From: RUBAN@hartford.bitnet ("Timur Y. Ruban")
Newsgroups: soc.culture.soviet
Subject: RE: Bulgakov a Soviet writer? ppffttt!
Date: 17 Nov 92 02:38:00 GMT
Reply-To: "soc.culture.soviet via ListServ" <SCS-L@indycms.iupui.edu>

From:         "(Patricia Schwartz)" <margaret@GLAS.APC.ORG>

>Somebody on this net (I can't remember his name but I think
>he is studying criminology HOW APT) committed the most
>grievous sin of counting Mikhail Afanaseyvich Bulgakov
>as part of SOVIET culture.

Dear Pat!
I am very happy to find out that researching dark side of Soviet Culture You
have decided to take the role of the Holy Inquisition to determine (without any
visible foundation) our sins.  It was even larger pleasure for me to find out,
that while learning you already have started to use some elements of it in Your
conversation on the e-nets.
  Anyway, here are some more thoughts.
  In introduction I would like again to introduce myself.  My name is Timur.
I am studying Political Economy and Criminal Justice (not Criminology - any
educated person knows the difference between them).  I am very appreciative
about your remarks on the areas of my personal study interest (again talking
about culture?), though I would definitely disagree with your evaluation of
this area of social science.  Studying Organized Crime (my field of interest)-
is as much important as bullshitting on the nets, especially in US, where You
have a lot of that staff.  But... for now it has nothing to do with conver-
sation about the role of M.A. Bulgakov in Soviet culture.
  Let's take a look at some of your arguments.

>Oh right. And Anne Frank was an important Nazi writer.
 I am afraid that in Your rage You are mixing Apples and Oranges.  I give some
time to find better arguments.  Take Your time - it's a tough cookie.

>I will bet cash money that if someone digs deep enough into
>the declassified SOVIET archives, they will find that Stalin
>and/or Beria were probably planning to give Bulgakov the
>same kind of special SOVIET honor they gave to that other
>great SOVIET writer, Osip Mandelshtam.

My dear, in history there is no "if" - when You'll find the documents You are
talking about - then we could discuss the role of Stalin in life of M.A.  Any-
way, by some strange reason, You have concluded that instead of being a part
of Soviet history and, in certain ways, influence on culture, Stalin WAS the
history and culture himself, the same as Beria, Malenkov, Illyich The Second,
and other dark elements of Soviet History.  I am afraid that you are wrong -
you are doing a simple mistake, which any educated human being (and especially
Sociologist, where Sociology - foundation of Criminal Justice) should not al-
low to happen - stereotyping society by its single members!  In this case one
could easily judge American culture not by Armstrong, Twain or Lincoln, but
by McCarthy, Nixon and Madonna.  Bad girl, Pat, bad girl!  Such psychology was
already used by Adolf towards Jews - you are following pretty close. You should
look for better arguments.
  And, indeed, Osip Mandelshtam was great Soviet poet.  Or, better, just GREAT
poet, who lived his life the way any decent human being should - no matter
Soviet, Indian or American.

>Bulgakov died at a very convenient time. Read his archives,
>his letters, Elyena Sergeyevna's journals. His SOVIET play
>about Stalin was a bad move, he was wading into a deeper
>pile of shit with every step. His kidneys gave out
>probably at the same time as Stalin's patience.

I have read some of the things You have mentioned.  Indeed, he was not Stalin's
favorite - far from it.  The same way as anybody else in the world - as a per-
sonality, Stalin was not very much into favoritism - anybody in the country
could become his victim - You can see it on the example of such his supporters
as Beria's predeccesor - Ezov, Stalin's own children, etc.
  In Your statements, I am afraid You are going to far stereotyping, without
understanding the question itself.  Nobody said, that Bulgakov had SOVIET plays-
there is NO Soviet, or American or German plays.  Plays are creations of their
authors, but authors, in their term, are the creations of the elements of the
society they grew up.  Thinking about the society is ONE, is very buddhist.
Stereotyping about the society as one , is very ... let's say not very smart.
I do not want to get into Sociological lectures here (You are always welcomed
to write me directly to discuss certain aspects of certain sociological theo-
ries), but any society can be subdivided by different cultural levels within
inside.  Bulgakov was a child of one of such sub-cultures.  Sub-cultures, that
gave us Gaidar and Paustovski, Ilf and Petrov, Babel and Alesha, and many many
more talented writers - none of them would ever be able to write what they wro-
te, if they were born and raised in US or Madagaskar.
  I do not see any point in this discussion.  You are always welcome fell which-
ever way You'd want.  Even more, You are always welcome to close Your eyes at
the examples in American culture (London, Twain) who wrote about negative sides
of the society, criticizing it, but being part of it at the same time.  They
ARE still American writers, great American writers, though different from the
pocketbook junk You can by on the Broadway.

>And maybe Mr. Criminologist would like a statue of the great
>SOVIET criminologist to grace his new American home.

  Darling, it's Criminal Justice, not Criminology - take a lesson in English!
Can't You read?  We do not go after dead bodies - we are trying to learn why
do people, who killed them, appear in the society.  Or, for instance, why are
there people like You, who are always trying to convert world into their vi-
sion, their values (sounds familiar, ain't?).
  I do not believe in statues, as I do not believe in worshiping - nor God, nor
Party, neither American Dream.  Especially, not American Dream.  My home is
burned - thanks to that dream.  You won't understand it - for so long Your home
lived on the account of other's homes being burned - Germany, Eastern Europe,
Soviet Jews, Chinese.  And, actually, I hope that You won't have to live through
it - old Russian proverb says "Do not wish anything to others that you won't
wish to yourself".  But, let's talk about it in a couple of years later - we'll
see what will happen then.

>There are lots of spare statues of Dzerzhinsky lying aroud these
>days, if they haven't already been melted down for 15 kopeck
>pieces (of whcih there is an alarmingly short supply!)

Thanks for looking more at the American Dream, which is going down the drain and
is dragging there everybody else. Let dead lay where they are - remember what
happened with one Baron, who decided to put his nose in the business of other
world?  Read Bulgakov.

>m. enraged, finally, by the biggest insult ever to Bulgakov
 My sincere condolences - can't help it.  Freedom of speech.  Say what you want.
Maybe You should call some guys to shut up this "God damn commie?".  After all
he is using freedom of speech too much!
  By the way, who are You for Bulgakov's family?  American aunt?  Then listen -
Bulgakov does not belong anymore to himslef or his family - he is part of us.
He is part of our mentality, or being.  He is part of our society, without
which he would never appear as Michail Afanasyevich Bulgakov, author of
"Zapiski Vracha", "Master i Margarita", "Molier", etc.  And neither You, nor
any power in the world can change it.

>PS I am not trying to insult the honest artists who happened to
>survie the Terror, but I think most of them were either
>anti-soviet or in-spite-of-soviet!

???  And I thought that they were "just" artists - now You tell me that they
were revolutionaries, right?

Maybe not with respect, but at least trying to be polite,
Timur

Political Economy and Criminal Justice (not Criminology!) Student
Univeristy of Hartford
W. Hartford, CT 06117

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             "Ah, Mos'ka, znat' ona silna, kol' laet na slona!"
                                          Krylov.
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