The Daily Worker Newspaper, March 21, 1925, Page 9

SS . to this desire, Proletarian Literature’ in Soviet Russia By G. LELEVITCH. ‘HE First All-Russian Conference of Proletarian Writers was held in Moscow, January 6-12. This confer- ence which was attended by over 250 delegates from all parts of the U. S. 8S. R. was a highly interesting literary and social event. ; Only after the seizure of state pow- er is it possible for the proletariat to turn its attention to cultural construc- tion in the true sense of these words and to create its own well-developed belles lettres. However, some ele- ments of its classical culture the pro- letariat creates a long time before it has become the ruling class. “The world labor niovement,” wrote Lenin as far back as 1913, “creates and con- tinually develops the international culture of the proletariat.” HE proletariat of the Soviet Re- publics is confronted with the gigantic problem of “cultural revotu- tion,” which was so vividly outlined by Lenin. The liquidation of illiter- acy, the enormous development of the social-political and general-culture consciousness of very large sections of the population, the radical revolu- tion in the technique of production, the introduction of the co-operative system among small producers. The re-organization of social conditions and the emancipation of women, the ceaseless struggle with bourgeois and petty-bourgeois ideology, partly reviv- ed by the introduction of the N. E. P., the complete re-education not only of the consciousness but of the senti- ments of the working classes—such are the monstrously difficult tasks which must be solved if the U.S.S.R. is to become a Communist country. The role of belles lettres, which ex- ercises an enormous influence on the subconscious life of people, has gain- ed in importance under these condi- tions. ‘ A® Fea Aap areieny 3 literature made . : more ‘atid more felt, the literary -creativeness of the working class received an impetus. Old pro- letarian writers made new and very valuable contributions, for instance, the novel of Seragomvitch, “The Iron Hood.” New talent made its appear- ance: the poet Bozymensky, who from ‘being the best poet of the Young Com. munist League, rapidly developed into a true poet of Bolshevism; the young proletarian songster of the country- side, Ivan Doronin, the talented pro- letarian belles lettres writes: Fedor Glatkov, Yuri Libidensky and many others became justly prominent in modern literature. A considerable number of new proletarian literary groups came into being: “The Young Guard,” “The Spring of Labor,” “Con- struction,” and last but not least the leading group, “October.” MASS literary movement of un- heard of dimensions came into being at the same time. The workers correspondents’ movement became not only a powerful source of jour- nalistic proletarian forces, but also a powerful reservoir from which pro- letarian belles lettres derives its forces. The masses have a great desire for artistic creativeness, and the district factory and workshop club, Red army young Communist worker correspondents’ literary-artis- tic circles have given shape and form The astoundingly rap- id development of these proletarian literary and artistic elements must be credited. It is not unusual for a workers’ correspondent, whose only achievements hitherto were a few sec- ond-rate poems, contributed to the factory newspaper, to become in a very short space of time a contribut- or to a big gubernia newspaper, and soon after a contributor to the weekly Periodical, progressing graduaily un- til we meet his name in about six months’ time in the columns of “fat” journals, and in twelve months time we see him already established as a well-known poet occupying a promin- ent place in literature. T is not only in Great Russia that this mass literary movement ts taking place; all the nationalities of the U. S. S. R. have produced their proletarian writers, and this does not only apply to such republics as the Ukraine, White Russia or Georgia, which had long ago a culture of their own, but even to such countries and nationalities as Yukutia, Kirghisia, and the Chuvash region which are only beginning to develop a culture of their own, The All-Russian Conference which has just taken place has brought to a conclusion a period of stormy creat- ive searching and of rallying all the proletarian literary forces, and it has inaugurated a new and glortous peri- od of creative development and of harmonious construction. ‘HE conference has pointed the way to creative literary work in the near future. While during the period of civil war, proletarian liter- ature wag justified in dealing with reality in an abstract and symbolic manner and even to indulge in trite hymns of praise, a more artistic man- ner of dealing with concrete revolu- tionary reality is meeded now. The proletarian Tyrtaeus must give way to the proletarian Homer. This change in the subject of literary productions must naturally bring with it a change in their outward form—pathetic lyric poetry is supplanted by epic and drama, artistic prose pushes poetry into the background. N this new proletarian literary movement emphasis is laid on the subject matter for which a suitable artistic form must be found. But this form cannot simply originate in the fertile brain of some theorists. It will make its appearance only when proletarian writers will have mastered all the old forms and will have transformed these forms by the new subject matter pro- vided by them. Such is the view- point of the proletarian literature of the Soviet Union in its creative work. This does not of course mean that hymns.of praise and pathetic lyrical poetry are to be done away with al- together. Nothing of the kind. It only means that the main creat- ive efforts of the proletarian writers tend the other way. ‘All these ideas are formulated in the ideological and artistic program adopted unanimously at the conference. UT the conference has also done splendid work with respect to the co-ordination of proletarian liter- ature. Until recently proletarian lit- erature was divided into a large num- ber of small groups and circles which all worked independently and without the least connection with each other. Some of these circles got so accus- tomed to their exclustveness that they declared this an ideal state of things and advocated its perpetuation and development. A feature of this ten- dency was the notion held by some people that a proletarian writer can only be someone “who has shown himself to be a master of the written word,” and that working class poets who are only beginners and -workers’ correspondents cannot be considered full-fledged members of proletarian literary organizations. ‘HE majority of the groups and circles of proletarian writers fought against this unhealthy separat- ist tendency and propagated the prin- ciple of an all-embracing and strongly welded together proletarian literary, organization, admitting Into its ranks not only writers who have already made a name for themselves, but also working class poets who have ag yet to make a name for themselves. There were violent disputes on this question which even led to a split in the proletarian literary movement. —_— conference put and end to this split and to «these dis- putes. The conference was attended by all the amalgamations and groups of the proletarian writers of the So- viet Union, .and proletartan literature was given a definite form at thts con- ference as the All-Russian Associa- tion of Proletarian Writers (V. A. P. P.), a strongly welded together mass organization. The various groups and circles affiliated to this association form its component parts. : The most difficult and complicated task before the conference was the solution of the organizational question with respect to the national republics of the Soviet Union. But this question ly solved at the conference. too was satisfactorily and unanimous- Repub- lican associations of proletarian writ- ers are to be formed in all tne nation- al republics. In these associations native proletarian writers are of course to play the most tmportant role. These republican associations form part of the All-Russian Associa- tion, | PART from the questions of creat- ive Work and organization the conference gave very serious consid- eration to the question of the liter- ary policy of the Russian Communist Party. During the last two years, proletarian literature had a hard fight in connection with this question with the section of the party headed by L. D. Trotsky, This peculiar “literary Trotskyism,” declared that the tunda- mental literary force in the Soviet Union are not by any means prole- tarian writers, but so-called “fellow travelers,” that is to say, hazy, petty- bourgeois writers more or less in sym- pathy with the Soviet power. | et semnined to Trotsky there is not and cannot be any proletarian literature, as the proletariat has now something else to do besides thinking about literature. And by the time the proletariat is set free for such actiy- ity it will have merged into a Com- munist society which xnows no class. es. The supporters of proletarian liter- ature told the Trotskyites that the non-existence of proletarian literature is impossible, as the working class stands in need now of this pow- erful weapon for the purpose of re- acting on the psychology of the masses. They also pointed out that proletarian literature must not only be, but is already in existence and that Trotsky and his followers must be deliberately blind not to see it. HIS does not on any account mean that the supporters of proletarian literature are against any contact with the “fellow - travelers,” and against making use of them generally. On the contrary, they asserted that there must be collaboration petween proletarian writers and truly revolu- tionary representatives of these “fel- low travelers,” that the latter must be approached ahd educated in order to make them graduasry adopt the viewpoint of the working class. But to accomplish this task one must have the support of proletarian liter- ature. HE conference listened attentively to the representatives of both these viewpoints. The literary Trot- skyites did not secure a single vote, The fact must not be overlooked that one of the most gifted of the “fellow travelers,” Vladimir Mayakoysky, fully endorsed the viewpoint of the proletarian literature and expressed himself emphatically against literary Trotskyism. If already in May the 13th Congress of the Russian Communist Party fav- ored the proletarian literature orien- tation, there is no doubt whatever that the conference which has shown the strength and unity of proletarian literature will contribute considerably to the realization of this decision of the party congress. T the conference proletarian lit- erature was reviewed. It showed that this literature is already past the stage of infancy, it is past the period when the voice breaks, it has left be- hind it the period of vacillation, un- steadiness and disunity. In serried ranks it enters the next stage of in- creased creative production. The tasks are difficult, but our strength is unlimited. ., SUB CAMPAIGN GATHERING SPEED Bundles of Sample Copies Going Out and very likely shoot past it. Our offer of free copies of the DAILY WORKER for one week to locals is eagerly being taken up and one branch even wired in so they could begin a real membership drive in this manner. If your branch has not adopted this plan, be sure to bPing it up at your next meeting. From Detroit, Milwaukee and other cities we are receiving the as surance of-local comrades that they are making the drive and that we will soon hear from them “with a bang,” as one comrade puts it. From New Orleans where a lone Communist and real BUILDER— J. ©. Das—is doing his share, we receive two subs to begin with. This loyal builder assures is it is only a beginning for him and that he will “stick until June 15.” Others are doing the same. Ep’ day there is more evidence that the Second Annual Sub Cam- paign for 15,000 new subscribers by June 15 is going to hit its mark Our list of sub-getters will soon be reaching army size and here are a few whose NEW subs we listed today: CHICAGO, ILL.—D. E. Earley, Thurber Lewis (3), John Heinrichson, KANSAS CITY, KAN.—M. 0. Sullivan. BUFFALO, N. Y.—Chas, Dirba. REVERE, MASS.—Chas. Schwartz. PITTSBURGH, KAN.—J. E. Snyder, BRROKLYN, N Y.—Paul Scherer. W. CONCORD, N. H.—Jennie Helin. NEW ORLEANS, LA.—J. C. Das (2 subs). Where is your name and where is your local? Get into this cam= paign at once with a NEW SUB that you another worker or that you got out binder which get. got out of your own pocket for of another worker for the pocket t Is being given away for every $6.00 worth of subs that you Plague Threatens Famine. MEXICO CITY, March 20,—The grasshopper plague is alarming, whole districts are being devastated and in both Guatemala and San Salvador there is danger of famine. The grass- hopper wave is sweeping northward toward the United States border. Dr. A. Moskalik DENTIST S. W. Corner 7th and Mifflin Sts. PHILADELPHIA, PA, =