袙褉褗褖邪 褋械 褋谢械写 褌褉懈写械褋械褌 谐芯写懈薪懈 胁 谢邪谐械褉, 褖械 胁懈写懈 褉芯写薪懈褌械 屑械褋褌邪, 锌褉懈褟褌械谢懈 懈 斜谢懈蟹泻懈, 邪泻芯 褋邪 芯褋褌邪薪邪谢懈 褌邪泻懈胁邪鈥π� 蟹邪褖芯 薪械 懈 锌褉械写邪褌械谢懈, 褌械 褔械褋褌芯 薪邪写卸懈胁褟胁邪褌 锌褉械写邪写械薪懈褌械.
小褗写斜邪褌邪 薪邪 袠胁邪薪 袚褉懈谐芯褉懈械胁懈褔 薪械 械 褋 薪懈褖芯 锌芯-褋锌械褑懈邪谢薪邪, 褋 薪懈褖芯 锌芯-褉邪蟹谢懈褔薪邪 芯褌 褌邪蟹懈 薪邪 屑懈谢懈芯薪懈 写褉褍谐懈, 褔懈泄褌芯 卸懈胁芯褌 械 锌褉械泻褗褉褕械薪 锌芯 谢邪谐械褉懈 懈 蟹邪褌胁芯褉懈. 袩芯谐褗谢薪邪褌懈 芯褌 褋胁褉褗褏写褗褉卸邪胁邪褌邪, 褌械 蟹邪胁懈薪邪谐懈 懈蟹褔械蟹胁邪褌 泻邪褌芯 谢懈褔薪芯褋褌懈, 写芯褉懈 写邪 芯褑械谢械褟褌 褎懈蟹懈褔械褋泻懈. 袠褋褌懈薪褋泻芯褌芯 蟹邪胁褉褗褖邪薪械 胁 褋胁械褌邪 薪邪 卸懈胁懈褌械 芯褌胁褗写 褌械谢械薪邪褌邪 芯谐褉邪写邪 褉褟写泻芯 械 胁褗蟹屑芯卸薪芯; 芯褋褌邪胁械薪懈褟褌 芯褌 褌褟褏薪芯褌芯 写褗谢谐芯谐芯写懈褕薪芯 芯褌褋褗褋褌胁懈械 胁邪泻褍褍屑 褋械 蟹邪锌褗谢胁邪 斜褗褉蟹芯 芯褌 谐褗褋褌懈 邪褌屑芯褋褎械褉懈 褋褌褉邪褏 懈 泻芯薪褎芯褉屑懈蟹褗屑. 袧懈褖芯 薪褟屑邪 写邪 械 泻邪泻褌芯 锌褉械写懈, 薪懈褖芯 薪械 屑芯卸械 写邪 械 泻邪泻褌芯 锌褉械写懈. 袝写懈薪 胁懈写 薪械褋胁芯斜芯写邪 褋械 蟹邪屑械薪褟 褋 写褉褍谐, 邪 蟹邪胁褗褉薪邪谢懈褟褌 褋械 薪芯褋懈 芯褌褋褗褋褌胁懈械褌芯 褋懈 泻邪褌芯 屑芯泻褉芯 芯写械褟谢芯.
袙褋械 锌芯胁械褔械 褋械 褍斜械卸写邪胁邪屑, 褔械 懈褋褌芯褉懈褟褌邪 薪邪 袪褍褋懈褟 械 锌褉懈褋褗写邪. 袧邪写 薪械泄薪懈褟 薪邪褉芯写 懈 薪械 褋邪屑芯. 袠 褌邪蟹懈 锌芯胁械褋褌 芯褌 屑邪谢泻芯 薪邪写 写胁械褋褌邪 褋褌褉邪薪懈褑懈 褋胁褉褗褏泻芯薪褑械薪褌褉懈褉邪 谐芯谢褟屑邪褌邪 写褉邪屑邪, 胁褋褗褖薪芯褋褌 械锌懈褔械褋泻邪褌邪 褌褉邪谐械写懈褟, 泻芯褟褌芯 锌褉械写褋褌邪胁谢褟胁邪 褉褍褋泻邪褌邪 懈褋褌芯褉懈褟 鈥� 薪械 褋邪屑芯 泻邪褌芯 褏褉芯薪芯谢芯谐懈褟 薪邪 褋谢褍褔懈谢芯褌芯 褋械 褋谢械写 1917 谐., 薪芯 懈 泻邪褌芯 屑械褌邪褎懈蟹懈泻邪, 褎邪褌邪谢懈蟹褗屑, 褑懈泻谢懈褔薪邪 芯斜褉械褔械薪芯褋褌. 袙褋懈褔泻芯 褌械褔械, 褋屑械薪褟褌 褋械 械锌芯褏懈, 褑邪褉械 懈 写懈泻褌邪褌芯褉懈, 褋邪屑芯 褉芯斜懈褟褌邪 褋褌邪胁邪 锌芯-褋褌褉邪褕薪邪. 小胁芯斜芯写邪褌邪 械 懈 胁褗锌褉芯褋 薪邪 锌褉邪泻褌懈泻邪, 锌芯褔褌懈 褎懈蟹懈褔械褋泻芯 褍锌褉邪卸薪械薪懈械. 袟邪泻褗褉薪械谢懈褌械 懈薪褋褌懈薪泻褌懈 褋邪 泻邪褌芯 邪褌褉芯褎懈褉邪谢懈褌械 屑褍褋泻褍谢懈, 邪 写褍褕邪褌邪, 褋褗褖芯 泻邪褌芯 褌褟谢芯褌芯, 懈屑邪 锌邪屑械褌 懈 褋褗褏褉邪薪褟胁邪 胁褋懈褔泻懈 锌褉械谐褉械褕械薪懈褟 褋锌褉褟屑芯 薪械褟.
鈥炐捬佇秆囆盒� 褌械褔械鈥� 械 械写懈薪 芯褌 薪邪泄-写芯斜褉懈褌械 泻谢褞褔芯胁械 泻褗屑 褌芯胁邪, 泻芯械褌芯 褋械 褋谢褍褔胁邪 胁 袪褍褋懈褟 懈 写薪械褋, 谐芯谢褟屑邪褌邪 屑邪谢泻邪 泻薪懈谐邪, 褑褟谢邪褌邪 薪邪锌褉邪胁械薪邪 芯褌 斜芯谢泻邪 懈 懈褋褌懈薪邪.
January 14, 2018
A man returns home after thirty years in the gulag. He is prematurely aged and unfamiliar with the modern world. How will he fit in after such a long time away, time spent in a dehumanizing hell hole. He meets up with his cousin and bumps into an old friend in the street. Both have built succesful lives for themselves whilst Ivan has been in the camps, and they feel embarassed and guilty at their relative good fortune, the "friend" doubly so as, unbeknownst to Ivan, it was he who had denounced him.
Ivan looks for his sweetheart from the time before his arrest but finds out that she had married and moved away.
Ivan finds a job which gives his life some focus and purpose, and he finds love with his landlady. Even that is snafches away from him.
Grossman uses the book to show us other lives affected by Stalin's repression, the callous arbitrary nature of the clampdown and the layers of complicity and betrayal inherent in an often random quota system based on the whims of the dictator.
We also get forays into essays on the nature of the Soviet system. A bit strange to see in a novel but somehow it works.
In the end Ivan finds peace and acceptance.
An excellent portrayal of the human cost of the Georgian monstrr.
Ivan looks for his sweetheart from the time before his arrest but finds out that she had married and moved away.
Ivan finds a job which gives his life some focus and purpose, and he finds love with his landlady. Even that is snafches away from him.
Grossman uses the book to show us other lives affected by Stalin's repression, the callous arbitrary nature of the clampdown and the layers of complicity and betrayal inherent in an often random quota system based on the whims of the dictator.
We also get forays into essays on the nature of the Soviet system. A bit strange to see in a novel but somehow it works.
In the end Ivan finds peace and acceptance.
An excellent portrayal of the human cost of the Georgian monstrr.
January 5, 2016
Ideale prosecuzione di Vita e destino, questo romanzo ne 猫 anche la logica conseguenza. Se Vita e destino, infatti, era ambientato in pieno stalinismo, Tutto scorre... prende avvio dopo la morte di Stalin, e fa i conti con tutto quello che lo stalinismo 猫 stato, dai gulag alla collettivizzazione forzata, dal Terrore del '37 all'attacco postbellico contro il cosmopolitismo. Il ritorno dal gulag di Ivan Grigor'evi膷, infatti, costringe lui stesso e i personaggi che gli si muovono attorno a riflettere su quello che 猫 stato.
Grandioso Grossman, che fugge la tentazione di semplificare, mostrando invece quanto i fenomeni postrivoluzionari debbano essere guardati con gli occhiali della complessit脿: lo si vede soprattutto nella parte finale del romanzo, che tende a diventare quasi un trattato di storia sovietica in cui Grossman spiega con incredibile lucidit脿 (scrive tra il 1955 e il 1963!) le dinamiche del leninismo prima e dello stalinismo poi. 脠 una spiegazione che si trasforma in un inno alla libert脿, parola ripetuta innumerevoli volte nei capitoli finali:
芦La storia dell'umanit脿 猫 la storia della sua libert脿. La crescita della potenza dell'uomo si esprime innanzitutto nella crescita della libert脿. La libert脿 non 猫 la necessit脿 diventata coscienza, come pensava Engels. La libert脿 猫 diametralmente opposta alla necessit脿, la libert脿 猫 la necessit脿 superata. Il progresso 猫 essenzialmente progresso della libert脿 umana. Giacch茅 la vita stessa 猫 libert脿, l'evoluzione della vita 猫 evoluzione della libert脿.禄 o ancora 芦La non-libert脿 trionfava incontrastata dall'Oceano Pacifico al Mar Nero. Essa era ovunque e in ogni cosa. E ovunque e in ogni cosa la libert脿 猫 stata uccisa. Fu un'offensiva vittoriosa che fu possibile attuare solo versando molto sangue: ch茅 la libert脿 猫 vita, e sconfiggendo la libert脿 Stalin uccideva la vita.禄, tanto per fare un paio di esempi.
Strazianti le pagine sulla collettivizzazione in Ucraina. L'ho gi脿 detto parlando di Vita e destino, ma mi ripeto: Grossman 猫 un uomo che non teme la verit脿, anche quando 猫 complessa o difficile da affrontare. Dopo anni di arresti arbitrari e timore di essere denunciati, in questo libro si considerano con grande cautela perfino le azioni dei delatori, dei 鈥渜uattro Giuda鈥� cos矛 facili da condannare. 脠 una lucidit脿, quella di , che non porta n茅 al cinismo n茅 all'esasperazione della razionalit脿. Porta, invece, a una certezza: 鈥渢utto ci貌 che 猫 disumano 猫 assurdo e inutile鈥�. E porta anche a una speranza, che va nutrita ancora oggi: un giorno 鈥渓a libert脿 sar脿 tutt'uno con la Russia鈥�.
Sono ancora una volta grata a Vasilij Grossman, uomo e scrittore di grande coraggio, che in tempi difficili ha predicato la libert脿, condizione essenziale perch茅 l'esistenza umana sia davvero vita.
Grandioso Grossman, che fugge la tentazione di semplificare, mostrando invece quanto i fenomeni postrivoluzionari debbano essere guardati con gli occhiali della complessit脿: lo si vede soprattutto nella parte finale del romanzo, che tende a diventare quasi un trattato di storia sovietica in cui Grossman spiega con incredibile lucidit脿 (scrive tra il 1955 e il 1963!) le dinamiche del leninismo prima e dello stalinismo poi. 脠 una spiegazione che si trasforma in un inno alla libert脿, parola ripetuta innumerevoli volte nei capitoli finali:
芦La storia dell'umanit脿 猫 la storia della sua libert脿. La crescita della potenza dell'uomo si esprime innanzitutto nella crescita della libert脿. La libert脿 non 猫 la necessit脿 diventata coscienza, come pensava Engels. La libert脿 猫 diametralmente opposta alla necessit脿, la libert脿 猫 la necessit脿 superata. Il progresso 猫 essenzialmente progresso della libert脿 umana. Giacch茅 la vita stessa 猫 libert脿, l'evoluzione della vita 猫 evoluzione della libert脿.禄 o ancora 芦La non-libert脿 trionfava incontrastata dall'Oceano Pacifico al Mar Nero. Essa era ovunque e in ogni cosa. E ovunque e in ogni cosa la libert脿 猫 stata uccisa. Fu un'offensiva vittoriosa che fu possibile attuare solo versando molto sangue: ch茅 la libert脿 猫 vita, e sconfiggendo la libert脿 Stalin uccideva la vita.禄, tanto per fare un paio di esempi.
Strazianti le pagine sulla collettivizzazione in Ucraina. L'ho gi脿 detto parlando di Vita e destino, ma mi ripeto: Grossman 猫 un uomo che non teme la verit脿, anche quando 猫 complessa o difficile da affrontare. Dopo anni di arresti arbitrari e timore di essere denunciati, in questo libro si considerano con grande cautela perfino le azioni dei delatori, dei 鈥渜uattro Giuda鈥� cos矛 facili da condannare. 脠 una lucidit脿, quella di , che non porta n茅 al cinismo n茅 all'esasperazione della razionalit脿. Porta, invece, a una certezza: 鈥渢utto ci貌 che 猫 disumano 猫 assurdo e inutile鈥�. E porta anche a una speranza, che va nutrita ancora oggi: un giorno 鈥渓a libert脿 sar脿 tutt'uno con la Russia鈥�.
Sono ancora una volta grata a Vasilij Grossman, uomo e scrittore di grande coraggio, che in tempi difficili ha predicato la libert脿, condizione essenziale perch茅 l'esistenza umana sia davvero vita.
May 15, 2020
Obra maestra. Imprescindible para entender desde dentro la URSS en la 茅poca estalinista.
December 4, 2009
"Not under foreign skies, Nor under foreign wings protected
I shared all this with my own people
There, where misfortune had abandoned us."
Anna Akhmatova's Requiem
If Life and Fate (New York Review Books Classics) may rightfully be seen as Vasily Grossman's masterpiece, his Everything Flows may rightfully be seen as his testament, a requiem if you will not only for his own life but for the lives of those who lived in his time and place.
"Everything Flows" tells a simple, yet emotionally deep and politically nuanced tale. The story begins with the 1957 return to Moscow of Ivan Grigoryevich after 30 years of forced labor in the Gulag. 1957 marked the year, following Khrushchev's denunciation of the excesses of Stalin, in which the tide of prisoners returning from the Gulag reached its peak. He arrives at the Moscow flat of his cousin Nikolay. Nikolay, a scientist with less than stellar skills, has reached some measure of success at the laboratory through dint of being a survivor. The meeting in the flat is entirely unsatisfactory for both parties. Grossman paints a vivid picture of Nikolay, more than a bit jealous that Ivan's light had always shone brighter than his own prior to Ivan's arrest. Nikolay suffers from the guilt of one who was not arrested and who is painfully aware of the choices he made to keep from being arrested. It seems clear that Ivan represents a mirror into which Nikolay can see only his own hollow reflection.
Ivan leaves Moscow for his old city of Leningrad, the place where he was first arrested in 1927. By chance, he runs into the person, Pinegin, whose denunciation placed him in jail in the first place. Once again, Ivan is a mirror and Pinegin is horrified at what he is faced with, what he has buried for thirty years. Ironically, and to great effect, we see Pinegin's horror recede once he settles down to a sumptuous lunch at a restaurant reserved for foreigners and party officials. Ivan does not know about the denunciation and Grossman here embarks on a discourse on the different types and forms of denunciation available to the Soviet citizen. It is a remarkable discourse that shows how many different ways there are to participate in a purge and how many ways there are to legitimize ones participation and/or acquiescence.
From Leningrad Ivan travels to a southern industrial city where he finds work and eventually finds a deep and satisfying love in the person of his landlady Anna. The centerpiece of that relationship is the brutal honesty involved; Anna spends a night detailing her role in the pointless, needless famine that swept the Ukraine in 1932-1933. It is an account made even more chilling by the straightforward, confessional nature of its telling. But it is also redemptive and shines a light on what might be called Grossman's vision that love and freedom are two goals, not mutually exclusive, that an honest accounting of our lives forms the essence of our shared humanity.
The above summary does not do justice to the power of Grossman's prose or to the literary and political importance of the work. Since the death of Stalin, the Soviet line had remained relatively firm - Stalin's excesses were the product of a disturbed mind that represented a horrible deviation from the theory and principles of Leninism. The USSR's best path was the one that returned it to the path created by Lenin. Khrushchev first enunciated this line. Even Gorbachev's perestroika was based on the theory that a return to first-principles, i.e. Leninism, would save the USSR from destruction.
Grossman, prophetically, did not buy into this line and Everything Flows'last chapters are notable for a remarkable attack not only on Stalin but on Lenin and Lenin's anti-democratic tendencies that had more in common with Ivan the Terrible than the principles of revolutionary democracy. "All the triumphs of Party and State were bound up with the name of Lenin. But all the cruelty inflicted on the nation also lay - tragically - on Lenin's shoulders." Grossman may have been the first to make this leap and he paid the price for making that leap. (This involves the suppression of his Life & Fate and Everything Flows.) Grossman's explicit claim that Stalin was not a deviationist from Leninism but its natural-born progeny was profoundly subversive and there is no doubt in my mind that it was this difference that explains why, under Khruschev's 'thaw', that One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich was publishe while Life and Fate and Everything Flows was banned.
Despite the horrors set out, quietly and without excess rhetoric, Grossman returns to a somewhat optimistic vision of mans search for freedom: "No matter how mighty the empire, all this is only mist and fog and, as such, will be blown away. Only one true force remains; only one true force continues to evolve and live; and this force is liberty. To a man, to live means to be free."
Robert Chandler's translation of Everything Flows is exquisite. He brings the same clarity and emotional investment in Grossman's work that he brought to his prize-winning translations of Platonov and Hamid Ismailov's The Railway. In short, Everything Flows is a treasure and I cannot recommend this book highly enough.
I shared all this with my own people
There, where misfortune had abandoned us."
Anna Akhmatova's Requiem
If Life and Fate (New York Review Books Classics) may rightfully be seen as Vasily Grossman's masterpiece, his Everything Flows may rightfully be seen as his testament, a requiem if you will not only for his own life but for the lives of those who lived in his time and place.
"Everything Flows" tells a simple, yet emotionally deep and politically nuanced tale. The story begins with the 1957 return to Moscow of Ivan Grigoryevich after 30 years of forced labor in the Gulag. 1957 marked the year, following Khrushchev's denunciation of the excesses of Stalin, in which the tide of prisoners returning from the Gulag reached its peak. He arrives at the Moscow flat of his cousin Nikolay. Nikolay, a scientist with less than stellar skills, has reached some measure of success at the laboratory through dint of being a survivor. The meeting in the flat is entirely unsatisfactory for both parties. Grossman paints a vivid picture of Nikolay, more than a bit jealous that Ivan's light had always shone brighter than his own prior to Ivan's arrest. Nikolay suffers from the guilt of one who was not arrested and who is painfully aware of the choices he made to keep from being arrested. It seems clear that Ivan represents a mirror into which Nikolay can see only his own hollow reflection.
Ivan leaves Moscow for his old city of Leningrad, the place where he was first arrested in 1927. By chance, he runs into the person, Pinegin, whose denunciation placed him in jail in the first place. Once again, Ivan is a mirror and Pinegin is horrified at what he is faced with, what he has buried for thirty years. Ironically, and to great effect, we see Pinegin's horror recede once he settles down to a sumptuous lunch at a restaurant reserved for foreigners and party officials. Ivan does not know about the denunciation and Grossman here embarks on a discourse on the different types and forms of denunciation available to the Soviet citizen. It is a remarkable discourse that shows how many different ways there are to participate in a purge and how many ways there are to legitimize ones participation and/or acquiescence.
From Leningrad Ivan travels to a southern industrial city where he finds work and eventually finds a deep and satisfying love in the person of his landlady Anna. The centerpiece of that relationship is the brutal honesty involved; Anna spends a night detailing her role in the pointless, needless famine that swept the Ukraine in 1932-1933. It is an account made even more chilling by the straightforward, confessional nature of its telling. But it is also redemptive and shines a light on what might be called Grossman's vision that love and freedom are two goals, not mutually exclusive, that an honest accounting of our lives forms the essence of our shared humanity.
The above summary does not do justice to the power of Grossman's prose or to the literary and political importance of the work. Since the death of Stalin, the Soviet line had remained relatively firm - Stalin's excesses were the product of a disturbed mind that represented a horrible deviation from the theory and principles of Leninism. The USSR's best path was the one that returned it to the path created by Lenin. Khrushchev first enunciated this line. Even Gorbachev's perestroika was based on the theory that a return to first-principles, i.e. Leninism, would save the USSR from destruction.
Grossman, prophetically, did not buy into this line and Everything Flows'last chapters are notable for a remarkable attack not only on Stalin but on Lenin and Lenin's anti-democratic tendencies that had more in common with Ivan the Terrible than the principles of revolutionary democracy. "All the triumphs of Party and State were bound up with the name of Lenin. But all the cruelty inflicted on the nation also lay - tragically - on Lenin's shoulders." Grossman may have been the first to make this leap and he paid the price for making that leap. (This involves the suppression of his Life & Fate and Everything Flows.) Grossman's explicit claim that Stalin was not a deviationist from Leninism but its natural-born progeny was profoundly subversive and there is no doubt in my mind that it was this difference that explains why, under Khruschev's 'thaw', that One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich was publishe while Life and Fate and Everything Flows was banned.
Despite the horrors set out, quietly and without excess rhetoric, Grossman returns to a somewhat optimistic vision of mans search for freedom: "No matter how mighty the empire, all this is only mist and fog and, as such, will be blown away. Only one true force remains; only one true force continues to evolve and live; and this force is liberty. To a man, to live means to be free."
Robert Chandler's translation of Everything Flows is exquisite. He brings the same clarity and emotional investment in Grossman's work that he brought to his prize-winning translations of Platonov and Hamid Ismailov's The Railway. In short, Everything Flows is a treasure and I cannot recommend this book highly enough.
October 20, 2017
La libert脿... questa sconosciuta!
La libert脿 e la repressione sono i due argomenti principali di questo libro, che si 猫 rivelato di una intensit脿, di una passione, di una emozionalit脿 tale da commuovermi, da rendermi fiducioso nel futuro, ma anche di avermi disgustato in modo indescrivibile.
Libert脿 e repressione: due parole che pi霉 distanti non possono essere, eppure la storia dell'umanit脿 ci ha raccontato che reprimendo si dava libert脿 (vedi qui la repressione dei kulaki o dei dissidenti del partito, per fini di "libert脿", spacciata per vera libert脿), assurdo!! Un po' come dire che l'acqua non sia fonte di vita...
Il protagonista (una sorta di alter-ego dello scrittore) reduce dei lager sovietici, da sempre sostenitore della libert脿, vera e pura (senza se e senza ma), dopo decine di anni passate in prigionia, torna nella sua citt脿 natale e tra flashback, sogni e storie di vita vissuta, ci racconta cos'猫 stato e cosa ancora 猫 il "sogno" rivoluzionario socialista sovietico, iniziato con Lenin, proseguito con Stalin, con ampi spunti di riflessione sociale-politica-filosofica.
Un capolavoro!
"Allora Ivan prese la parola nell'auditorio contro la dittatura: dichiar貌 che la libert脿 猫 un bene equivalente alla vita, che una sua limitazione mutila l'uomo come un colpo d'ascia che faccia saltar via dita e orecchie; abolire poi la libert脿, equivaleva a un assassinio."
"Ivan Grigor'evic immagin貌 se stesso seduto in una poltrona della dacia mentre, sorseggiando del buon vinello, avrebbe cominciato a raccontare della gente scomparsa nel buio eterno. La sorte di alcuni di loro era d'una tristezza cos矛 lancinante che persino la pi霉 tenera, la pi霉 leggera ed affettuosa parola su di loro sarebbe stata come il ruvido contatto di rozze mani su un lacero cuore messo a nudo."
"Stupidello mio, che vita difficile avrai, con un cuore cos矛 sensibile, cos矛 vulnerabile."
"Quante cose aveva visto la Russia nei mille anni della sua storia. Negli anni sovietici poi, aveva veduto formidabili vittorie militari, grandiosi cantieri, nuove citt脿, dighe che sbarravano il corso del Dnepr e della Volga, un canale che univa i mari, e possenti trattori, e grattacieli... Una cosa sola la Russia non aveva visto in mille anni: la libert脿."
La libert脿 e la repressione sono i due argomenti principali di questo libro, che si 猫 rivelato di una intensit脿, di una passione, di una emozionalit脿 tale da commuovermi, da rendermi fiducioso nel futuro, ma anche di avermi disgustato in modo indescrivibile.
Libert脿 e repressione: due parole che pi霉 distanti non possono essere, eppure la storia dell'umanit脿 ci ha raccontato che reprimendo si dava libert脿 (vedi qui la repressione dei kulaki o dei dissidenti del partito, per fini di "libert脿", spacciata per vera libert脿), assurdo!! Un po' come dire che l'acqua non sia fonte di vita...
Il protagonista (una sorta di alter-ego dello scrittore) reduce dei lager sovietici, da sempre sostenitore della libert脿, vera e pura (senza se e senza ma), dopo decine di anni passate in prigionia, torna nella sua citt脿 natale e tra flashback, sogni e storie di vita vissuta, ci racconta cos'猫 stato e cosa ancora 猫 il "sogno" rivoluzionario socialista sovietico, iniziato con Lenin, proseguito con Stalin, con ampi spunti di riflessione sociale-politica-filosofica.
Un capolavoro!
"Allora Ivan prese la parola nell'auditorio contro la dittatura: dichiar貌 che la libert脿 猫 un bene equivalente alla vita, che una sua limitazione mutila l'uomo come un colpo d'ascia che faccia saltar via dita e orecchie; abolire poi la libert脿, equivaleva a un assassinio."
"Ivan Grigor'evic immagin貌 se stesso seduto in una poltrona della dacia mentre, sorseggiando del buon vinello, avrebbe cominciato a raccontare della gente scomparsa nel buio eterno. La sorte di alcuni di loro era d'una tristezza cos矛 lancinante che persino la pi霉 tenera, la pi霉 leggera ed affettuosa parola su di loro sarebbe stata come il ruvido contatto di rozze mani su un lacero cuore messo a nudo."
"Stupidello mio, che vita difficile avrai, con un cuore cos矛 sensibile, cos矛 vulnerabile."
"Quante cose aveva visto la Russia nei mille anni della sua storia. Negli anni sovietici poi, aveva veduto formidabili vittorie militari, grandiosi cantieri, nuove citt脿, dighe che sbarravano il corso del Dnepr e della Volga, un canale che univa i mari, e possenti trattori, e grattacieli... Una cosa sola la Russia non aveva visto in mille anni: la libert脿."
June 11, 2023
Grossman scrisse questo libro fra il 1955 e il 1963. Come nella grandiosa dilogia composta da 鈥淪talingrado鈥� e "Vita e destino", non cambi貌 molto dello stile scabro e aspro che lo aveva reso celebre fra gli scrittori del realismo socialista, ma vi infuse l'inconfondibile tono della verit脿. Con lucidit脿 e fermezza, prima di ogni altro parl貌 qui di argomenti intoccabili: la perenne tortura della vita nei campi di lavoro sotto Stalin, ma anche l'altra tortura, pi霉 sottile, di chi ne ritorna e riconosce la bassezza e il terrore negli occhi imbarazzati di parenti e conoscenti; lo sterminio sistematico dei kulaki; la delazione come fondamento della societ脿; il vero ruolo di Lenin e Stalin con il loro "spregio della libert脿" nella costruzione del mondo sovietico. Esattamente come le sue altre opere, anche 鈥淭utto scorre鈥︹€� fu proibito e requisito dalla polizia politica sovietica.
Un鈥檃ltra straordinaria opera. Pi霉 leggo Grossman, pi霉 mi rendo conto di quanto egli sia, senza alcun dubbio, uno tra i pi霉 grandi scrittori della storia.
Vasilij Grossman nacque nel 1905 a Berdicev, una cittadina ucraina a maggioranza ebrea. Allineato al regime, durante la seconda guerra mondiale divenne corrispondente sul campo di guerra per il giornale dell'Armata rossa, 鈥淪tella Rossa鈥�. In un lungo viaggio durato 3 anni, Grossman fu testimone dell鈥檃ssedio di Mosca, di Staligrado e di Berlino, e al seguito dell'esercito sovietico scopr矛 gli orrori perpetrati dai nazisti a danni degli ebrei, vedendo in prima persona il campo di Treblinka al momento della sua liberazione (di cui racconta nel libro 鈥淟鈥檌nferno di Treblinka鈥�).
La durissima repressione che Stalin perpetr貌 per brama di potere ai danni di ebrei e di tantissimi cittadini che avevano fedelmente servito l鈥橴nione Sovietica, fu una svolta profonda nella vita di Grossman. Da fedele servitore del regime, ideologicamente allineato, Vasilij Grossman divenne un profondo critico del sistema sovietico e delle purghe staliniane. Gli anni che vennero furono cupi per gli ebrei sovietici, ma come un fulmine a ciel sereno, nel 1953 Stalin mor矛, e con lui i suoi piani per un'ennesima grande purga della societ脿 sovietica.Per gli intellettuali si apriva ora un periodo nuovo, quello che Erenburg defin矛 come Disgelo. E fu proprio in questo contesto che venne scritto 鈥淭utto scorre...鈥�, un capolavoro letterario, storico e sociologico.
Si tratta di un libro crudo, che lascia pochi spazi a descrizioni leggere, romantiche. Cos矛 come 猫 la realt脿 viene riscritta nel libro. Grossman analizza col suo modo, frutto di anni di giornalismo, la storia russa degli anni 鈥�30 e 鈥�40, dalla collettivizzazione fino alla morte di Stalin. I commenti sono caustici, non lascia speranze al regime: "Lo Stato si fece padrone" scrive.
Si inizia col la liberazione di molti prigionieri dei lager voluta nel 1953. Ecco quindi che il nostro protagonista, Ivan Grigor'evi膷, incarcerato per aver chiesto la libert脿, ritorna dai lager alla vita di tutti i giorni. Ma son passati ben tre decenni e tutto 猫 cambiato. Ci son state le purghe del '36-'38, c'猫 stata la seconda guerra mondiale. Le persone, le strade, le case che conosceva un tempo non ci sono pi霉. E anche quelle che son rimaste, fanno ormai finta di nulla: lo scopo del lager 猫 far dimenticare il condannato, e il suo scopo lo ottiene sempre. E qui vien fuori l'angosciante realt脿: chi si 猫 salvato non vuole affrontare chi invece 猫 stato condannato. Due Russie si incontrano, quella condannata e quella che ha continuato a vivere "libera". La societ脿 猫 definitivamente fratturata, e la frattura non si pu貌 pi霉 ricomporre. "Non resta che parlare a frasi fatte" commenta Grossman, un commento che dice pi霉 di interi libri.
Ma l'autore affronta anche un altro tema. Quello della collettivizzazione e della grande carestia in Ucraina, l'Holodomor. Una questione che aiuta noi contemporanei a comprendere le profonde origini storiche del conflitto attualmente in corso tra la Russia di Putin e l鈥橴craina. Anche in questi capitoli lo stile di Grossman colpisce nel profondo. Sono forse le pagine pi霉 toccanti della sua opera, quelle che fai davvero tanta fatica a leggere, e che descrivono in maniera atroce quella terribile catastrofe:
"Le donne si dimostravano pi霉 forti degli uomini, si attaccavano alla vita con pi霉 rabbia. Eppure toccava loro il peggio: 猫 alle madri che i bambini domandano da mangiare."
"Hai mai visto sui giornali i bambini nei lager tedeschi? Identici: teste pesanti come palle di cannone, colli sottili come quelli delle cicogne, nelle mani e nei piedi potevi vedere il movimento di ogni ossicino, sotto la pelle, come son congiunti quelli doppi; lo scheletro era tutto fasciato dalla palle, tesa come una garza gialla. [...] Non erano pi霉 visi umani."
Infine, l'ultimo argomento toccato da Grossman 猫 il tentativo di capire perch茅 in Russia ebbe modo di svilupparsi una simile dittatura, e anche qui, come nel resto del libro, non c'猫 speranza; anche qui il suo commento 猫 disarmante: "lo sviluppo russo ha mostrato una sua strana essenza: si trasforma in sviluppo della non-libert脿".
Un鈥檃ltra straordinaria opera. Pi霉 leggo Grossman, pi霉 mi rendo conto di quanto egli sia, senza alcun dubbio, uno tra i pi霉 grandi scrittori della storia.
Vasilij Grossman nacque nel 1905 a Berdicev, una cittadina ucraina a maggioranza ebrea. Allineato al regime, durante la seconda guerra mondiale divenne corrispondente sul campo di guerra per il giornale dell'Armata rossa, 鈥淪tella Rossa鈥�. In un lungo viaggio durato 3 anni, Grossman fu testimone dell鈥檃ssedio di Mosca, di Staligrado e di Berlino, e al seguito dell'esercito sovietico scopr矛 gli orrori perpetrati dai nazisti a danni degli ebrei, vedendo in prima persona il campo di Treblinka al momento della sua liberazione (di cui racconta nel libro 鈥淟鈥檌nferno di Treblinka鈥�).
La durissima repressione che Stalin perpetr貌 per brama di potere ai danni di ebrei e di tantissimi cittadini che avevano fedelmente servito l鈥橴nione Sovietica, fu una svolta profonda nella vita di Grossman. Da fedele servitore del regime, ideologicamente allineato, Vasilij Grossman divenne un profondo critico del sistema sovietico e delle purghe staliniane. Gli anni che vennero furono cupi per gli ebrei sovietici, ma come un fulmine a ciel sereno, nel 1953 Stalin mor矛, e con lui i suoi piani per un'ennesima grande purga della societ脿 sovietica.Per gli intellettuali si apriva ora un periodo nuovo, quello che Erenburg defin矛 come Disgelo. E fu proprio in questo contesto che venne scritto 鈥淭utto scorre...鈥�, un capolavoro letterario, storico e sociologico.
Si tratta di un libro crudo, che lascia pochi spazi a descrizioni leggere, romantiche. Cos矛 come 猫 la realt脿 viene riscritta nel libro. Grossman analizza col suo modo, frutto di anni di giornalismo, la storia russa degli anni 鈥�30 e 鈥�40, dalla collettivizzazione fino alla morte di Stalin. I commenti sono caustici, non lascia speranze al regime: "Lo Stato si fece padrone" scrive.
Si inizia col la liberazione di molti prigionieri dei lager voluta nel 1953. Ecco quindi che il nostro protagonista, Ivan Grigor'evi膷, incarcerato per aver chiesto la libert脿, ritorna dai lager alla vita di tutti i giorni. Ma son passati ben tre decenni e tutto 猫 cambiato. Ci son state le purghe del '36-'38, c'猫 stata la seconda guerra mondiale. Le persone, le strade, le case che conosceva un tempo non ci sono pi霉. E anche quelle che son rimaste, fanno ormai finta di nulla: lo scopo del lager 猫 far dimenticare il condannato, e il suo scopo lo ottiene sempre. E qui vien fuori l'angosciante realt脿: chi si 猫 salvato non vuole affrontare chi invece 猫 stato condannato. Due Russie si incontrano, quella condannata e quella che ha continuato a vivere "libera". La societ脿 猫 definitivamente fratturata, e la frattura non si pu貌 pi霉 ricomporre. "Non resta che parlare a frasi fatte" commenta Grossman, un commento che dice pi霉 di interi libri.
Ma l'autore affronta anche un altro tema. Quello della collettivizzazione e della grande carestia in Ucraina, l'Holodomor. Una questione che aiuta noi contemporanei a comprendere le profonde origini storiche del conflitto attualmente in corso tra la Russia di Putin e l鈥橴craina. Anche in questi capitoli lo stile di Grossman colpisce nel profondo. Sono forse le pagine pi霉 toccanti della sua opera, quelle che fai davvero tanta fatica a leggere, e che descrivono in maniera atroce quella terribile catastrofe:
"Le donne si dimostravano pi霉 forti degli uomini, si attaccavano alla vita con pi霉 rabbia. Eppure toccava loro il peggio: 猫 alle madri che i bambini domandano da mangiare."
"Hai mai visto sui giornali i bambini nei lager tedeschi? Identici: teste pesanti come palle di cannone, colli sottili come quelli delle cicogne, nelle mani e nei piedi potevi vedere il movimento di ogni ossicino, sotto la pelle, come son congiunti quelli doppi; lo scheletro era tutto fasciato dalla palle, tesa come una garza gialla. [...] Non erano pi霉 visi umani."
Infine, l'ultimo argomento toccato da Grossman 猫 il tentativo di capire perch茅 in Russia ebbe modo di svilupparsi una simile dittatura, e anche qui, come nel resto del libro, non c'猫 speranza; anche qui il suo commento 猫 disarmante: "lo sviluppo russo ha mostrato una sua strana essenza: si trasforma in sviluppo della non-libert脿".
October 7, 2015
Gulag
A minha estreia liter谩ria com o escritor Vassili Grossman, nascido em 1905 na Ucr芒nia, foi precisamente com o seu 煤ltimo livro 鈥淭udo Passa鈥�, romance iniciado em 1955 e no qual ainda trabalhava durante os seus 煤ltimos dias de vida, acabando por falecer num hospital de Moscovo em 1964.
Ivan Grig贸rievitch regressa 脿 鈥渧ida鈥� depois de ter passado trinta anos num gulag/campo de concentra莽茫o na Sib茅ria. V铆tima, tal como milh玫es de russos, da arbitrariedade, das falsas den煤ncias, das fraquezas humanas, assentes na inveja social e pol铆tica, na persegui莽茫o desenfreada efectuada por delatores e 鈥渂ufos鈥�, por informadores subjugados ao terror estadal e 脿s indica莽玫es pol铆ticas de uma c煤pula de governantes, que prejudicavam homens e mulheres, os seus familiares directos e indirectos, num dos per铆odos mais negros da hist贸ria da Uni茫o Sovi茅tica.
Essas den煤ncias 鈥渁n贸nimas鈥� precediam as ordens de deten莽茫o e eram utilizadas conforme a conveni锚ncia na instru莽茫o do processo pol铆tico e, consequentemente, na senten莽a, quase sempre implac谩vel e sem recurso.
Neste regresso Ivan sente-se perdido e incapaz, 鈥渙s meus conhecimentos s茫o livros com p谩ginas arrancadas, sem princ铆pio e sem fim.鈥� E mesmo em liberdade, Ivan e todos os outros 鈥渆x-presos鈥�, est茫o amarrados e submissos a um medo e um terror que os continua a perseguir, n茫o pelas grades e pelo arame farpado do gulag, mas pelas liga莽玫es sociais e emocionais que foram quebradas, de uma forma violenta e atroz, e que n茫o se conseguem reestabelecer no imediato.
Depois dos anos de n茅voa e poeira, do caos e da loucura, individual e colectiva, da autoextermina莽茫o, a vida de Ivan come莽a pouco a pouco a regressar 脿 normalidade, mesmo apesar das perdas 鈥� da namorada, da fam铆lia, dos amigos 鈥� a sua bondade e o seu desejo da liberdade genu铆na permanecem inalteradas.
Um excelente romance que conjuga a verdadeira hist贸ria pol铆tica e social da Uni茫o Sovi茅tica, no final do per铆odo estalinista e p贸s-estalinista, com relacionamentos humanos e sociais, de homens e mulheres, em busca da dignidade e da liberdade.
A tradu莽茫o e as notas de rodap茅 de Nina Guerra e Filipe Guerra s茫o excelentes e representam um precioso auxiliar na compreens茫o da hist贸ria e das figuras e dos factos pol铆ticos a ela associados.
Comecei pelo 煤ltimo livro de Vassili Grossman, as 855 p谩ginas de 鈥淰ida e Destino鈥� s茫o um dos pr贸ximos desafios liter谩rios.
Vassili Grossman (1905 - 1964)
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