ART AND POLITICS
5
capitalism," stimulates in the artists a "creative hatred" in Ivanov's words.
Romantic, cautious by nature, lyrical, none too outspoken, Ivanov recalls
Gorki, in many ways, but in miniature. Not a prostitute by nature, he pre–
ferred to remain quiet as long as possible but the time came when silence
meant
civil
and perhaps even physical annihilation.
It
is not a "creative
hatred" that guides the pen of these writers but paralyzing fear.
Alexis Tolstoy, who has finally permitted the courtesan to master the
artist, has written a novel expressly to glorify the military exploits of Stalin
and Voroshilov at Tsaritsin. In reality, as impartial documents bear witness,
the army of Tsaritsin-{)ne of the two dozen armies of the revolution–
played a rather sorry role. The two "heroes" were relieved of their posts.
*
If
the honest and simple Chapayev, one of the real heroes of the civil war
is glorified in a Soviet film, it is only becaJ se he did not live until the "epoch
of Stalin" which would have shot him as a Fascist agent. The same Alexis
Tolstoy is now writing a drama on the theme of the year 1919 : "The
Campaign of the Fourteen Powers." The principal heroes of this piece, ac–
cording to the words of the author, are Lenin, Stalin and Voroshilov. Their
images [of Stalin and Voroshilov!) haloed in glory and heroism, will
pervade the whole drama." Thus, a talented writer who bears the name of
the greatest and most truthful Russian realist, has become a manufacturer
of "myths" to order!
Very recently, the 27th of April of this year, the official government
paper
Izvestia,
printed a reproduction of a new painting representing Stalin
as the organizer of the Tiflis strike in March 1902. However, it appears from
documents long known to the public, that Stalin was in prison at that time
and besides not in Tiflis but in Batum. This time the lie was too glaring!
Izvestia
was forced to excuse itself the next day for its deplorable blunder.
No one knows what happened to the unfortunate picture, which was paid
for from State funds.
Dozens, hundreds, thousands of books, films, canvases, sculptures im–
mortalize and glorify such historic "episodes." Thus the numerous pictures
devoted to the October revolution do not fail to represent a revolutionary
"Center," with Stalin at its head, which never existed. It is necessary to say
a few words concerning the gradual preparation of this falsification. Leonid
Serebriakov, shot after the Piatakov-Radek trial, drew my attention in 1924
to the publication in
Pravda,
without explanation, of extracts from the
minutes of the Central Committee of the latter part of 1917. An old secre–
tary of the Central Committee, Ser:ebriakov had numerous contacts behind
the scenes with the party apparatus, and he knew well .enough the object
of this unexpected publication : it was the first step, still a cautious one,
*
See, for example, the article of N. Narkine, "Voroshilov and the Red Army"
in Leon Trotsky's
The Stalin S(hool of Falsifi(ation.
