Alright Stalin

Author: Yevgeny Yevtushenko
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2005-05-01
Features: After the serial publication of the novel The Good Stalin in Germany's Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, the German edition was published in Germany in April 2004. In May, the Russian edition was published in Russia. The work immediately attracted the interest of a wide readership, with people rushing to buy it and the media extensively reporting on it. The novel depicts the life of a prominent diplomat family against the backdrop of the turbulent 1940s in the Soviet Union and the conflicts between two generations. Vladimir Yevtushenko, the father, served as an assistant to Molotov, Stalin's personal French translator, and held multiple diplomatic posts. He witnessed World War II and the post-war Cold War, remaining steadfast in his faith, upright, diligent, and loyal to the Party and the state. Viktor, his son, who grew up abroad and was influenced by Western democratic ideas from a young age, gradually developed dissatisfaction with Soviet society. In 1979, he published underground publications with like-minded individuals, releasing uned groundbreaking works that exploded like a "nuclear bomb" in the literary world. He was immediately banned by the authorities, expelled from the Writers' Union, and his father's political career was thus destroyed. In the novel, Stalin embodies both the divine and the human, the good and the evil. He is both a dictator and a tyrant and a caring and compassionate leader. The author, through the characters' voices, affirms that "Stalin is a world-class appealing figure," that "the people cherish the good Stalin in their hearts," and that "Russia, in its essence, is the soul of Stalin." Viktor believes his father is "the good Stalin," criticizing him while also remembering and praising him. Viktor himself is also tempered in the complex conflicts of life, honing his observations and reflections. The novel also details many important figures and events from various angles, with its artistic techniques also showcasing unique creativity and characteristics. The author specially wrote a letter to Chinese readers to express his greetings for the publication of the Chinese translation.