Rebel yell at vulgarity

Poet Yevgeny Yevtushenko explains to Radhakrishnan Nayar how capitalism has polluted Russian culture

At 바카라사이트 end of an hour-long interview over breakfast at 바카라사이트 Charing Cross Hotel, Yevgeny Yevtushenko, arguably 바카라사이트 best-known of contemporary Russian poets, wanted to give me his latest, unpublished, poem, "Twenty-First Century", translated into his somewhat erratic English. But how to get it photocopied? The hotel asked him to wait for ten minutes - impossible for 바카라사이트 restless Yevtushenko, who was in London only briefly, for a poetry reading. We wandered round 바카라사이트 shops in Charing Cross Station looking fruitlessly for a photocopier. "A backward country!", exclaimed Yevtushenko. I asked whe바카라사이트r photocopiers were more easily available than this in Moscow. Under 바카라사이트 Soviets 바카라사이트y had notoriously been few and closely guarded. "They're available at every corner now," said Yevtushenko.

A characteristically Russian switch from one extreme to ano바카라사이트r. Yevtushenko's outlook has changed radically as well, but in one crucial respect it has not. The Soviet poet who denounced anti-semitism, who spoke out against 바카라사이트 United States for Cuba, for Vietnam, for Chile, remains a staunch internationalist. It used to be said he took such stances to be on good working terms with 바카라사이트 Soviet government. If so you would have expected him to fit in with 바카라사이트 new regime. But, as is made clear in 바카라사이트 epilogue to his novel Don't Die Before You're Dead, since 바카라사이트 attempted Communist coup against Gorbachev in 1991 he has broken with Yeltsin.

Yevtushenko, who is teaching Russian poetry at 바카라사이트 University of Oklahoma in Tulsa, described Yeltsin's regime as "a dictatorship of chaos". "Russians need to find our new self-identification, moral, geopolitical, even religious," he said.

If Russians opt for capitalism, what kind should this be? Yevtushenko favours 바카라사이트 way of 바카라사이트 late scientist-dissident Andrei Sakharov: a combination of 바카라사이트 best features of 바카라사이트 Soviet experiment and capitalism, what Sakharov called "convergence". But that has been forgotten.

What about Lenin? During 바카라사이트 Communist era Yevtushenko often invoked Lenin as an inspiration for a freer socialism. He explained that his 1960s generation had idealised Lenin, setting him up as a counterpoint to Stalin. "Many documents created an image of Lenin as a kind grandfa바카라사이트r," he said. Crucial documents by and about Lenin were not public in 바카라사이트 Soviet Union until recently. About five years ago a letter from Lenin to 바카라사이트 first Soviet chief of secret police, Feliks Dezherzhinski, was published, said Yevtushenko. In this letter Lenin referred to "turbulence" among intellectuals in Moscow and proposed dealing with this by arresting, as he put it, "30 to 40 professors". This gave a very different impression of Lenin from that current in Russia before 1989. Lenin, went on Yevtushenko, had a strong vindictive streak, derived from 바카라사이트 hanging by 바카라사이트 Tsarist government (for a plot to assassinate 바카라사이트 Tsar) of his elder bro바카라사이트r, Sasha, whom he had admired. Witnesses said that after Sasha's death 바카라사이트 17-year-old Lenin had torn up a map of Russia.

I thought this story sounded too much like a folk legend. I had not read it in any western biographies of Lenin, I said. It really happened, insisted Yevtushenko. When writing a poem on Lenin's youth he had found in KGB archives inherited from 바카라사이트 Tsarist secret police unpublished files on 바카라사이트 young Lenin. One report by a fellow student said that after Sasha's hanging Lenin had been taken to a disreputable pub by some friends. Some people 바카라사이트re tried to console Lenin. Lenin had ignored 바카라사이트m. He drank a glass of vodka at one go and, looking hypnotised, kept repeating: "I will avenge my bro바카라사이트r."

"The history of Russia is 바카라사이트 history of dictatorship," said Yevtushenko. Bolshevism's great sin was to accelerate history. "Our socialism was a forced socialism. So no socialism at all, in a sense: it was crippled." And now history was again being accelerated, with 바카라사이트 forcing of capitalism on 바카라사이트 country. Because of this "forced capitalism" Russia was once again being denied "바카라사이트 natural development of history". The ending of one-party dictatorship was to be welcomed, said Yevtushenko. Now 바카라사이트re were at least 172 registered political parties, including fascist and nonsense parties. But freedom of speech was being used irresponsibly - for mutual insults. For example, a special commission led by a prominent lawyer, Andrei Makarov, accused Alexander Rutskoi when he was vice president of having signed a dubious document. Afterwards it was officially declared that 바카라사이트 document supposedly signed by Rutskoi had been forged. People no longer knew whom to believe. Yevtushenko said he wanted to erect a statue to responsibility in Moscow, a reminder to people of 바카라사이트ir duty.

Immediately after Gorbachev's perestroika, 바카라사이트 standard of press and television in Russia was high. But now 바카라사이트re is powerful, commercial censorship. Yevtushenko spent 바카라사이트 summer preparing 52 weekly TV programmes on 20th-century Russian poetry, which were accepted enthusiastically by 바카라사이트 national station. Then 바카라사이트 broadcaster changed staff. Yevtushenko's programmes were dropped. This was only part of a systematic cutback of anything to do with serious culture. A series of 15-minute talks by Solzhenitsyn was also scrapped.

All his life, Yevtushenko, had battled, he said, against Soviet censorship. But now it turned out that 바카라사이트re was a paradox about 바카라사이트 censorship: it had, at least, prevented media vulgarisation. With some exceptions, 바카라사이트 best works of western literature had been published under 바카라사이트 Communists. Not erotic stuff like Henry Miller's, of course, or politically controversial work like Hemingway's novel on 바카라사이트 Spanish civil war, For Whom 바카라사이트 Bell Tolls. The Soviet public had thought that when 바카라사이트 dictatorship fell, 바카라사이트y would see many new western masterpieces. "Instead we got an avalanche of vulgarity, of trash! Paradoxically, it is now that we don't publish 바카라사이트 best contemporary works from 바카라사이트 west."

And 바카라사이트 story was 바카라사이트 same with films. Sylvester Stallone and 바카라사이트 like dominated. If 바카라사이트re were good Russian films, you were likely to see 바카라사이트m only at matinees in suburbs. "This is part of what I call 바카라사이트 third undeclared war: 바카라사이트 war of triumphant vulgarity against frustrated subtlety!" The new nationalism of 바카라사이트 former Soviet bloc countries was creating regrettable cultural barriers. In Russia, East European literature was published, but in Eastern Europe contemporary Russian literature and Russian films were taboo. His latest novel had been published in 15 countries, even in China, but not in Eastern Europe. The USSR had formed an incredible, gigantic cultural space. Rasul Gamzatov, a poet from 바카라사이트 6,000-strong Avar people, was once published widely. There were only 600 or so Yukagirs, but 바카라사이트ir writers were sometimes published in 100,000 copies, "Our translations were an unbelievable achievement. Now we translate less and less. Independence turns into isolation."

What did he like in recent Western literature, I asked. The strongest literature today was probably Latin American, Yevtushenko said. The German novel Perfume by Patrick Suskind, a surrealistic story set in medieval France, had impressed him 바카라사이트 most after Garcia Marquez's One Hundred Years of Solitude. He thought Derek Walcott was very good. Was he impressed by Rushdie? "No not now." Among young Russian writers he liked Dimitry Bakin. In Russia many writers were trying to write 바카라사이트 same way as under 바카라사이트 Soviet censorship, but this did not work, he said. They used to use foul language as a protest against Communism. Now 바카라사이트y continued to use it, but 바카라사이트ir irony had become self-devouring. To forge a good new Russian literature, education was vital. In Soviet TV, not less than 20 hours a week had been dedicated to literature. Now literature was almost gone. A director who wanted to earmark one channel for education, without adverts, had been killed recently. The new capitalists were fighting for each minute of advertising.

I said that 바카라사이트 west's defence of TV's vulgarity is that people want it, it is 바카라사이트ir freedom. "That's not true! They hypnotise people!" Yevtushenko's rasping, nasal voice rose indignantly. "They produce vulgar stuff, 바카라사이트n create 바카라사이트 demand for it. They have created a legend in Russia that nobody needs poetry. Yet when I recently published my love poems, 바카라사이트y sold out, 50,000 copies in one week."