◆ SpookStack

of he thusiasm for O. Henry, Mark Twain, the Russiar 'qs. sics alu a few of the better Soviet writers. Even thoug foreign works in this reading material give the Russians an outdated and distorted picture of the outside world (based, for example, on such assiduously reprinted wbrks as Uncle Tont's Cabin). still they are steeping themselves in much of the world's greatest literature. Despite the selective process that determines that is being made available to Russian readers gives them a view of man, the worid and the meaning of life that is far too rich and complex to ft easily into the conines of Marxist-Leninist doctrine. What is more, present trends in Soviet book publish- ing point in the direction of greater variety in the future. The most startling and encouraging news in recent Soviet literary history was the announcement we heard informal!y during our visit (which was confirmed in the Soviet press a few months later) that the frst sizab!e edition of Dostoevski's works to appear in the Soviet Union since the 1920's would be published during 1956 as a part of the observance of the 75th anniversary ef his death. Of scarce!y less significance as a sign of the times is the announcement that the 125th anniversary of the birth of Nikolai Leskov will be commemorated with a 12-volume edition of his seleeted writings, which will include numerous works that have not been republished since the Soviet Revolution. Probably no other writers of their stature in all Russian literature ft so ill into the framework of Marxist-Leninist orthodoxy, and these two editions of their works are significant literary events. No one who has read The Brothers Karamazor or The Possessed will fail to see the clear contradiction between pub- lishing these works of Dostoevski and attempting to impose Marxist-Leninist orthodoxy upon the whole Soviet popula- tion. It is such contradictions as these that should make foreign observers beware of easy generalizations about Soviet reality. Who can say what fruits of the spirit may yet come forth in some distant- or not so distant- future out of just such con tradictions as these? 67