Аннотация: Russian Association of Proletarian Writers and a literature. A literary and historical note.
Russian Association of Proletarian Writers and a literature. A literary and historical note.
On 7 December 1922, the united group of proletarian writers "October" was established. This date is considered to be the day of the establishment of the RAPP (Russian Association of Proletarian Writers).
Different authors writing about RAPP, about the history of RAPP, are focusing on a different aspects and details.
In the book by Stepan Sheshukov [Степан Иванович Шешуков] "Furious Jealous: from the history of literary struggle of the 20s," ["Frantic Zealots: From the History of the Literary Struggle of the 20s"] ['Неистовые ревнители: из истории литературной борьбы 20-х годов'], references to the leading [the ruling] "three," five "and" nine", which actually led the RAPP, are interesting the mentions. The mentions about the most energetic leaders of RAPP, which tried to obtain the status of irremovability and to assume themselves as functions of dictatorial management of literature.
Why would the leadership of a writing organization be dictatorial?
What is necessary for the writer? A table (a desk), paper, pen (computer)?
The leaders of the RAPP did not become famous for their literary (writing) achievements.
What is the engine of the situation with RAPP?
At this point, the question arises: "What is a literature?"
This is a philosophical question. A writers and a literary works could be mentioned.
But you can look at the situation and from a more mercantile, more practical point of view.
Literature is a row, a quantity of a "literary souls", of a "literary arable lands" (e.g. literary genres, themes, etc.), of a publishing, production and trade capacities (editorial offices, publishing houses, book trading network), of a financial resources (a budget financing ). It's a some political influence and a some political power.
Why don 't to take possession of all this? Why not take it all in own hands?
How? A different methods ... A direct control, a political companies leading up to a political persecution, a labeling practice, an organizing of boycotts ...
Once the initial financial and political capital is received, it can be put into circulation.
It is important to master the "political brand (sign) of a (political) master (owner)," to assign to yourself the right to supervise, denounce, pursue... It is advisable to put under own flags as many weak and flexible (supple) (not strong) souls as possible, and then to expand the sphere of influence.
The approach itself is not stupid. Perhaps he had the potential of existence during a years or a decades. The literary and cultural environment would be destroyed - what kind of a writers and a literary creativity could be with such a "organization of literature"? But negative results would not be clarified immediately. And, in addition, in Russia, even after the revolution, there was a margin of a cultural abilities, of a cultural potential. So there was something (the object) for exploitation.
For a number of circumstances, the leaders of the RAAP were able to start successfully. But they failed to build on their success.
The Bolshevik top was not primitive (short-sighted) enough and it was not corrupt enough to accept the existence of such a competitor.
In addition, strategic goals, a general approach to the development of the state of the Bolshevik leadership required a population consisting not of creatures with primitive knowledge and the simplest world view, but of people with positive goals and creative potential.
Some organizational experience has been accumulated by RAPP. And that experience was used. If a writers succumb to organizing, why not organize them correctly?
In 1932, RAPP was eliminated. In 1934 the Union of Writers of the USSR was created.
Most writers of the USSR saw a new tasks. Members of the Union of Writers of the USSR began to work in new conditions.
RAPP, the plans and claims of its most ambitious and politically active leaders have remained in the past.
February 21, 2020 21:13
Translation from Russian into English: February 26, 2020 08:08.
Владимир Владимирович Залесский 'РАПП и литература. Литературно-историческая заметка'.