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Arts/Review

GORKY: A Biography. By Henri Troy-
cot. Translated from the French by
Lowell Bair. Crown Publishing. $26.95.
At the People’s Co-op Bookstore.

The renowned Russian revolutionary

for his association with Lenin and the
Bolsheviks — a relationship that both
pre-dated and followed the 1917 revolu-
tion — as he is for his novels and short
stories. What may be less well known is
his rocky relationship with the forces that
ushered in a new epoch in history.

- French biographer Henri Troycot,
himself Russian-born, has investigated
the lives of several of Russia’s socially
conscious writers. This new work on
Maxim Gorky will challenge some pre-
conceptions about the author of Mother
and City of the Yellow Devil.

Born Alexy Maxim Peshkiv in 1868,
Gorky, following his mother’s death
when he was 11, was forced to leave

~. home by a brutal grandfather.

This biography tells us that Gorky
was first introduced to books by the cook
on a steamboat where he was hired as a
galley boy. His first book, Sketches and
Stones, was published in Moscow in
1898.

To the young intellectuals who had
been impatiently waiting fora champion
against the established order, Gorky
came just at the right time.

In 1905, Gorky, who was by then a
well-known and popular writer, estab-
lished with others the first legal Bol-
shevik paper, a daily called New Life. He
also met Lenin, who admired Gorky and
his criticisms of the bourgeoisie, but
deplored, Troycot tell us, his sentimental
attachments to liberal intelligentsia.

Gorky was not a member of the Social
Democratic Party, but he remained loyal
to the Bolsheviks throughout his life. In
1907 he was sent to the United States to
escape arrest for his role in an abortive
strike in Moscow, and to raise funds for
the party treasury.

That effort ended in scandal after it
was discovered the woman Gorky was
travelling with was not his wife. The
couple subsequently settled on Italy’s Isle
of Capri for seven years.

Returning to Moscow in December
1913, Gorky was received by cheering
crowds. However, Troycot writes, Gorky-
was critical of what he felt were unduly
harsh Bolshevik tactics on the eve of the
revolution. He denounced these in his
editorials in New Life, accusing Lenin of
being a slave to dogma and questioning
whether a nation with millions of illiter-
ate and socially uneducated people could
achieve anything more than bloodshed
in revolution.

writer Maxim Gorky is as well known —

At odds with, yet loyal
to, Bolshevik cause

New Life was subsequently shut down

on Lenin’s order, Troycot writes. The-

Bolshevik leader explained, at a public
meeting, “In the present circumstances,
when it is important to rouse the nations
to defend the revolution, all intellectual
pessimism is harmful.”

But Lenin was also confident the fam-
ous author and Bolshevik supporter
would come on side: “Gorky is our man!
He will come back to us. He has gone
through political zig-zags before.”

Gorky remained openly critical of
Bolshevik methods, and while Lenin for-
gave the verbal outbursts, he admon-
ished him: “How is it possible to be
humane in this incredible ferocious fight?
Where is there a place for security and
magnanimity?”

By 1921 the Bolsheviks were anxious
to re-establish relations with the rest of
Europe, so Gorky, in failing health,
became the Soviet emissary.

In Europe he wrote voraciously and
he gave lectures, drew up petitions and
arranged collections of money for fam-
ine victims. In spite of the purges of intel-
lectuals by the Soviet government, he
remained loyal. He wrote: “I feel it is
necessary to state that, for me, Soviet
political power is the only force capable
of overcoming the inertia of the Russian
masses; of arousing their energy and
bringing them to forms of life more just
and rational. But, my nature prevents me
from siding with the attitude of Soviet
political power towards the intelligent-
sia.”

When Gorky returned to the Soviet
Union Lenin was dead and Stalin was in
power. Gorky was worried by the high
level purges going on in the party, but
had reassured himself that power in one
man’s hands was probably necessary for
the regeneration of a country “by nature
apathetic and disorderly.”

He died, June 18, 1936, at the age of 68
and Stalin gave him a state funeral. The
anti-climax of his death began 20 months
later when several prominent persons,
including Gorky’s doctor, were tried for
the “medical assassination” of Gorky
and his son Max, who predeceased the
author by several years. Eighteen
defendants were either executed or
imprisoned.

In Troycot’s opinion, Stalin had used
the death of their greatest Soviet writer to
eliminate all those whose popularity
appeared dangerous to his own personal
ascendancy.

This book is really fascinating to read.

It is the price of two cases of beer and
would make a wonderful gift.

— Jonnie Rankin

MayWorks’ song winners

won top prize in songwriting contest.

Burnaby library worker Linda Chobo-
tuck is the winner of the MayWorks song-
writing contest, the Slim Evans Society has
announced.

Chobotuck’s entry,,““So Lucky to Have
Office Work,” was the top pick of nine
entries judged by a three-member panel.

The top prize in the Songs of Work and
Protest contest — focussing on occupa-
tional health and safety — means the
winner can record the tune at a professional
studio with a full band.

Second prize — an unaccompanied
recording session — was taken by B.C.
Government Employees Union member
Clem Yeo-West for “Peter LeMay,” con-
cerning a postal worker who committed
suicide after being fired by Canada Post and
whose death sparked a walkout.

Veteran B.C. folk balladeer Joe Irving of
Castlegar took third prize, a choice of four
labour albums, with “Red Iron, Hard Rock
and Deep Water.” The song concerns the
ironworkers who died constructing the

Library worker Linda Chobotuck, a frequent performer atthe yearly Labour Festival,

Second Narrows bridge in Vancouver S€V-
eral years ago.

The panel, consisting of Cathy Walker of
the ‘Canadian Association of Industrial,
Mechanical and Allied Workers, Larry.
Staufman of the United Food and Com-
mercial Workers, and Vancouver Folk
Music Festival director Gary Cristall, also
gave honourable mention to two further —
entries: “Scotia Cape” by Vancouver
shoreworker Michel Drouin of the United —
Fishermen and Allied Workers Union, and
“Back Breakin’ Work” by United Steel-
workers member B.M. Garland of Marys- —
ville.

Chobotuck, a one-time member of the
folk-choral group, Bargain at Half the —
Price, has written songs for several years,
including “New Wind Blowing” on Bar-
gain’s 1977 album. More recently, CBC
radio recorded ‘Piano Man,” a satire on —
Bill Vander Zalm as part of a program on
opposition to Socred policies, and her song
“Canning Salmon” has been sung by sev-
eral local groups, including Stringband. —

This film goes to the dog

K-9. Starring James Belushi, Jerry Lee. At
Cineplex:Odeon theatres.

Narcotics detective Duley (James Belu-
shi) can’t find a partner, perhaps because he
totals every car he touches. He ends up with
officer Jerry Lee, a German Shepherd.
Needless to say, Jerry Lee performs super-
bly and will win the hearts of theatre-goers.

Belushi does a good job as Duley, some-
thing like Eddie Murphy’s character in 48
Hours. He is an unconventional, bungling
yet charming detective who ignores a few
police procedures that ensure some civil
rights and he gives the “bad guys” a really
tough time.

Radio: CBC-AM presents an
intriguing five-part series en-
titled, From Commons to Catas-
trophe: The Destruction of the
Forests, on the nightly show,
Ideas, running June 5-9, 9:05-10
p.m. This series documents the
rapid and alarming destruction
of the world’s life-giving green
cover, dealing with forest clear- -
ing in North America, Europe,
Asia and South America. While
sounding a warning, it’s not all
gloom and doom, say CBC’s

CBC airs series on disappearing forests

PR people: the series also
details the campaigns waged by
Brazil’s natives, and forest
dwellers in Malaysia and India.

* * *

The stage: This sounds like a
weird one, but anyway, Firehall
Theatre in Vancouver is hosting
the play, Orphans, an Equity
Co-op Production that tells the
tale of two brothers who play
host to a gangster on the lam. It

began June 2 and runs through
July 2. A special benefit per-
formance for underprivileged
children is slated for July 1.
Tickets are $12-$10 Fridays
and Saturdays, $10-$8 Tuesday
to Thursday and Sundays, Sat-
urday matinee is $6.

The Vancouver East Cultural
Centre features British folk sin-
ger June Tabor in concert Wed-
nesday, June 7, 8 p.m. Tickets
are $12, phone 254-9578.

10 e Pacific Tribune, June 5, 1989

Like many of these poorly scripted Hol-
lywood films, it is full of car chases, violence
and a little romance. Yet it does little to
provide a moving human experience.

Perhaps that’s too much to ask for. So
plunk down your hard-earned dollars if this
looks good to you. You’ll love the dog.

— May Rialto
People’s Daily World

This movie’s
got it right

GETTING IT RIGHT. Starring Lynn Red-
grave, John Gielgud, Helena Bonham Car-
ter, Jesse Birdsall. Directed by Randal —
Kleiser. At Famous Players theatres.

Here is a sweet love story, set in London,
about a shy, sensitive 31-year old virgin with
a great profile (Jesse Birdsall). He has spent
his life dreaming about the wonderful rela-
tionship he’s done nothing to achieve.

Then he goes to a party and begins a
series of interactions where people fall like
flies all around because of heartbreaking
love-failures, while he proceeds to make
honest, well-considered decisions. Lucky
Euy. . .

There is lots of attention to detail. Our
hero’s hair loosens up and his clothes
change from polyester to cotton in step with

~ the changes in his lifestyle. A terrific sup-

porting cast is included. ;
— Alice Sunshine
People’s Daily World —