съветската

The history of Bulgarian Literature is long. Originating in the 9th century, it gradually achieved great conquests, had a beneficial impact on other Slavic peoples, while at the same time learning from the world's masters of the artistic word. Today, the work of writers, writers and poets is increasingly attracting the attention of scholars from different countries. This interest is constantly growing not only in old Bulgarian literature, when our literary thought reached an unusual flourishing for that time, but also in more recent periods, in the Revival and post-liberation literature, in the achievements of our contemporary artistic word. And if learned Slavists turn to our literary works in order to reveal their connections with the artistic thought of other peoples, to point out their historical and cognitive significance, to understand the general and specific laws of their development and the literary process in general, then thousands of readers reach for one or another work in order to relate to the past and present life of our people, to experience their long-standing, epic struggles for national Independence, social justice and cultural progress, to feel the pathos and heroism of today's glorious socialist modernity. This continuous interest also finds expression in numerous articles, essays, in a number of studies on specific issues, as well as in more general works. Recently, attempts have also appeared for a more comprehensive exposition of our literary development. Here too, Soviet science, continuing the traditions of Russian Slavic thought, works with its inherent scope, noting undoubted successes - the largest of which in recent times is the voluminous volume "Essays on the History of Bulgarian Literature of the 19th-20th Centuries", prepared by Bulgarian literary scholars at the Institute of Slavic Studies at the USSR Academy of Sciences, Moscow. Along with the many individual studies, articles, and books on specific historical and literary issues, we are already aware of some partial attempts by Soviet literary workers to give a popular systematic exposition of more comprehensive periods of our literary development. Without underestimating the importance of these attempts to popularize Bulgarian literature, it should be emphasized that they lag far behind the work prepared at the Institute of Slavic Studies. The team of "Essays on the History of Bulgarian Literature 19th-20th Centuries" has taken a much broader and more in-depth look at its task, has carried out significant research work and has achieved undoubted results. And what is even more important. This work is the first more comprehensive attempt to examine literary development over the last century from Marxist positions, to see literary phenomena in their complexity and contradictions, to summarize and explain them by a single scientific criterion.

This year, the famous French anti-fascist writer Jean-Paul Sartre visited the Soviet Union for the second time. A full seven years separate the date of his previous visit in 1955 from the current one. After his return, Sartre shared his impressions of the cultural life of Soviet society in several interviews. Of particular interest is his interview with the Warsaw weekly "Politika". It is dedicated to the beneficial changes that have occurred in Soviet culture and, more specifically, in literature after the 20th Congress of the CPSU. The Soviet press reprinted this interview (see the journal, Voprosy literatury, vol. 10, 1962), noting that it contains controversial moments. But the conclusion about the socialist perspective on contemporary art that Sartre reached is indisputable. Sartre's thoughts are indicative of the attractive impact that the successes of Soviet culture after the 20th and 22nd Congresses of the CPSU have on broad circles of progressive Western intelligentsia. Since we believe that it is also of interest to our reader, we publish the most essential parts of the interview. - Above all - says Sartre - what is striking in comparison with 1955 is the extraordinary diversity, breadth and versatility of intellectual interests, the spirit of healthy discussion, the free expression of different points of view, without which the cultural life of society is unthinkable.

We are including in abridged form Yevgeny Yevtushenko's statement on Soviet poetry, printed in the magazine "Young Communist", vol. 10, 1962, under the title "We are the heirs of great poetry". We are omitting the entire part of the statement dedicated to Russian classical poetry, in which one finds brilliant, penetrating characteristics of Russian poets. Yevtushenko is undoubtedly the most generously gifted, the brightest representative of the young generation of Soviet poets that took shape in the years after the 20th Congress of the CPSU. His poetry is characterized by a keen sensitivity to the civil and moral problems of socialist society, youthful intransigence to any Falsehood, dead ossification and bureaucratic arrogance. In it, the pure voice of incorruptible truth, deep sincerity and frankness, the civic excitement of a person inspired by the greatness and holiness of the communist ideal sound. His latest poems "Fears" and "Stalin's Heirs" testify to the civic maturity and manliness of the poet, to his keen eye, to his ability to see things in their essence and depth and not to be afraid to show them to us. It is precisely these qualities of his poetry that always gather full audiences and make Yevtushenko a favorite post of today's Soviet youth. Yevtushenko's article is directly related to the conversations about young Soviet poetry and to the All-Union Conference of Young Writers in Moscow in December of this year.

The Soviet Union is the country where the proletarian revolution first triumphed. With the successful construction of socialism in it, the cherished dream of humanity was realized - the construction of a classless society. A guiding star, a model and an example - this is what the country of the Soviets represents for the oppressed and exploited masses of the whole world! One of the main tasks facing the proletarian and anti-fascist press of the 1930s - to show the truth about the USSR, to propagate its successes - was also subordinated to the special task of the "RLF" - to inform its readers about the cultural development of the USSR and, in particular, about the successes of Soviet literature. The newspaper organized the first survey of its kind in our country about Soviet cinema, dedicated two special issues to Soviet books.

I am not aware of any other publication that has been made that was conceived and carried out by the small team of Stoyko Bozhkov, Stoyan Stoimenov and Hristo Dudevski. To search for numerous publications and documents relating to the penetration, spread and influence of Soviet literature in Bulgaria from the October Revolution to September 9, 1944, to organize the writing of memoirs by writers, cultural figures, book publishers, distributors and ordinary readers of Soviet books - this is a truly difficult task, but it turned out to be within the power of the three compilers and editors. First of all, it should be emphasized that they had set themselves a real and useful task. Real - because all three have the work of Soviet literature and Bulgarian-Soviet literary ties close to their hearts and have solid direct practical and research experience in this area. And mainly - because our history itself really offers a lot of material. And yet, it was inevitable that the implementation of the task would involve attention and effort for nearly 14 years - such a large volume of research, collection and editorial work had to be carried out. The two-volume collection "Soviet Literature in Bulgaria - 1918-1944" covers the penetration, distribution and influence not only of artistic and literary creation, but of Soviet literature in general - ideological (historical, philosophical, economic, aesthetic, pedagogical), natural science, etc. In addition, its scope partially includes the distribution and influence in Bulgaria of works of Soviet cinematography, music, theater, fine arts.

One of the most striking manifestations of the struggle of Bulgarian writers against capitalism and fascism is the founding and activity of the Union of Labor Writers. Labor writers! Today this concept is almost forgotten. It is connected with a certain period of political and literary development in Bulgaria - the beginning of the 1930s. This is a period of great revolutionary upsurge of the masses, a time when the clash between the exploited and the exploiters acquired such a sharp character that many expected it to end with an open armed conflict, with the overthrow of the fascist dictatorship. This is the time when, despite terror and violence, despite special laws for the protection of the state, the red communes reappeared in the country - the workers in a number of cities and villages won the elections and seized local power. Even Sofia, the capital of bourgeois-fascist Bulgaria, was captured! The initiative to create a unified anti-fascist union - the Union of Labor Writers - belongs to the proletarian writers, grouped around the newspaper "Workers' Literary Front". Already with the establishment of the Union - February 1932 - a decision was made to publish a special organ - the Front of Labor Writers", the first issue of which was published in June 1932. An important part of the activities of the Union of Labor Writers and its organ "Front" was occupied by problems of the Soviet Union and Soviet literature. This problem already occupies one of the central places in the draft platform of the Union. In point 3, the main task of the union was defined as: "Protection of Soviet culture and the USSR, against the preparing anti-Soviet war". The words with which the project ends are remarkable: Long live the USSR - the true fatherland of the workers and toilers of the whole world and the hearth of culture". Proletarian today and the universal tomorrow This attitude of writers, of the toilers in our country towards the Soviet Bulgarian Proletarian Union is the result of the deep traditions of the Bulgarian Communist Party of loyalty and devotion to internationalism, to the liberation cause of the proletariat. The Soviet Union is the country where the socialist revolution first won, it became the vanguard of all humanity in the struggle for the destruction of the hateful exploitative society, for the triumph of the communist ideal. This is why the USSR is the fatherland of all toilers of the whole world, it must be protected like the apple of the eye. The Soviet people are tracing the path to the future in all areas of life and their experience is a lesson and an example for all. In this spirit, the Bulgarian Communist Party has been educating its members and the entire working Bulgarian people for decades. people.

"Art and Criticism" is one of the few progressive publications that continued to be published even during the most difficult years of fascist terror in our country - during the Second World War, when Bulgaria was turned into a bridgehead for the Hitlerites, when the fighting anti-fascist forces defended the honor and freedom of the Bulgarian people with arms in hand. The editor of the magazine is Georgi Tsanev, a critic who brilliantly began his literary activity in the publications of the party and the Komsomol in the 1920s with the affirmation and passionate defense of the poetry of Smirnensky and of young Soviet literature. Later he fell into the nets of "Zlatorog" and for a whole decade the evil Torogshtina stifled his voice, killed his talent. The critic himself felt that this atmosphere was ruining him as a person and a creator and in the mid-1930s he sought to break with the magazine "Zlatorog". The first step was taken with the publication of "LIK". But Tsanev dreams of a magazine that would stand on anti-fascist positions, a magazine that, on the basis of high artistic achievements (a question that "Zlatorog" has always speculated on), would unite progressive and democratic writers. "Since the end of 1935," writes Tsanev, "I had planned to organize the publication of a literary magazine, the contributors of which would be anti-fascist writers. After long efforts and repeated attempts to obtain permission, this idea was able to be realized: in early 1938, "Art and Criticism" began to be published under my editorship and with the close participation of Hristo Radevski, Georgi Karaslavov, Iliya Beshkov, Lyubomir Pipkov, Orlin Vassilev, Georgi Raichev, Blenika, the young Pavel Vezhinov, Valery Petrov, Bogomil Raynov and other progressive writers."1

One of the first translators of Soviet literature in our country, from the time of its penetration in the 1920s, was Nikolai Khrelkov. A close friend of G. Milev, Khrelkov collaborated in his magazines, Libra (1919-1922) and Flame (1924-1925), mainly with articles and translations from Russian Soviet poetry. This activity of N. Khrelkov, which at that period completely absorbed the attention of our poet, was not appreciated in its merits - it was either ignored or considered as part of his fascination with the Russian symbolists. In fact, the author of Midnight Congress, like Geo Milev, turned his gaze to the young Soviet art. It attracted him with its revolutionary call, with its ideas and innovation.