Word: yevtushenko
(lookup in dictionary)
(lookup stats)
Dates: all
Sort By: most recent first
(reverse)
...political man Yevtushenko remains true to, indeed ardently pursues the professed ideals of Soviet society. But he has his own ideas about how these ideals can best be realized, and these do not always jibe with official inclinations...
...Yevtushenko and others have branded such attitudes "dogmatic." They claim there is room in the Soviet Union for both foreign art and literature and indiginous creativity that does not necessarily conform to the dictates of socialist realism. Their efforts have been occasionally successful, but the Party's policies towards literature continue to be dominated by political considerations. When Premier Khrushchev decided the publication of the startling novel One Day In the Life of Ivan Denisovitch would be a wise political move, he made it. When it appeared the pressure for intellectual freedom engendered by the publication was growing...
Among those reprimanded last spring was Yevtushenko, who evidently went too far in giving A Precocious Autobiography to the French weekly L'Express for publication without official sanction. We are fortunate to have it, even though the indiscretion incurred for the author a great deal of public defamation, and cost him a projected trip to the United States...
...apparent now that the popular image of Yevtushenko is largely the product of over-zealous western imaginations, eager for some sign of the decay of Soviet society. On the contrary, the phenomenon of Yevtushenko is a sign of vigorous health. It means Soviet society is beginning to accept the important doctrine that "a strong man is not afraid of showing his weaknesses...
...Yevtushenko will recover from his recent disgrace. He will remain loyal to the regime, but he will also criticize it, for he firmly believes self-examination is the only way to inner strength. He will probably never make a great literary contribution of his own; bit through his relentless campaign for increased intellectual freedom Yevtushenko has made, and will continue to make, an important contribution to he artistic achievements of others. He and his allies will suffer setbacks, as they did last spring, but each time they will widen the sphere of freedom little further...