Soviet Literature as it
Pertains to The Great
Patriotic War
By:
Alex, Anna, and Corey
Soviet Writers Union
• “The Union is being created not only to unite
writers in a physical sense, but so that a
professional union should make them aware of
their COLLECTIVE strength.”
Maxim Gorky
• “The new literature should remain individual in
its forms and Socialist-Leninist in its
fundamental governing ideas.”
Maxim Gorky
Konstantin Simonov
• Born: November, 1915
• Began writing poetry after
moving to Moscow
• Gorky Literary Institute
• Great Patriotic War
• 1946- Travels to US
• Novy Mir
• Central Committee of the
Communist Party
• Won Lenin Prize, 1947
• 1977 Hero of Social Labor
• Died: August 28th, 1979
Moscow
Days and Nights (Dni e Nochi)
• Summary
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Captain Aleksei Ivanovich Saburov
Elton
Anya
German Attacks
Order of Lenin
Order of the Red Star
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Soldier
Reasons for fighting
Socialist View of Women
Underlying Communist Philosophy
The Enemy
Stalin
• Themes
Pyotr Pavlenko
• Born: June 29, 1899
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Saint Petersburg, Russia
• Political Affiliations:
– Bolshevik Party
– Red Army (political worker)
– Soviet Trade Mission
• Occupations:
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Wrote film scripts
Wrote novels
Journalist
War Correspondent
• Awards:
– Four Stalin Prizes (1941, 1947,
1948, and 1950)
Happiness
• Summary
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Colonel Aleksei Veniaminovich Voropaev
Cherkassova movement
Stalin
Love
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Heroism is organized; it is not elemental
Joy of fighting
Portrayal of Germans
To hell with wealth!
Description of Churchill
View of Americans
• Communistic references
Valentin Kataev
• Born: January 28, 1897
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Odessa
Began writing as a soldier in WWI
Served in Red Army after October
Revolution
Early works were satiric or comic
1930’s after visit to Dnieper
Hydroelectric Power Station works
turned more serious
Served in WWII as a war
correspondent for Pravda and
Krasnaya Zvezda
1955-founded Yunost
Died: April 12, 1986
Moscow
The Son of the Regiment
• Summary
• Communist Themes Throughout
– Description of Vanya
– Portrayal of Germans
– Country before individual
– Requirements of a hero
• Stalin Prize Winner, 1946
Summary
• Negative Portrayal of Germans
• Description of a Hero
• Stalin and his Cult of Personality
References
• http://www.encyclopedia.com/html/section/Russ
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lit_SovietLiterature1917-39.asp
http://www.slavweb.com/eng/Russia/literate.html
http://www.sovlit.com/
http://www.sovlit.com/bios/union.html
http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/RUSwriter
s.htm