Vitaliy Ozerov

In recent years, Soviet criticism and literary studies have been characterized by very lively theoretical discussions and creative disputes. The peculiarity of these disputes lies in the fact that they are conducted not by people who hold opposing political and aesthetic positions, but by like-minded people on the main points, who discuss one or another problem and the possible ways of resolving it. Recently, a lively discussion has developed on the issue of the diversity of forms and styles in the art of socialist realism, on artistic convention, on the modern hero. The polemic about the positive hero is not the first time that this problem has not yet found comprehensive illumination in aesthetic science, and in this circumstance we cannot but see a serious drawback of our work. Now it would be a clear anachronism to argue about whether the positive hero is necessary or unnecessary, whether he should or should not be the center of attention of socialist realist artists. The participants in the creative discussions taking place in the Soviet Union are united in their determined struggle against bourgeois writers and revisionists who vainly try to ridicule and discredit the heroic, affirmative pathos of socialist art.

I will be very pleased to fulfill the request of the editorial board of the magazine "Literary Thought" and tell you about the plans of our magazine. Recently, "Questions of Literature" published a similar statement by the editor-in-chief of our related literary organ in Bulgaria, Dr. P. Zarev, and the exchange of this kind of information is, in my opinion, a practical implementation of our literary contact. We can hope - things are going so well that Soviet and Bulgarian critics and literary scholars will not only be better informed about what has been done by each other, but will also more often participate in the common solution of certain research problems. That is why it is all the more important to know what problems interest each of the two countries. Our work this year will be marked by preparations for the upcoming XXII Congress of the CPSU. Since the congress will review an important historical period and adopt a new program of the party - the program of building communism - this obliges literary figures to understand the path of its development, to think more deeply about the laws of the construction of the great art of communism, about the distinctive features of this art. That is why the section "On a Contemporary Theme", with which each issue of our magazine opens, should be not only sufficient in volume, but also acutely problematic, including articles of a generalizing nature, analyzing the process of literary development in the conditions of victorious socialism. Introductory articles are planned in each issue on the work of critics and literary scholars in contemporary conditions; the titles: "Criticism and the Ideological Struggle", "Criticism and Life", Socialist Aesthetics - at a New Level", "Criticism and the Aesthetic Education of the People". The articles in the section "On a Contemporary Theme" should examine what literature has already achieved and outline further paths for a deeper artistic understanding of life, for higher mastery. Our plan includes works on the following topics: the in-depth reflection of the contemporary theme in literature (V. Survilo), labor and man (by M. Kuznetsov), combative Soviet humanism and abstract, contemplative humanism (V. Ozerov), the problem of building a new person in literary works (V. Baskakov), the moral and ethical theme in art (S. Koritnaya), Literature and village life (F. Svetov), ​​the search for new forms in art (S. Gaysaryan), the civic nature of young poetry (R. Kopilova), etc. In addition, reviews of the state of individual literary genres will be published: prose (T. Trifonova), journalism (V. Litvinov), etc. In a number of articles and publications we intend to develop the important topic of the party nature of literature and to show with concrete facts how fruitful the party's Leadership of Literature is, the new forms and methods that the party is applying with enormous benefit in today's conditions. In general, the magazine sees its task in analyzing those new features and peculiarities of the literary process and the entire course of literary life, which developed especially strongly precisely in the period of our life, marked by the decisions of the Twentieth Congress of the CPSU.

Literary studies and literary criticism in the Soviet Union are at a new stage of their development, which passes under the sign of the historic decisions of the 20th and 22nd Congresses of the CPSU. Now all the necessary conditions are in place for a new upsurge of literary criticism and science. They are determined exclusively by the beneficial atmosphere that the Communist Party created in the country. The liquidation of the cult of Stalin's personality, the defeat of the anti-party group caused a stormy revival in public and scientific life, in ideological work. The program of the CPSU, adopted at the 22nd Congress, inspired the Soviet people for new creative tasks, armed them for a practical struggle for communism, for communist culture. It is known that the cult of Stalin's personality caused great harm to ideological work. In his speech to the 21st Congress, the Secretary of the Central Committee of the CPSU L. F. Ilyichov said: "In the atmosphere of the cult of personality, theory and social sciences could not develop fruitfully. The question was: will theory continue to keep pace with life and illuminate the path of practice, or will it become ossified? At the 20th Congress, the party resolved this issue in favor of the creative development of Marxism-Leninism." These words can be fully applied to literature and art, as well as to literary science. At the general meeting of the Department of Literature and Language at the Academy of Sciences of the USSR, I. Anisimov pointed out: "Literary scholars completely agree with these words, because they were convinced from their own experience how difficult it was in the early 1950s to undertake major scientific research, the urgency of which was imperiously dictated by life."

1967 is a special year in the life of Soviet society, of Soviet literature. For us, the fiftieth anniversary of the October Socialist Revolution is both a solemn holiday, and a business review of our work, and a determination of its further prospects. Broad opportunities have opened up before researchers of literature for solving all the problems of artistic creativity in the historical projection of the half-century development of the new art, from the tested positions of Marxist-Leninist scientific thought. This fully applies to the journal "Questions of Literature", which in April enters the eleventh anniversary of its existence. Each issue of our journal in 1967 will open a large section "Before the 50th anniversary of October". But all other materials are also connected in one way or another with the fifty-year experience of social and cultural construction, of the struggle for socialist realism.

Rapid growth - with these words I would characterize the development of literature and literary science in the People's Republic of Bulgaria. Before our eyes, with each passing year, Bulgarian literature conquers new and new ideological and artistic achievements. What attracts me personally to it is the expansion of the subject matter, the depth of the struggle, the sense of historical optimism, the understanding of dramatic and life-affirming pathos. It was precisely such a feeling that overwhelmed me, a layman, but sincerely loving Bulgarian art, when I read and reread the books of D. Dimov and E. Stanev, of G. Karaslavov and K. Kalchev, of D. Talev and A. Gulyashki, of D. Fuchedzhiev, N. Khaitov and many other talented prose writers. What I am saying clearly does not apply only to prose. In May of this year, Days of Bulgarian Culture were held. E. Bagryana, L. Stefanova, M. Isaev, N. Zidarov read their poems at the Central House of Writers. Their poetry captivated the listeners with the power and brightness of the feeling associated with deep philosophical thought.