Land of Scoundrels. Audio Play

Sergey Alexandrovich Yesenin (1895–1925) is one of the brightest poets in the entire history of Russian literature. Rare talent, alongside the scandalous trail of his personal life, made his figure interesting to many generations. Despite repeated opportunities to emigrate from the country going through difficult times, Yesenin—unlike many cultural figures of the early 20th century—categorically refused, choosing to share fate with his Motherland. At the same time, the poet was not shy about criticizing the authorities and speaking openly—including in his own work—about what was happening in the country. He was one of the very few who could afford it: the people’s love for Yesenin was so strong that the authorities preferred, for now, not to touch him.

The dramatic poem “The Land of Scoundrels,” written in 1922–1923, tells of an episode connected with the robbery of a train by Nestor Makhno’s detachment. But even with a fairly simple, linear plot and the characters’ dialogues, the author manages to expose many problems and show his attitude toward various phenomena accompanying the revolution and the Civil War. Here we find reflections on the nature of revolutions and the goals of those who make them, the predatory grin of American capitalism, the natural riches of Russia, and the spiritual power of its people—as well as the personality of the anarchist Makhno and those who hunt him. A very bold and piercing poem was met by Yesenin’s contemporaries in ambiguous ways. And today it remains relevant in many ways. Listen to the audio performance of this remarkable work!

Recording director — Evelina Novikova.

Assistant director — Nikita Moiseev.

Composer — Anton Sergeev.

Sound director — Oleg Sulimov

Cast includes:

Chekists — Mikhail Shklovsky

Zamarashkin — Yury Polyak

Nomakh — Artur Ivanov

Lobok — Alexander Dzyuba

Rassvetov — Sergey Gabryelyan Jr.

Charin — Egor Vasiliev

Kabatchitsa — Natalya Grebenkina

Platov — Andrey Kurganov

Shcherbatov — Andrey Valts

Commandant — Oleg Zima

Litza-Hun — Alexander Tsoi

Badger — Yury Titov,

as well as — Grigory Perel, Dmitry Krivoshchapov, Ivan Zharkov