The non-Soviet writer. What Paustovsky “deprived” of the Nobel prize
Marlene Dietrich stood up in front of Konstantin Paustovsky to the knees, and the Nobel Committee was going to award him the prize for literature. The birthday of Soviet classics Aify recalls interesting facts from his biography.
Witness to three wars and two revolutions, documented everything that happened in a daring autobiographical novels. The writer, whom he admired Ivan Bunin and Marlene Dietrich, a master of the literary landscape and psychological prose, nicknamed “Dr. Paust” — it’s Konstantin Paustovsky. May 31, 2017 it will be exactly 125 years since his birth.
A non-partisan genius
Today novels and short stories by Paustovsky included in the program in literature of the middle classes. But opening the pages of “Mescherskaya side”, students are unlikely to realize that their author was not only the most widely read writer of the Soviet Union (according to the results of a sociological survey, 1963), but also the standard of decency and fairness.
In the period of Stalinist totalitarianism Paustovsky single line is not written about a “great friend and leader,” he was never a member of the party or Deputy of the various councils, and even not signed any letters where someone branded. On the contrary, in 1967, the author of “Warm bread” was supported by a letter of Solzhenitsyn with the requirement to cancel the censorship of literary works.
Together with Korney Chukovsky he spoke in defence of Andrei Sinyavsky and Yuly Daniel who were tried for the publication of works in the West.
And already being seriously ill, appealed to Alexei Kosygin with the request to dismiss the chief Director of the Taganka Theater Yuri Lyubimov.
Since you said dying Paustovsky. I beg you not to destroy the cultural values of our country. If you withdraw too, will disintegrate the theatre, you will die a big deal.Konstantin Paustovsky
The order of dismissal was not signed.
Unfortunately, these little feats of the famous writer had its consequences. Paustovsky “bypassed” all the important national prizes and awards, and in 1965, the year he was “deprived” main — Nobel prize for literature.
Today we know that to receive prestigious awards Paustovsky was nominated Polish Academy of Sciences, however, the Soviet government did everything possible to persuade the Nobel Committee to reject his nomination. The prize was awarded to “party writer” Mikhail Sholokhov.
Literary Secretary Paustovsky Valery Druzhbinskiy been told that before awarding prestigious prizes in Italy and Sweden were ready to exit odnotonnymi Paustovsky in “Nobel” series. He personally held in the hands of a few advance copies of this edition.
In the book “Lexicon of Russian literature of the twentieth century” the famous German Slavist Wolfgang Kazak about this situation wrote: “the Planned Nobel prize K. Paustovsky in 1965 did not take place, as the Soviet authorities began to threaten Sweden with economic sanctions. And so instead it was awarded to a major Soviet literary functionary Mikhail Sholokhov”.
Dream Dietrich
International recognition came to Paustovsky in the mid-1950s, years when he had the opportunity to travel around Europe. Russian writer visited Bulgaria, Czechoslovakia, Poland, Turkey, Greece, Sweden, Italy, and later visited Paris, Athens and other foreign city.
The talent of a Russian writer in his time, praised even by the legendary Marlene Dietrich, which “Telegram” Paustovsky made such an impression that “neither the story nor the name of the writer, which I never heard, I could not forget.”
Arriving in 1964, on tour in Moscow, the famous actress most wanted to meet his idol, and she was lucky enough to do it. Legendary pictures, the sex symbol of the XX century, stands in front of the Soviet writer on his knees and kisses his hands, became a sensation and quickly spread around the world.
Meeting with Paustovsky in the Central House of Writers Dietrich was dedicated in his autobiography a whole Chapter. She wrote: “At the end of the show I was asked to stay on stage. And suddenly made it up the stairs Paustovsky. I was so stunned by his presence that, not being able to speak in Russian a word not found other way to Express their admiration, but to fall before him on your knees I’m not sure that it is known in America, but one day it will “open up”. In their descriptions it is reminiscent of Hamsun. He is the best of the Russian writers I know. I met him too late.”
Their meeting took place shortly before the writer’s death. By this time he had already survived several heart attacks and suffered from severe asthma. The concert Dietrich, “Dr. Paust” went literally from the hospital accompanied by a family doctor.
May 31, 1892, was born Soviet writer Konstantin Paustovsky pic.twitter.com/pD0YCfQEgh
— Roman Nikolaevich (@Romancolonel) 31 may 2017
Not preserved
“My literary life began with the desire to know everything, see everything and travel. And, obviously, in this she will be over”, wrote Paustovsky. He was born in Moscow, youth held in Kiev, then was back in Moscow. But the last years of Soviet writers held in the small town of Oka Tarusa, where he began the issue of “free-thinking” “Tarusa pages”.
In the literary Gazette Paustovsky collected essays on objectionable Soviet power writers: Ivan Bunin, Marina Tsvetaeva, Osip Mandelstam, and also works of young authors, not truncated censorship: Nikolay Zabolotsky, Bulat Okudzhava, David Samoilov… unfortunately, the collection was seen not only thoughtful readers, but also fearful officials who punish the publishers, seized and destroyed all of prescoping circulation.
After the death of Boris Pasternak, Paustovsky wrote: “We have not kept this jewel, we obtained not on merit of the great Russian poet, who glorified our country around the world. We are not saved by Pushkin, Lermontov, Chekhov, Blok, Esenin, Mandelstam, Tsvetaeva, Zabolotsky…”. In this list you can safely add the book.
He died in Tarusa 14 July 1968. Three days later, the famous Soviet poet Margarita Aliger wrote the touching lines.
Paustovsky Tarusa buried,
On the one hand carrying, not dropped
screaming, not shouting, not rushed,
only tears rolled over the tear.
All gone, she was left alone
And then we hit a thunderstorm.Margarita Aliger