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Lydia Chukovskaya "Sofia Petrovna" (Persephone)
The story of a mother and son during Stalin’s Terror of the mid 1930s. Short, well-written, and chilling. And yet, as good as it is, it reminded me of Yevgenia Ginzburg’s memoir Journey Into the Whirlwind which covers the same story and is, I think, absolutely brilliant. Ginsburg’s work is actually two volumes: the first (if my memory is correct) covers the period up through her arrest and trial and the second volume (Within the Whirlwind) covers her nearly two decades of imprisonment (at the infamous Kolyma gulag) and her release. At one time, I read many memoirs of the Kolyma and the gulag more generally and, excellent as many of them were, Ginzburg’s stood out. Both the real Ginzburg and the fictional Sofia Petrovna are faithful and loyal Party members and their devotion and dedication are meaningless. The only observation that I think is even possible is that the word “terrifying” or “chilling” is drastically inadequate to describe that period and that regime. Sofia Petrovna nevertheless gives a good sense of the claustrophobia of those years and the effect of the terror on “ordinary people” and is well worth the time.
novella is a compelling portrait of the personal costs of Stalin's purges. The eponymous heroine is a faithful Soviet citizen who believes in the fairness and ultimate justice of the system and her country's leaders. When her son is arrested in a purge, her belief in her country and her belief in her son come into conflict. The disconnect between lofty Soviet ideals and the injustice of her reality ultimately drive her mad. The novella focuses on how political shifts had deeply personal costs for Soviet citizens. Its strengths are its portrayal of how public life influences private life and its description of the bewilderment of loyal citizens suddenly confronted with the deep unfairness of the purges.
Gripping.
The story of a mother and son during Stalin’s Terror of the mid 1930s. Short, well-written, and chilling. And yet, as good as it is, it reminded me of Yevgenia Ginzburg’s memoir Journey Into the Whirlwind which covers the same story and is, I think, absolutely brilliant. Ginsburg’s work is actually two volumes: the first (if my memory is correct) covers the period up through her arrest and trial and the second volume (Within the Whirlwind) covers her nearly two decades of imprisonment (at the infamous Kolyma gulag) and her release. At one time, I read many memoirs of the Kolyma and the gulag more generally and, excellent as many of them were, Ginzburg’s stood out. Both the real Ginzburg and the fictional Sofia Petrovna are faithful and loyal Party members and their devotion and dedication are meaningless. The only observation that I think is even possible is that the word “terrifying” or “chilling” is drastically inadequate to describe that period and that regime. Sofia Petrovna nevertheless gives a good sense of the claustrophobia of those years and the effect of the terror on “ordinary people” and is well worth the time.
novella is a compelling portrait of the personal costs of Stalin's purges. The eponymous heroine is a faithful Soviet citizen who believes in the fairness and ultimate justice of the system and her country's leaders. When her son is arrested in a purge, her belief in her country and her belief in her son come into conflict. The disconnect between lofty Soviet ideals and the injustice of her reality ultimately drive her mad. The novella focuses on how political shifts had deeply personal costs for Soviet citizens. Its strengths are its portrayal of how public life influences private life and its description of the bewilderment of loyal citizens suddenly confronted with the deep unfairness of the purges.
Gripping.
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