WRITERS IN EXILE
359
being interrogated under tremendous pressure from the KGB for
his writings, which were published abroad in different emigre
magazines. He is facing at least three years of labor camp and
maybe even more. And I would mention one other writer, who is
probably one of the best living Russian writers, Georgi Vladimov.
His apartment was searched and he is under threat of arrest, and
we need to help him. And, of course, one of the most remarkable
people whom I've ever met in my life, Andrei Sakharov, who is,
as you know, in exile in Gorky. He was invited here but he
couldn't make it. And of course, his name and his personality
have made him known as one of the best defenders of human
rights in the world. He needs all our remembrance and support.
WILLIAM PHILLIPS: Thank you. Mr. Efim Etkind goes next.
EFIM ETKIND: Ladies and gentlemen , I have titled my presen–
tation "Some Thoughts on the Literary Lie and Lying Litera–
ture"; that is, on the general topic of literatures in open "and
closed societies. A lie is not contradictory to literature. On the
contrary, it is its defining property. Creating new people and in–
terrelations between them, inventing convincing situations at
times more plausible than real life, the writer, according to the
bounds of common sense, lies. However, his lie often serves for
the expression of deep truth , of that which cannot be expressed
directly. Either this is not realizable through "measured verse
and icy words" (to quote Lermontov), or it may be that external
prohibitions restrict the author. Such are the two basic reasons
for the indirectness of literature. A direct word is impossible be–
cause the truth is inexpressible or forbidden. In Western societies
the first reason operates; in the Soviet Union the second predom–
inates. The result is the same in both situations: indirectness.
The two forms of indirectness are born of contrary reasons,
of an inner crisis of artistic expression in the open society, and of
external censorship (police prohibition) in the closed society. In
general there are different kinds of lies. Free literature lies by its
indirectness, striving
to
express the truth, which means it lies for
the good. Controlled literature lies not for good, but for evil;
with all its inherent indirect forms it is called upon to paint lies
about man and society. This is its function from the point of
view of those who endeavor
to
control it. A certain part of it, a
powerless and controlled part, surrenders and allows itself to be
manipulated. The other, infinitely larger part resists as far as
