В 1974 году мы были в Мурманске со студенческим стройотрядом института и копали в вечной мерзлоте холодильного комбината. Преимуществом было, что нас хорошо кормили.
Мы, немцы, в столовой сидели за одним столом.
За соседним столом сидела пожилая охранница, с ней из-за каникул была внучка. Она была поражена иностранным языком. Бабушку спросила:
- Что это за люди?
- Это фашисты. Военнопленные, отрабатывают свою вину.
Даже наши негры заревели от смеха.
Бабушка схватила внучку за руку и потащила на улицу.
This is fascinating. How is one to understand? I find the whole Russian culture and how to go from Tzars to Soviet rule to Putin intriguing in that I just don’t understand how people can endure so much despotism.
I would start with classical writers like Gogol, Nekrasov, maybe Saltykov-Shchedrin. They wrote about the "small person". I think they should be translated quite well. From that, it's not hard to string a line to our ages if one remembers one of their quotes: "In twenty years everything changes in Russia; in two hundred years nothing does."
I have a VERY naive question. All I hear about (or most of what I hear about) Russian landscape is about the Tundra. Would there be a component of endurance and hardship in all of this?
I don't think it's naive; life in Tundra does form the psychology and culture of a lot of people. But I think (and begin to think so more and more) that considering Russian culture and people as monolithic and unified is probably wrong. This is the effect of the Soviet Union, which tried to de-diversify Russia as much as it could.
What you're saying is probably true for the natives of the north of Russia, but it is probably not that true for the rest of it.
2 y’s later I met the future Merkel in Moscow. 3 y’s later became the Company doctor at the Academy of Sciences... Люди, годы, жизнь. Задным числом все умны
В 1974 году мы были в Мурманске со студенческим стройотрядом института и копали в вечной мерзлоте холодильного комбината. Преимуществом было, что нас хорошо кормили.
Мы, немцы, в столовой сидели за одним столом.
За соседним столом сидела пожилая охранница, с ней из-за каникул была внучка. Она была поражена иностранным языком. Бабушку спросила:
- Что это за люди?
- Это фашисты. Военнопленные, отрабатывают свою вину.
Даже наши негры заревели от смеха.
Бабушка схватила внучку за руку и потащила на улицу.
Жизненные уроки для всех…
It's more sad than funny.
I think if more people understood the cultural divide between rural Russia and the "Western world", Putin's politics would be understood much better.
Congrats on starting your substack!
This is fascinating. How is one to understand? I find the whole Russian culture and how to go from Tzars to Soviet rule to Putin intriguing in that I just don’t understand how people can endure so much despotism.
I would start with classical writers like Gogol, Nekrasov, maybe Saltykov-Shchedrin. They wrote about the "small person". I think they should be translated quite well. From that, it's not hard to string a line to our ages if one remembers one of their quotes: "In twenty years everything changes in Russia; in two hundred years nothing does."
Need to start somewhere. Thanks!
I have a VERY naive question. All I hear about (or most of what I hear about) Russian landscape is about the Tundra. Would there be a component of endurance and hardship in all of this?
I don't think it's naive; life in Tundra does form the psychology and culture of a lot of people. But I think (and begin to think so more and more) that considering Russian culture and people as monolithic and unified is probably wrong. This is the effect of the Soviet Union, which tried to de-diversify Russia as much as it could.
What you're saying is probably true for the natives of the north of Russia, but it is probably not that true for the rest of it.
A year later, in Pieters university, the future Putin listened to me sing “Horse with no name” by America.
I like that at this point he was still the "future Putin". It's probably true.
2 y’s later I met the future Merkel in Moscow. 3 y’s later became the Company doctor at the Academy of Sciences... Люди, годы, жизнь. Задным числом все умны
Would you write about it? I would be glad to read it.
Нельзя же писать о бывших пациентах. Но по позже об исторических анекдотах смогу
Great start!
Wonderful piece, especially love the caricatured identities of the fellow travelers and themes of friendship and of course the ending!
Thank you!