The Soviet Mind

The Soviet Mind: Russian Culture Under Communism

This book collects never-before-published writings by Isaiah Berlin on the Soviet Union. These include accounts of his famous post-World War II meetings with Soviet writers like Boris Pasternak and Akhmatova, official documents he submitted to the British Foreign Office on the state of Soviet art under Stalin's rule, portraits of Mandelstam and Pasternak, and sketches of his impressions of Soviet culture after visiting the USSR. Isaiah Berlin had direct ties to Russia, both personally and culturally, and possessed a deep sympathy and understanding for the Russian intelligentsia. This book provides invaluable material for understanding the general state of Russian cultural life during the Soviet era, as well as the experiences and fates of the intellectual community.
Recommended reading:
My meetings and conversations with Boris Pasternak and Anna Akhmatova; my exposure to the almost indescribable conditions of their lives and work, the treatment they endured; and the personal relationships, even friendships, I was able to develop with both of them profoundly affected me and fundamentally changed my perspective. Whenever I see their names in print or hear them mentioned, I vividly recall the expressions on their faces, their mannerisms, and their words. To this day, when I read their works, I can still hear their voices.
——Conversations with Akhmatova and Pasternak
The Russians are a great people, possessing boundless creativity. Once they are free, who knows what surprises they will bring to the world. The emergence of a new despotism is not impossible, but I see no signs of it yet. Evil will ultimately be defeated, and slavery is on its way to extinction. Humanity has reason to be proud of this.
——The Immortal Russian Intelligentsia

2010-07-01

译林出版社

258

9787544711470