344
MAX HAYWARD
the All-Russian Union of Writers, without waiting for my explana–
tions, or even expressing a desire to hear them, adopted a resolution
condemning my 'act.' The general meeting of the Leningrad branch
was called on September 22nd and I know of its results only through
the newspapers. . . . From these it is evident that in Leningrad my
explanations had been read and that here the opinion of those
present was divided. A number of the writers, after hearing my
ex–
planations, considered the whole incident closed. But the majority
found it more prudent to condemn my 'act.' Such was the act of
the All-Russian Union of Writers and from this act I draw my con–
clusions: To belong to a literary organization which, even
in–
directly, takes part in the persecution of a co-membei, is impossible
for me, and I hereby announce my withdrawal from the All-Rus–
sian Union of Writers.
A year or so later, after being subjected to all kinds of
petty
humiliation and virtually having been excluded from the
literary life of Russia (his stage version of Leskov's famous
conte,
The Steel Flea,
scheduled for production in a Leningrad theater,
was withdrawn solely because of the "notoriety" of its author)
Zamyatin wrote an astonishing letter to Stalin
2
in which he re–
quested that his "condemnation to death" as a writer be com–
muted to exile from the Soviet Union, as provided for under the
Soviet penal code, and even more astonishingly-owing perhaps
to the intercession of Gorky-Stalin granted his request. Pilnyak,
on the other hand, made a groveling submission (in private–
public recantations were not yet
de rigueur
in cases such as these)
and he perished a few years later during the Yezhov terror.
The 'thirties-which are not represented in this issue at all
-were not the worst years for Soviet literature (these were to
f
come after 1946) but they saw the establishment of those fea–
tures of Soviet literature which distinguish it from all other litera–
tures in the world. What makes it unique is that these features
were imposed from without. It is obvious that literature need flot
2. The full text
is
reproduced
in
Litsa,
Chekhov Press, New York, 195'5. .
