Anatolii Lunacharskii, To Communist Newspapers, Periodicals and Publishing Houses of all Countries. January 12, 1925

Soviet leaders wrestled with the problem of literature throughout the 1920s, especially with what was acceptable and what was not. Although they refused to give official backing to any one school of literature, they were not indifferent to what was published and read. The following is a curious example of an attempt to influence what Soviet writers were available to foreign readers. In the process it gives a list of what the Soviet leaders found "best" and most desirable in Soviet literature. The authors mentioned by Lunacharskii as examples of unacceptable writers are a varied lot: "Mess Mend" was an extremely popular adventure story with mass appeal, while Artsybachev was a decadent type of sensationalist writer with more of an upper class appeal.

The working class of all countries is displaying a remarkable interest in everything which emanates from Soviet Russia, including proletarian literature.

Unfortunately, many newspapers, periodicals and publishing houses, not being properly informed, frequently translate and publish literary productions the artistic value, and what is more, the ideological content, of which do not warrant their publication. For instance, the excellent Communist organ of the German Communist Party ("Rote Fahne") is publishing Jim Dollar's sensational serial novel "Mess Mend," of rather doubtful ideological value. Another excellent Communist paper, the organ of the French Communist Party ("Humanite") is, we are told, publishing the works of Stepniak, which are now of purely historical value. And as to American labor newspapers, they publish even the works of Artsybashev, etc., etc.

It should be said that not all that has been written and published in Soviet Russia is either proletarian or desirable. In Soviet Russia, there are still bourgeois and petty bourgeois writers. Some who have adopted the platform of the Soviet Power are giving clever and truthful descriptions of past and present events in the country of the great October Revolution. But others again are still openly or secretly hostile to the Soviet Government and the Communist Party, which is fighting for the establishment of proletarian power throughout the world. Although their productions are published in Soviet Russia, they can on no account be considered as productions reflecting the Revolution.

Animated by the desire to help foreign labour newspapers, periodicals and publishing houses, the International Liaison Bureau of Proletarian Literature has compiled for the first time a list of productions of Russian proletarian writers and of writers in sympathy with the proletariat. This is not by any means a comprehensive list. Other lists will be published in the future from time to time.

It goes without saying that we must not concentrate our attention only on Russian proletarian belles lettres, but that we must also offer lists of first class literary productions by our comrade authors of all countries. We will shortly compile a list of works by the writers of some of the most important European countries.

Newspapers, periodicals and publishing houses desirous of translating or publishing the works of Russian comrades recommended by us, can do it themselves or they can get in touch with the International Liaison Bureau of Proletarian Literature through the Agitprop Department of the ECCI. If you choose the latter, the Bureau will have to arrange with you as to the sums necessary to cover translator's fees, postage, etc. Newspapers, periodicals and publishing houses wishing themselves to translate Russian works can obtain them through the Agitprop Department of the ECCI.

In the case of translations, the International Bureau would like to be informed what works are being translated and if the latter are being published with forewords by the authors themselves or by public men in Soviet Russia who are well-known abroad, etc.

We guarantee you beforehand the authors' consent to have their works translated. We ask you to send five copies of all works which have been translated and published, to the following address: International Liaison Bureau for Proletarian Literature, c/o the Agitprop Department of the ECCI, Moscow.

A. Lunacharskii (Chairman). Sigismund Valaitis (Secretary).

To Communist Newspapers, Periodicals, and Publishing Houses of all Countries!

In our issue of 8th January last (Vol. 5, No. 2) we published a notice under the above heading issued by the International Liaison Bureau of Proletarian Literature. The following list should be regarded as a supplement to this notice. Ed.

List of works by Russian writers which the Agitprop Department of the E. C. C. I. and the International Liaison Bureau of Proletarian Literature recommend for translation into foreign languages.

I. Poetic works.

1. Demian Bednyi: -"The High Street," "In the Ring of Fire," "The Soviet Sentinels" and others.

2. Alexander Bezymensky: "Peter Smorodin," "The Cap," "The Party Membership Card."

Extract from the first part of "The Little Town." Extracts from "Young Communist Life," "Snowshoes," "Lenin Day," "Party Membership Card No. 224,332," "Young Lenin Fighters," "Prelude to Spring."

3. Ivan Doronin: "The Steam Plough Driver," "The Love of the Fields for Spring."

4. Alexander Scharov: "Master Jacob," "Drunken Sleep," "The Song of the Chervonets," "Ice-floes," "The Factory Scholars," "We Keep Watch Over Our Country."

II. Belles Lettres.

I. A. Serafimovich: "The Iron Stream"-A tale, 160 pages in octavo form describing the Civil War in the Kuban district and on the coast of the Black Sea, the unexampled campaign of the poor population who, with their women and children, made their way across the waste steppes and mountains and through the encircling White forces in order to unite with the Red Army.

II. F. Berezovskii: "The Mother"--a tale, 64 pages. The author describes the situation in Siberia during the rule of Kolchak and the Interventionists. The mother is a working woman who blows up a munitions train belonging to the Whites and perishes at the same time.

--"In the Open Steppes," a Romance in two parts, dealing with the Civil War in Kirgisia. 224 pages.

--"The Commune," "The Red October," description of an agricultural commune in Siberia.

III. Iurii Libedinskii: "The Week," a story of the Civil War. 128 pages. This has already appeared in some American newspapers and in "Humanite." It gives a magnificent description of the struggle of a Communist organisation in the provinces against the uprising of the Whites.

IV. Tarasov-Rodionov: "Linev," a romance. 120 pages. Deals with the Civil War and the foreign interventions in Siberia.

V. Mikhail Platoshkin: "From the New Life," a tale. 128 pages. The workers' life in the Soviet Union, the fight of the old against the new.

VI. Dimitri Furmanov: "Chapaev," a tale. 240 pages. Description of the Civil War in the Volga district. Gives the story of the celebrated leader of the Red Army, Chapaev.

--"The Red Landing Forces." 32 Pages, Descriptions of the fight against the Whites.

VII. Georgi Nikiforov: "Two Generations." The life of a lonely railway signalman.

--"The Little Engine-Drive." The heroic act of the little son of an Engine-driver, who saves a Red train during the Civil War.

VIII. Markus Kolosov: "Thirteen," a story. 16 pages. Deals with the contemporary life of the working youth and of the Communist youth.

--"Stengas," a tale. 16 pages. Deals with the contemporary life of the young Communists.

IX Vsevolod Ivanov: "The Armor-Train." A story of the Siberian partisans. 96 pages.

X. A. Fadeev: "Flood." A story of the first successes of the Communists in winning influence among the peasantry and in the Far East.

--"Against the Stream." A story of the time of the transition of the Red Army from partisan troops into a regular army.

XI. Lydia Seifullina: "The Law Breakers." An extraordinarily talented story of life in the children's homes. 32 pages.

XII. Aleksei Volsekki: "God's Anointed," a tale. 24 pages.

--"Toni, the Bell Ringer," a tale. 4 pages.

--"The Greens," a tale. 8 pages.

--"The Village Correspondent," a tale. 32 pages.

The majority of stories by Volsekki are anti-religious in their content.

XIII. A. Andreev: "Light in the Darkness." A story of the electrification of a remote village in the far north.

--"Little People Upon the Great Stage." Story from the life of the theatre workers. 8 pages.

XIV. Vasilii Rachovskii: "The Conflagration," a story of village life during the October days. 32 pages.

XV. Alekseevskii: "Lenin," a tale. 16 pages.

XVI. Ivan Trachillo: "The Son of the Street." A story of the life of neglected children. 16 pages.

--"Bilyal." A story of the awakening class-consciousness of a Tartar shepherd. 16 pages.

XVII. Em. Maisky: "Three Fathers." True to life history of the rights of the woman in Soviet Russia.

III. Dramatic Works

I. A. Lunacharsky: "Thomas Campanello." Drama in five acts. Life of a great utopian in the XV century.

II. V. Pletnev: "Lena." Drama in five acts. The massacre in the Lena district in 1912.

III. S. Tretyakov: "Antigas." A drama. How the workers of a Soviet factory rescue their factory.

IV. Belotserkovsky: "The Echo." The fight of the American workers against the anti-Soviet intervention.

IV. Theoretical and Instructive

I. Platform of the art and thought of the Union of the Proletarian Writers.

II. A. Lunacharsky: Article, "Marxism and Literature," from Krasnaia nov.

III. G. Lelevich: "Alexander Bezymensky."

IV. P. Kogan: "Serafimovitch."

V. L. Sosnovsky: "Demian Bednyi."

VI. S. Rodov: "Worker Correspondents and Proletarian Literature."

Source: International Press Correspondence, V, No. 2 (12 January 1925): 25-26, and No. 15 (18 February 1925): 206-207.