From: sasha@cbnewsi.cb.att.com (alexander.kostomaroff)
Subject: Ms. Schwarz and Russian Poetry
Organization: AT&T
Distribution: usa
Date: Mon, 7 Sep 1992 16:42:42 GMT
Followup-To: poster
Keywords: bieda kol' sapogi nacniot tachat' pirozhnik

Patricia M. Schwarz of
California Institute of Technology, Pasadena
replies to my:

ak> IMHO, Pasternak -> Russian rock line could be matched in the English
ak> speaking world by T.S. Elliot -> Ice-T connection.

ps>in their separate times, and for separate generations.
ps>
	You are still missing the point: neither Pasternak, nor Akhmatova,
	nor O. Mandelshtam belonged to the USSR underground culture.
	These poets represented Russian culture and existed
	"vnie zakona" and, practically, without publications for many years.
	Neither one could be defined as a SOVIET poet. On the other hand,
	there is well defined SOVIET UNDERGROUND ART. It's even labeled in
	Russian "Andergraund".
ps>
ps>there is a very good book by Dr. Judith Herman (daughter of
                                                 ^^^^^^^^^^^
ps>Russian Jewish parents on McCarthy's blacklist) about the universality
 ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
	Great credentials! According to this criteria, Partei Genosse
	Vladimir Pozner should join the top ten humanists list.
ps> 
ps>in psychological response to extreme trauma, and how to heal and recover
ps>from such trauma.
ps>
ps>This book helps me understand the importance of poets like Axmatova
ps>and others not only in the intellectual sense but also in the emotional sense
ps>of providing a voice for those traumatized by the terrors of
ps>totalitarianism. Dr. Herman doesn't mention cultural matters in the book
ps>itself, but I see a lot of Russian poetry differently now.
ps>
	Poor Russian poetry! Ms. Schwarz dissects it now like her biology
	class frog, armed with the best tools available.

	Madam, like the business of America is business, the business of
	poetry is poetry. Don't look for any other motive or reason.
	The magic power of the word, so well described by poets,
	is the beginning and the end.

	   	............................
		Solntse ostanavlivali slovom,
		Slovom razrushali goroda.
	   	............................
		A dlia nizkoj zhizni byli chisla,
		Kak domashnij pod'iaremnyj skot,
		Potomu chto vse ottenki smysla
		Umnoie chislo peredayot.
		............................
				N.Gumiliov
		
	You, like so many others, are trying to apply politically correct,
	and essentially so middle class, rules to something that is far
	beyond the realm of your reason. As one Russian philosopher said,
	"v ziyayushchikh treshchinakh rassudka vidna lazur' vechnosti"
	(The sky-blue of eternity could be seen in the bottomless cracks
	 of reason).

	If you need a pop psych book to assist you in understanding poetry,
	well, maybe real estate is a better field for your energy.
	And it is a high time for starting a politically correct real estate
	business! Sky is the limit, look at Jane Fonda. So correct,
	so wealthy!
	
ps>When you have your life taken out of your control by some man with
						a)->^^^^^^^^
ps>a gun, it's difficult to take it back after you are free.
ps>like working for samizdat rings and volunteering at rape crisis centers
              b)->^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
ps>are important steps in coming back to the human race from the land
 c)->^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
ps>of prisoners.

ps>-patricia@cco.caltech.edu

	a). Here were are: this horrible male with a gun cum penis.

	b). With all due respect (no sarcasm) to the rape crisis centers
	    and soup kitchen volunteers, this comparison demonstrates
	    how narrow are Ms.Schwarz's horizons. 

	c). Grand Finalle! Ms. Schwarz welcomes us back to the human race she
	    represents. Lady, any ex-ZEK, KZetnik, boat person, etc., etc.
	    is a member of the human race to much greater extend than
	    all the populace of the People Republic of Berkley + 
	    their pedigreed pets.
	    	    
Alexander Kostomaroff
Observer Of Passing Events, Falling Empires, and Human Follies.

P.S.
For those who are interested, in a near future I'll post few lines about
the beginning of "Leningradskij Andergraund".