Figure 1.--This publication, "Pioneriia" (Pioneering) was for younger readers to show how proper Young Pioneers behaved in school and at home. The author was risunki V. Gessnera . I think the illustrator was N. Gol'der. It was published sometime between 1925 and 1935. |
The October 1917 October Revolution brought the Bolsheviks to power in Russia. Peace was negoiated with the Germans at Breast Litosk (1918) allowing the Soviets to pull out of World War I, but at a great loss of territory. Several years of Civil War followed between the Red Army and White forces, the Poles, and intervening foreign countries. Despite the trumoil, from the very beginning the Bolsheviks believed that children's books, as others forms of literature, should promote Communist ideology and authors that were not approved by Party officials should not be allowed to publish. he Bolsheviks needed new publishers to take the place of the Tsarist publishers. They also needed a new generation of writers to follow the Party guidelines.
Maksim Gorky played a major role in the initial phase of Soviet children literature. The Bolsheviks rulthlessly crushed all opposition, but deteriorating economic difficulties forced Lennin to reconsider early economic initiatives. introduce the New Economic Policies (NEP) in 1921. As part of the NEP program, writers were given more freedom and the impact on literature, including children's literature, was pronounced. Raduga (The Rainbow) began publishing in 1923. Literary historian Ben Hellman sees it as the beginning of the Golden Age of Soviet Russian children's literature. An especially creative group of young writers and illustrators worked for Raduga. The Communist Party founded Soviet youth organizations (the October Children movement, the Pioneer movement and Komsomol) during the 1920s to exert control over children and youth culture--a key step in any totalitarian society. Thus organizing the children into Young Pioneers was an important activity, conducted primarily at school. School text books, other books, periodicals hekped support the new Pioneer movement and defined the role of a good Young Pioneer in the new Soviet state. Stories often desctibed the very difficult life of Russian children before the Revolution--especially experiences of serfs and worker's children. The role of children in the Civil War was another common topic. Admist this outflowing of creativity, Stalin had by the late was emerging as predominat Soviet leader following Lenin death in 1924, a development which would have a profound impact on Soviet society and literature.
The October 1917 October Revolution brought the Bolsheviks to power in Russia. Peace was negoiated with the Germans at Breast Litosk (1918) allowing the Soviets to pull out of World War I, but at a great loss of territory. Several years of Civil War followed between the Red Army and White forces, the Poles, and intervening foreign countries (including America, Britain, and Japan). The Whites were led by the conservative military officers and fighting cintinued for over 2 years. The struggle was a bitter one and brutality appeared on both sides with the peasantry most seriously affected from demands for food supplies and recruits, often at gun point.
Despite the trumoil, from the very beginning the Bolsheviks believed that children's books, as others forms of literature, should promote Communist ideology and authors that were not approved by Party officials should not be allowed to publish. Of course it is this state imposition and resulting beaureacratic control over creative thought and publication that devestated the literary output of the Soviet Union, especially after Stalin's rise to power. We are just discussing children's literarure here, but of course all forms of creative expression were affected.
The Bolsheviks needed new publishers to take the place of the Tsarist publishers. They also needed a new generation of writers to follow the Party guidelines.
Maksim Gorky played a major role in the initial phase of Soviet children literature. Gorky made a name for himself in Tsarist Russia as a playwrite and novelist. Because of his difficult childhood and youth he emphatized with the poor and disposssed. He promoted literature that realistically depicted social conditions. Gorky became the pricipal editor of the first Soviet children's journal. (Gorky eventually quarled with Lenin over the direction of the Revolution and left the Soviet Union.)
The Bolsheviks rulthlessly crushed all opposition, but deteriorating economic difficulties forced Lennin to reconsider early economic initiatives. introduce the New Economic Policies (NEP) in 1921. Limited concessions were made to entrepreneurs and peasants. In addition, the Bolshevik victory in the civil war, allowed Lenin to relax the more coercive aspects of War Communism. As part of the NEP program, writers were given more freedom and the impact on literature, including children's literature, was pronounced. Private publishing houses were even allowed to form. It was notable that it was the relative openess of the NEP and degree of artistic freedom that led to the most creative era of children's literature in the Soviet Union.
Raduga (The Rainbow) began publishing in 1923. Literary historian Ben Hellman sees it as the beginning of the Golden Age of Soviet Russian children's literature. An especially creative group of young writers and illustrators worked for Raduga. Their principal publications were the "Studio for Children's Literature" and the journal Novy Robinzon (The New Robinson). The creative center of Raduga was Samuil Marshak, a gifted poet. His playful nature interested him in the "oberiuty" or absurdists. The Party prohibited them from publishing adult books, but permitted them to write children's books, even for the state publishing house Gosizdat. They wrote for the magazines Youth (Hedgehog) and Chizh (Siskin) which contained some of the most creative children's writing of the entire Soviet era. The material during the 1920s evidenced creativity, fantasy, humour and a "respect for distinctive characteristics of children". [Hellman] These elements were sorely lacking in later Soviet publications. [Hellman]
The Communist Party founded Soviet youth organizations (the October Children movement, the Pioneer movement and Komsomol) during the 1920s to exert control over children and youth culture--a key step in any totalitarian society. Thus organizing the children into Young Pioneers was an important activity, conducted primarily at school. School text books, other books, periodicals hekped support the new Pioneer movement and defined the role of a good Young Pioneer in the new Soviet state. An accordion booklet "Pioneria" (1925?) was published for younger children learning to read showing how they should conduct themselves at school and at home. [McGill] Magazines were established for these youth organizations, Murzilka and Pioner (The Pioneer), which are the two oldest existing Soviet journals. The editors wanted to inspire Soviet children to actively participate in building a new socialist society. Important Soviet poets and writers submitted material.
Stories often desctibed the very difficult life of Russian children before the Revolution--especially experiences of serfs and worker's children. The role of children in the Civil War was another common topic. There was also a great deal of information about the new youth organizations like the Young Pioneers. One serious social problem which afflicted the Soviet Unioin, especially in the 1920s was the large number of homeless children resulting from World War I and the Civil War. The children lived in deplorable conditions and forned infrmal gangs to survive, usually by stealing. Two authors (L. Panteleyev, Anton Makarenko) were especially known for addressing this issue. Other topics included nature (Vitaly Bianki), popular science (M. Ilyin), adventure stories (Boris Zhitkov), fairy tales (Aleksandr Grin and Yury), and science fiction (Aleksandr Belyayev). [Hellman]
Admist this outflowing of creativity, Stalin had by the late was emerging as predominat Soviet leader following Lenin death in 1924, a development which would have a profound impact on Soviet society and literature.
Hellman, Ben. Children's Books in Soviet Russia: From October Revolution 1917 to Perestroika 1986.
McGill University, Rare Books and Special Collections Division. "Children's books of the early Soviet era," 1999.
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