Name: Русский дневник
Rating: 4.125 (8 reviews)
ISBN: 9785699932702

John Steinbeck

из личного архива

Русский дневник

Just as the Iron Curtain fell on Eastern Europe, Steinbeck and Capa began a remarkable journey through the Soviet Union. Combining Steinbeck's compassion and humour with Capa's photographs, this text is a unique portrit of Russia and its people as they emerged from the ravages of war.

A Russian Journal

Andrew John Kinney

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.

Cams Campbell

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.

Русский дневник из личного архива

Reviews

Highlights