WRITERS IN EXILE:
A Conference of Soviet and East European Dissidents
Politics and Ideology
WILLIAM PHILLIPS: Before we begin, I want to read a mes–
sage from William
J.
Bennett, the new chairman of the Na tion al
Endowment for the Humanities, which has in large part funded
this conference. Also, Robert Collen is here representing the
Massachusetts Foundation for the Humanities and Public Poli–
cy,
which has also helped us to run this conference.
William Bennett says, in part: " I wish you success for a good
conference. The issues you dea l with are impo rtant. I'm sorry I
can' t be with you, but I'm busy a t the National Endowment for
the Humanities. "
We also have with us Mr. Charles Fairbanks, the deputy
assistant secretary of state for human rights, with a message
from Secretary Haig. Mr. Fairbanks.
CHARLES FAIRBANKS: " I extend my best wishes to
Partisan
Review
for having organized a meeting of individuals who know
so well the high price of freedom, and to the participants, with a
sense of encouragement for your efforts in the defense of intellec–
tual and political liberty," signed, Alexander M. Haig, Jr.
WILLIAM PHILLIPS: I now have the pleasure of introducing
our moderator, Victor Erlich, who is the Besinger Professor of
Russian Literature at Yale University. His best-known work is a
book on Russian formalism.
VICTOR ERLICH: Our theme this morning is politics and
ideology. We are fortunate to have with us four distinguished in-
Editor's Note: Wrilers in Exile: A Conference of Soviel and East European Dis·
sidents, was held on May 7 and 8, 1982, al Bos ton UniversilY. The conference was
made possible by grants from the Nalional Endowmenl for the Humanilies, lhe
Boston UniversilYHumanilies Foundalion, the Massachuseu s Foundation for
Humanilies and Public Policy, and by the contribulions of several p rivate
donors. Previou s sessions of the conference were published in
Partisan R eview,
3, 1983. T he New Yor k sess ions of the conference will be pu blished in subse–
quent iss ues o f
Partisan R eview.
T he Russian lex ts were lranslated by J ohn
Glad, Director, Kennan In stilute for Advanced Russ ian Stu dies althe Woodrow
Wilson Cenler for Scho lars. Ed ilh Kurzweil was responsible for the organiza lion
of the conference.
