Russian Writers Call for Free Speech as Pasternak's Birthday Celebrated

Feb. 11 marked the124th anniversary ofthe birth ofBoris Pasternak, thefamed Soviet author best known forhis book "Doctor Zhivago," which was published abroad after being banned inthe Soviet Union.

Pasternak's birthday was celebrated with great fanfare byRussia's literati, including anew exhibit dedicated tothe author anda reading ofhis work atthe House Museum ofMarina Tsvetaeva. However, amore demonstrative celebration ofthe author's legacy could be seen onthe website ofthe Russian branch ofthe PEN International authors' association, where 51 Russian authors posted anopen letter about thestate offree speech inthe country.

"Recently, inour country we see more andmore distinctly theappearance ofan extremely dangerous tendency toward therestriction ofthe constitutional rights ofcitizens, first andforemost therestriction offreedom ofspeech andthe right todisseminate andreceive information," theletter says.

Theauthors go onto mention specific instances ofwhat they consider tobe government pressure onfree speech, starting with therecent boycott ofDozhd TV, anindependent television channel that has been taken off theair bynumerous cable providers after acontroversial broadcast about theSiege ofLeningrad. Theauthors blame thegovernment forthe boycott ofDozhd, andalso note increasing pressure onindependent media like theradio station Ekho Moskvy andthe newspaper Novaya Gazeta.

Though now revered as one ofRussia's greatest authors ofthe 20th century, Pasternak was acontroversial figure during his lifetime, andsuffered fromthe Soviet Union's restrictions onspeech. Though Pasternak himself was never arrested, he watched close friends be imprisoned andexecuted during Stalin's purges ofthe 1930s Pasternak's friend Titsian Tabidze was executed in1937, while his mistress, Olga Ivinskaya, was imprisoned andmiscarried Pasternak's child early inher 10-year sentence.

Though Pasternak began writing Doctor Zhivago as early as 1910, thebook remained unpublished until 1957. Even after Stalin's death, it proved impossible topublish thework inthe Soviet Union due toits unorthodox stance onthe Russian Revolution, andPasternak resorted topublishing thetext inthe West.

Despite its warm reception inthe West, Pasternak was punished forsending his work abroad anoutpouring ofcriticism forced Pasternak todecline theNobel Prize, andin 1958, theUnion ofSoviet Writers put Pasternak ontrial andexpelled him fromthe union. Pasternak's health suffered as aresulted ofhis condemnation, andthe writer died in1960.

Afull 54 years later, Pasternak is now being honored with anexhibit atthe House Museum ofMarina Tsvetaeva, another Soviet author andclose friend ofPasternak who committed suicide in1941 after thearrest ofher husband anddaughter. Themain focus ofthe exhibit is aset ofphotographs ofPasternak taken byValery Avdeyev, agood friend ofPasternak.

Though Avdeyev was not aprofessional photographer, his portrait photographs, made inChistopol in1942, capture thewriter inpersonal moments, revealing more emotion than inmost ofhis photos.

Thewidow ofthe poet's son, Elena Pasternak, attended theexhibit's opening andshared her memories ofBoris, discussing his friendship with Avdeyev andTsvetaeva. Aselection ofPasternak's poems were also recited atthe exhibit opening byAntonina Kuznetsova, aprofessor atRussian University ofTheater Arts, or GITIS, andnational actress ofRussia.

Here is the original post:
Russian Writers Call for Free Speech as Pasternak's Birthday Celebrated