Stalin in Russian Satire, 1917–1991 Stalin in Russian Satire, 1917–1991 Karen L. Ryan The University of Wisconsin Press Publication of this volume has been made possible, in part, through support from the University of Virginia. The University ofWisconsin Press 1930 Monroe Street, 3rd Floor Madison, Wisconsin 53711-2059 uwpress.wisc.edu 3 Henrietta Street London WC2E 8LU, England Copyright © 2009 The Board ofRegents ofthe University ofWisconsin System Allrightsreserved.Nopartof thispublicationmaybereproduced,storedinaretrievalsystem, or transmitted,inanyformatorbyanymeans,digital,electronic,mechanical,photocopying, recording,orotherwise,orconveyedviatheInternetoraWebsitewithoutwrittenpermission of the University of Wisconsin Press, except in the case of brief quotations embedded in critical articles and reviews. 1 3 5 4 2 Printed in the United States ofAmerica Library ofCongress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Ryan, Karen L., 1958– Stalin in Russian satire, 1917–1991 / Karen L. Ryan. p. cm. Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN 978-0-299-23444-7 (pbk.: alk. paper) ISBN 978-0-299-23443-0 (e-book) 1. Stalin, Joseph, 1879–1953—In literature. 2. Satire, Russian—History and criticism. I. Title. PG3026.S3R945 2009 891.7´7009351—dc22 2009012834 For Katie Chris Ben Pat Contents Acknowledgments viii Note on Translation and Transliteration ix Introduction 3 1 The Insanity Defense 14 2 A Bestiary of Stalins 48 3 Stalin in a Dress 75 4 The Monster Lurks Within 93 5 The Devil Made Us Do It 120 6 The Corpse and the Revenant 156 Conclusion 179 Notes 183 Bibliography 217 Index 235 vii Acknowledgments Publication of this book was supported, in part, by the College of Arts and Sciences and the Vice President for Research of the University of Virginia. I also owe thanks to many individuals for their confidence in and enthusiasm for the project. My friends and colleagues in the Dean’s Office in the College of Arts and Sciences at the University of Virginia were unfailingly encour- aging and accommodating for seven years. My students—perhaps unbe- knownst to them—were of great help in the writing of this book; they dis- cussed most of the ideas included in it and offered valuable insights in my classes and seminars. I am especially grateful to Gordon Braden for his gen- erous reading of an early version of the manuscript and for his suggestions for revision. My children, to whom this book is dedicated, were my guiding lights throughout. viii Note on Translation and Transliteration All English translations in the text and notes are mine. In some cases, I have included excerpts from the Russian original to demonstrate important stylistic or linguistic features. The system of transliteration from Cyrillic used in this book is based on that of the Library of Congress. I have, however, omitted diacritics except in notes and the bibliography. I have also chosen to eliminate the soft sign from proper names throughout the text. Proper names that have become standard in common usage are used. ix