From: RUBAN@hartford.bitnet ("Timur Y. Ruban")
Newsgroups: soc.culture.soviet
Subject: RE: Re: On Bulgakov's anti-semitism (was RE: Re: Bulgakov"
Date: 10 Sep 92 03:03:00 GMT
Reply-To: "soc.culture.soviet via ListServ" <SCS-L@indycms.iupui.edu>

From:         Sergei Borodin <sergei@UPENN5.HEP.UPENN.EDU>

>>I probably was out of the 'real world' for a while, 'cause I learn more and
>>more 'well-known' facts in this forum.  What are the evidences of Bulgakov's
>>anti-semitism?
>
> Remember "Sobachje Serdtse"?  It might be questionable, but I beleive
>that Shvonder was a Jew. Last name sounds Jewish and he was described
>as black haired.

So? Are you trying to suggest that there is no black haired non-Jews?

> So, Philipp Philippovich, absolutely nice and gorgeous person said once:
>"Ja by etogo Shvondera, chestnoe slovo, povesil by na pervom suku" -
>skazal Philipp Philippovich, vgryzajas' v krylo indushki." (Quotation
>from my  memory).
>
> Isn't that a call to exterminate Jews?

Not really, I think.  It was a call to exterminate such 'parasite' as Shvonder
was, but not such JEW as (maybe or maybe not) Shvonder could be.

> Or take "Master & ..", what about criticist Latunsky? Very vile person.
> Or succesfully killed Berlioz?

 Do not remember anything "Jewish" about Latunsky and definitely would not
compare Margarita's revenge with the call to Jewish pogroms.
  About Berlioz.  Do you really think that he was killed because he was a Jew
(which he actually was not)?
  Correct me, if I am wrong, but I do not remember in "Master..." any indication
of the nationalities of heroes.  Therefore, it will be very difficult for me
to see any evidence of anti-semitism in Bulgakov's works.

>How bad fin. director Rymsky looks.  And all that are just from the
>"top of my head".

And what does he have to do with Jewry?
Somebody said once, "There is no worse anti-semit then Jew himself".  From time
to time I think that these words have some elements of truth.  Ecentually,
what is happening now, is that you are trying, without any visible cause, to
find anti-semitism in Bulgakov.  Why?

> And after all that you're asking about the evidences?
 Especially, after all you just said - I still do not see any facts.

Even more, here are my facts:

       1.  Literature.  "Ya ubil" from "Zapiski Vracha".  The main hero, doctor,
have killed his patient, officer of nationalistic ukrainian army (I think he
was petlurovets) after seeing the results of tortures and murders, done by
the officer and his soldiers.
       2.  Memours by friends.  K. Paustovsky.  "Povest o zgizni".  Paustovsky
have studied together with Michail in the same Kiev Gymnasium (I think it was
N1, correct me if I am wrong).  In the first volume of the book (3 all together)
he writes how he and all his friends (including Bulgakov, who was little bit
younger) were protecting Jews during Pogroms in Kiev.
    A propos, during the discussion about Bulgakov, nobody yet have mentioned
about Kiev's part of Bulgakov's life.  He was born, raised and educated in Kiev.
A lot of his works, novels and stories were written in Kiev, and their actions
were happening in Kiev (remember Belaya Gvardia).  Remember also Berlioz's uncle
Poplavsky, who "was dreaming about Moscow apartment.."?  And what about Andriiv-
ski Uzviz?  Podol?
       Anyway,

Look closer at some of the discussions between Jeshua and Prokurator.  You can
see Bulgakov in there.  And then think - can a person who wrote that be anti-
semit or anty-other-kinds-of-other-humans?

> S.B.
Tima.

               "Net hudshego poroka... chem trusost"
                                  from Levij's notes taken after Jeshua
                                  "Master and Margarita"
Newsgroups: soc.culture.soviet