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PARTISAN REVIEW
The zek didn't understand. I explained, "In the orders it says
you're the one who will play the role of Lenin."
Gurin burst out laughing. "It's an old story, Chief. Even before
the war, I had the nickname 'actor.' In the sense of a man who was
clever, who could, as they say, move his ears. So they wrote on my
record, 'actor.' I remember, I was tied up in the Criminal Investiga–
tion Section, and the investigator wrote it down just as ajoke . In the
'profession before arrest' column. As if I had a profession! From the
cradle, I'm a confirmed thief. I never worked a day in my life. But
the way they wrote it down, that's how it stuck-'actor.' From one
paper to another. All the political instructors sign me up for amateur
productions: 'after all, you're an actor, an artist ... .' Ech, if! could
only meet one of those political instructors at a kolkhoz market, I'd
show him what an artist I am."
I asked, "So what are you going to do? You're supposed to play
Lenin himself."
"What, read a piece of paper? Simple. I'll polish my bald spot
with wax, and it's in the bag. I remember, we were robbing a bank
once in Kiev, and I got dressed up as a cop - and my own pals didn't
recognize me. Hit has to be Lenin, then let it be Lenin. As they say,
a day off work is a month of life."
We walked up to the checkpoint . I turned Gurin over to the
sergeant-major. The zek waved his hand. "Be seeing you, Chief.
Merci
for the feed."
He said the last words softly, so the sergeant wouldn't hear.
Since I'd been taken off work duty, I loafed for the next twenty–
four hours. I drank wine with the weapon repairmen. Won four
rubles from them at cards. Wrote a letter to my parents and brother.
Even planned to go see a young lady I knew in the settlement. But
just then an orderly came looking for me and told me to report to
Political Instructor Khuriev.
I made my way to the Lenin Room . Khuriev was sitting under
an enormous map of the Ust-Vym Camp. The escape points were
marked with little flags.
"'Have a seat," the P .I. said. "We have something important to
discuss. The October holidays are approaching. We are beginning
rehearsal of a one-act play called 'Kremlin Stars.' The author," here
Khuriev glanced at some papers lying in front of him, "is Chichel–
nitsky, Yakov Chichelnitsky. The play is ideologically mature,
