The Daily Worker Newspaper, November 28, 1925, Page 12

——_” , The Spirit of the New Literature in Soviet Russia OVIET Russia has developed a new spirit in literature. The old writ- ers like Tolstoy, Dostoyevsky, and Chekov -are considered out of date. The types and ideals embodied in the literature of the former writers with the exception possibly of Maxim Gorky, are disappearing day by day. The revolution created a new people, brought out a new spirit and embodies new ideals and ideas and longings. Tho mode of life that created an “Anna Karenina,” a “Katusha Moslo- va,” a “Nachludov,” and “Levine,” is a thing of the past. The personalities and types of Dostoyevsky that were portrayed in “The Possessed” and “Brothers Karomosov” are not ex- pressing the reality and life of the new order of Soviet Russia, there is no room for a ‘Stovrogen” an “Alosha” or “Ivan” or even a “Dimitri Karo- mosoy.” The conditions of reality and life are so cifferent that a reader of present day literature in Soviet Rus- sia shakes his shoulders and pities the people of the past who had to lead a double life—a life torn to pieces with inner struggles, with inner conscious- ness, with inner depths that crushed both spirit and body. The result of their life was suicide or the insane asyleum. Dostoyevsky, Tolstoy, and Chekov were truly very sincere and very deep artists, but they lived and labored and worked in a period of transition— when the air and breath of Russia was changing. There was an inner struggle of the personality that was torn to pieces, and the artist por- trayed to us this struggle and this suffering and this agony of human life. HE revolution of October compel- T led the population of Russia to undergo a terrific struggle, to under- take a test which concentrated the energy of the people and hammered out types that unite their inner con- sciousness with their outside activity and gave unity to the life of the Rus- jan le. . The bard and cold and real facts of life developed an ideal of comrade- ship among the new population of Soviet Russia. Sacrificing their lives and freedom for the posaomenesy Popa out against the enemies a po Bon for years, learning the truth of unity and of fighting brought an ideal that gives value and meaning to the lives of the Russian inhabitants. They cannot any longer understand the sentimental inner struggle that was going on in the personalities and types portrayed in the old Russian literature. The Soviet Russia inhabi- tant is now a unified personality. He is seeking his ideal in the collective ideal of the workers and peasants of the country and has an aim that is confronting the peoples all over the world. His problems are known to him, He learned how to face them with cold reason and seek a solution of the problems, not in his own inner seeking but the struggle of his class, of his country, and of the people all over the world. He has a reason why to live; even when the present is bitter and cold and hard, The workers and peasants of Soviet Russia with their new problems and ideas and ideals, brought out a new element of writers and poets and artists, the spirit prevailing in the new literature and poetry and art is entirely of a different type than the former. The personalities and ideals breathe with health, with a future, with a name. It is true that Tolstoy or a Dostoyevsky or a Chekoyv is not yet to be found in the new literature because the writers and poets and arists may yet be too young to grasp the new situation in its manifold aspect, On the other hand the character of prose is such that the material and the personalities must rest to be portrayed in literature. HE peasants of Russia who are more static, till the soil in sum- mer and warm months and lie on the ovens most of the time in winter, and speak out wonderful words of wisdom are mostly portrayed in the present day Soviet Russian literature. The landscape of the peasant is the field, and the forest and the lake. And his life streams with color and tune. The worker is occupied in the big city; eight hours a day he works in the factory, eight hours a day he sleeps and eight hours a day he moves the wheels of the revolution. The artist sees him in his mobile moments and is almost unable to get a hold of his inner life and moods and ideals. But the worker is portrayed in the new Soviet Russian literature to a certain degree, but this may be called only preparations and efforts for the great novel and drama that will have to be written and brought out in the Russian new literature. The spirit of the new Russian liter- ature may be divided in two parts: the first is the portrayal of the first steps of the revolution and of the years of famine and suffering. and attacks that Soviet Russia went thru. A. Navikov Briboi pictures in his novels how peasants went to confis- cate the property of a biglandowner. cate the property of a big landowner the cellar, so they went down and be- came drunk, pushed each other, beat each other, hung on to the ceiling to get next to the whiskey and then took all the belongings away to their homes put fire to the remainder. But from the big city came the artillery men—a son of the village—a red army soldier and heard the sighs at night and said: “Not the landowner’s pro- perty is burning, but Soviet Russia is on fire.” A peculiar personality, jis brought out—one peasant—“Holiday” —covered with rags, stood and looked on. He liked to see the peasants carrying the belongings of the land- owner but he didn’t take anything himself. He remarked: “They suffer- ed enough, they were cheated enough, so at least once they repaid with revenge.” His wife pushed him on to participate in the affair but he said: “I want to be poor, I am one of the people.” Another of his stories pictures a soldier arriving from the army, with jewels and money “and keeping himself aloof from the entire population. Of course he was in the white army and he despised “the teacher” and shed suspicion on his wife and his own parents. He was entirely a stranger to everybody and he had to disappear from the scene of life. The village would not tolerate such a personality in its midst. EVOLOD Ivanov is one of the most popular writers of present day Soviet Russia. He gives us the entire tragedy that the revolution went thru in its fight against the many, many enemies that were confronted in the far away corners of Soviet Russia. He even pictures to us how a provin- cial city among the Kirghiz went thru the first days of the revolution. The contractor who held in his grasp the entire population could not under- stand what is happening. A steamer came along, landed a Soviet. It occn- pied his house, It brot a change in the life of the city. Workers marched thru the streets like the most impor- tant personalities. The Kirghiz popu- lation showed opposition to every rule of the church and of the em- ployers. For the life of him he cannot grasp what it means. But the cosacks are expected, They will fight this new of short stories: “Putniki’—walkers. She tells us not only of the outside hardships but also of the innner struggles and suspicion and impossi- bilities that the revolution lived thru. Pavel was the chairman of the Ispol- com of a middle-sized town. He is one of the intelligetzia with individual struggles and sympathies. His closest friend is a social-revolutionist whom he warns to leave the town or be arrested. But he gives very severe orders to the peasant soldiers—‘Pul- yamiotchiki.” The chief of this branch of the army has a suspicion that Pavel may be bought by the enemies, and when Pavel is occupied for days and nights in saving the revolution he makes a single handed raid in his hom@, scaring his wife, looking into the trunks for money that the bour- geois may have sent to Pavel, and he finds nothing. On the square the pulyamiotchiki demand alcohol from the drug store. The druggist replies that if Pavel will issue a permit he will give the alcohol. They call for Pavel. He refuses to issue the per- mit, shouting: “Alcohol is for the hospitals—for the sick.” A revolver is placed to Pavel’s temples. They shout: “Give a permit or you'll be shot.” He stands ready to die. The workers of the factories are running with bayonets to save Pavel. They came in time. They bear him on their shoulders thru the streets of the village, shouting, “You are our hero, you saved the revolution from dis grace.” Seyfulina also portrays heroes among the workers who sacrificed their blood, their lives and their fa- milies for the revolution. i bened second element of the new literature in Soviet Russia is the very broad portrayal of the new life of reconstruction, that is embodied together with the name and depth of Comrade Lenin. Seyfulina has a legend that was created among the peasants about Lenin. Nikitin in his story on the field brings out wonder- fully how in the distant villages the news of Lenin’s death was met with ‘stich"'a spirit’ and brought out such feelings towards the revolutionary country among its own popniation that we in far lands cannot fully com- prehend. A peasant that never talked, stands up and pours out his feelings and confesses their non-sincere at- titude towards the Communistic com- monwealth, openly before the public he tells how he was thinking only of his own belly, speculating with the misery of the people, but at the fresh grave of Lenin he swears to become a true, honest revolutionist. The spirit of the new Russian liter- ature is entirely in conflict with the literature of Tolstoy, Dostoyevsky and Chekov because it embodies the per- sonalities that are collecting a unified life and a unified ideal and a strong foundation on which to build the life of society and existence of humanity. There is no weakening, no sighing, no sentimentality in the personalities and” types of the new Rusgian writers. They are conscious of their task, they know what they seek, and they be- lieve in their future, Because they belong to the world yet to come while the old Russiam literature portrayed a decaying and a decaying mode of life. © 2 -~ NOTE: Two books recently is- sued in America present an accur- ate view of the new Russian liter- ature. “Flying Osip,” is a collection of short stories representative of the most significant present day Russian writers. “Literature and Re- volution” by Leon Trotsky, is a brilliant criticism of not only the new Russian literature which he analyzes in detail, but also the rela- tion of literature to the revolution. Both books can be secured thru The DAILY WORKER Publishing Co. ; Letters from Our Readers _ | Esperanto Congress in Vienna. To The DAILY WORKER:—The annual congress of the “Sennacieca Asocio Tutmonda,” an Esperanto re- volutionary organization, took place in Vienna on Aug. 11-15, where 130 delegates from 26 countries were pres- ent. The Austrian govern- ment refused vises to our numerous Russian comrades—except to Com- rade Ernest K. Drezen whom, it seems, they had to reluctantly admit is he is a member of the all-Russian Central Executive Committee of So- viets. ; Comrade Drezen at length recited how Esperanto has been practically applied in the Soviet Union by the re- cently visiting Swedish and German trade union delegations. He invited, in the name of the Russian comrades, the next congress to Leningrad. As a protest to the Austrian govern- ment Comrade Drezen, midst deafen- ing applause, was unanimously elect- ed as chairman of the congress, The following resolution was adopt- ed unanimously: “Whereas, Comrades Paul Grouch and Walter Trumbull are revolution- ary Esperantists and, altho not mem- bers of our organization, acted more in accordance with its spirit than most of us would have done under similar circumstances, therefore be it “Resolved, that the above mention- ed comrades be hereby elected as hon- orary members, for life, of the 8S. Ft ad Comrade Norbert Barthelmess, the editor of our weekly Sennaciulo (anti- nationalist), defended kis stand of publishing more Communist articles than others. It is not his fault, he stated, that the Communist comrades are more industrious than the anar- chists or the adherents of the Second International. He refused to print a cultural—united front—organization and therefore it cannot allow any fac- tional polemics. He was sustained by a large majority. George Saville, “SUN UP” Wall Street in its forsight is once more showing the masses, at present using the screens, that they must in case of emergency, stand by it and guard the gold squeezed from their bleod. Once of the latest films pro- duced for the purpose is, “Sun Up.” Let, “Sun Up” be a warning to every worker that the time is nearing when he must organize and build a solid united front to combat the ap- proaches of his enemy, a pont : him class which has always subdued and would continue to do:s0, ~~~ UR. Bender, German Red Aid Calls on Workers to Demand Amnesty of Politicals BERLIN, Nov. 27—The German Red Aid issues an appeal to the workers to continue the fight for a full am- nesty, for the release of all proletar- ian political prisoners, burg amnesty was actually only an am- nesty for to Oct, 16, 4,738 hard labor and prison, only 602 were amnestied. Thousands remain in prison and articles on the Bolshevik “‘cruelties” |every day German class justice passes to political prisoners because our is'new sentences, By Morris Backall The Hinden- . *.