A Russian Journal

Definitely enjoyed more than I thought I would. This was the first book in my American Lit 1945-present class, and it's a good pick. John Steinbeck, well-known American author from the depression era teams up with war photographer Robert Capa to go around the Soviet Union and faithfully record what they see there in the style of new journalism. As an outspoken Republican and an English major, sometimes conversations about socialism/communism get a little touchy. However, reading this book was an incredibly eye-opening experience. I didn't understand how people could honesty buy into the idea of a Government-controlled economy, but Steinbeck shows the benefits(?) this system provides to the people of the Soviet Union, and the many ways in which art is employed to brainwash the populace into believing that this is the best way to live. One of the most powerful quotes from the books is Steinbeck exploring the role of the writer in a Capitalist society vs an Communist society: "... in the Soviet Union the writer's job is to encourage, to celebrate, to explain, and in every way to carry forward the Soviet system. Whereas in America, and in England, a good writer is the watch-dog of society. His job is to satirize its silliness, to attack its injustices, to stigmatize its faults. And this is the reason that in America neither society nor government is very fond of writers. The two are completely opposite approaches toward literature.” Steinbeck's style in this book is dry, witty and informative. Worst thing about the prose was probably that sometimes it felt like Steinbeck was talking down to his audience, dumbing down his prose to appeal to a wider audience. All in all, an excellent book. Would recommend.

I loved this book about Steinbeck's trip through Russia after WW2, and what he saw. It was one of the last trips through Russia by a writer or journalist before the Cold War got going in earnest.

I was a student of Russian language and literature in the 90s and spent some time in the former Soviet Union. I'm a big fan of John Steinbeck's novels and am surprised that it took me so long to read this. Steinbeck and his friend, photographer Robert Capa had a project to enter the Soviet Union to document and photograph the lives of the ordinary Russian people. It's basically a slice of life of the time and documents very well not only how Russian, Ukrainian and Georgian people live, but also the huge amounts of ridiculous bureaucracy of the Soviet machine. One scene that stands out is the description of how long it takes from ordering a meal in a restaurant to having that meal arrive at your table. There is some good comparative writing about the difference between the cult of personality status of the Soviet Union versus the US presidential system. The esteem in which Stalin was held whilst he was in office is quite incredible and almost impossible for a non-native to comprehend. As Steinbeck states in his monologues, he's not there to present the information in any particular way, he's just there to present the information, and this he manages to pull off very successfully. Recommended.