Literature of the Russian Diaspora. Anthology in Six Volumes. Volume 3. 1931–1935

34 hrs. 52 min.

Romance & Prose

Language Russian

Narrator Kirill Petrov

Description

It is strongly expected to be thoroughly studied and reread within the series of traditional and new “white spots” of Russian history (with our relatively deep knowledge of the issue) and the theme of emigration in the 20th century. Not much do we know about the fates of millions of our compatriots who left tsarist Russia in search of a better share. Even more tragically unfolded the fates of millions of people who, after 1917, found themselves outside the borders of Soviet Russia and the USSR.

The post-October emigration, entered into the historical record as the “White emigration,” is clearly marked by the stamp of drama—and more often, tragedy. One of the few historians “from there,” Pyotr Kovalevsky, writes, noting that: “. after the revolution of 1917, about one million people left Russia,” that “. in world history there is no phenomenon comparable in its scope, numbers, and cultural significance to Russian exile abroad. Russian diaspora surpassed all that came before it both in number and in cultural importance, because it turned out to be the center and driving force of the phenomenon usually called ‘Russian exile abroad,’ but which should be called ‘Foreign Russia.’ This Russian exile abroad can be counted between 9 and 10 million people.” Russians made up an absolute majority of the White emigration—according to several records of emigrants, from 90 to 95 percent.

The October whirlwind that upended and overturned Russia swept out not only active participants in the White movement—representatives of the exploitative classes, landowners and capitalists—but also many workers and peasants who were forcibly mobilized into the White armies and then taken abroad; it also included wavering and hesitant intelligentsia fleeing the fiercest struggle for a new political order.

In the third volume of the anthology “Literature of Russian Exile,” the works of 1931–1935 are included, among them prose (I. Shmelev “Summer of the Lord,” D. Merezhkovsky “Jesus Unknown,” T. Tэффи “Memories,” E. Zamyatin “Hours,” “Vision,” “The Lion,” G. Grebenshchikov “Russian Song”), memoirs (Grand Duke Alexander Mikhailovich “Book of Memories,” S. Lifar “Bitter Years,” G. Ivanov “About Gumilyov”), poetry (Z. Gippius, V. Ropshin, B. Poplavsky, N. Reznikova, I. Severianin), philosophy (G. Fedotov “Truth of the Defeated,” N. Berdyaev “On Suicide,” P. Bitsilli “The Tragedy of Russian Culture,” I. Ilyin “About Russia”), journalism (S. Dmitrievsky “Stalin,” G. Adamovich “Loyalty to Russia,” B. Brutscheus “Rise and Fall of the Soviet Planned Economy,” M. Vishnyak “Selfless Herostratus”), criticism (F. Stepun “I. Bunin,” M. Alanov “V. F. Khodasevich. Derzhavin,” G. Adamovich “About Literature in Exile,” V. Rudnev “On the Anniversary of ‘Contemporary Notes,’” M. Tsetlin “N. A. Tэффи. Memories,” P. Milyukov “Literature of the Revolution and Return to Realism,” V. Khodasevich “V. Ropshin (B. Savinkov). Book of Poems,” S. Kuskova “S. Dmitrievsky. Stalin.”