On the Path of Socialist Realism [Continued]

One of the most characteristic phenomena in our literary development after September 9, 1944, is the continuous influx of young, fresh creative forces into the ranks of our poetry. It can certainly be said that never before has our poetry been enriched so intensively and on such a broad front with young, reliable creative cadres. The removal of artificial barriers between literature and the people is one of the great conquests of our cultural revolution. As is known, this is a two-sided dialectical process, which is characterized by the wide penetration of literature among the people, among the many-million readership and by the raising of the spiritual level, the aesthetic education of this reader, by the cultivation and manifestation of his creative abilities. "Art belongs to the people," says Lenin, "it must penetrate with its deepest roots into the bosom of the broad masses of the people. It must be understandable to these masses and beloved by them. It must unite the feeling, thought and will of these masses, elevate them. It must awaken artists in them and develop them."