Vsevolod Kochetov
Encyclopedia
Vsevolod Anissimovich Kochetov ' onMouseout='HidePop("24470")' href="/topics/Russian_Empire">Russian Empire
- 4 November 1973, Moscow
) was a Soviet Russian writer and cultural functionary. He has been described as a party dogmatist and as a classic of socialist realism
. Some of his writings were not well received by the official press, as Kochetov was considered too "reactionary
" even by Soviet standards of the 1960s.
, where he graduated in 1931 from a technical school and worked thereafter as an agronomist
, then as director of a Machine Tractor Station and of a state farm. In 1938 he became a reporter for the newspaper Leningradskaya Pravda. During the Second World War, Kochetov worked as a reporter for various newspapers at the Leningrad Front
.
From 1946, he devoted himself to literary activities (On the Plains of the Neva , described recollections of the war. His writings were characterized from the start with rigorous following of the political line. In 1952 he published the novel The Zhurbin Family , which portrays the life of a worker dynasty. It was adapted as the film A Big Family
. The book was re-published numerous times and translated into a number of languages.
His next novel, The Brothers Yershov, was composed as a sort of counterpoint to Vladimir Dudintsev
’s Not by Bread Alone
, but was criticized even in Pravda
for exaggerations. His last important work was the novel What Do You Want Then? .
As a pro-Soviet figure, Kochetov worked for numerous years as a cultural functionary and maintained a militant communist attitude, always wary of liberal
or pro-Western influences. For example, when Ilya Ehrenburg
's memoirs were published, Kochetov complained of certain writers “burrowing in the rubbish heaps of their crackpot memories.”
As a bureaucrat, on the other hand, he managed to help his colleagues in need, including those he strongly disagreed with. Kochetov was awarded a number of awards (Order of Lenin
etc.). From 1955 to 1959 he was the editor in chief of Literaturnaya Gazeta
, from 1961 editor in chief of the journal Oktyabr'
, which was in effect the conservative counterpart to Tvardovsky's Novyy Mir, a more liberal journal that published texts of dissident authors like Solzhenitsyn.
In the novel What Do You Want Then?, Kochetov treats mercilessly phenomena that he had always opposed and criticized. The novel has been compared with a pamphlet
. The author rejects the values of the Western world, criticizes ‘bourgeois propaganda‘, the alleged lack of vigilance among the Soviet people, that enables the class enemies and Western "imperialists" to further their goal of undermining socialism
. The plot includes a number of disguised Western agents, including а former SS man, who have been sent to the USSR to pursue subversive activities and "corrupt" the Soviet youth. The novel was not well received by Pravda
and was never again published in Russia. Twenty Soviet intellectuals signed a letter of protest against the publication of such an "obscurantist" work. Kochetov intended the novel as a Soviet version of The Possessed.
A number of parodies of the novel were written by Russian intellectuals and circulated in samizdat
), e.g. (Why Are You Laughing Then?), which alludes to the novel The Brothers Yershov (in that text referred to as The Brothers Yezhov
).
Kochetov apparently committed suicide in 1973, as pains caused by cancer became intolerable. It is sometimes noted that his stoic, manly decision actually reconciled him with some of his opponents of his lifetime.
Patricia Blake wrote of her 1962 interview with him:
Russian Empire
The Russian Empire was a state that existed from 1721 until the Russian Revolution of 1917. It was the successor to the Tsardom of Russia and the predecessor of the Soviet Union...
- 4 November 1973, Moscow
Moscow
Moscow is the capital, the most populous city, and the most populous federal subject of Russia. The city is a major political, economic, cultural, scientific, religious, financial, educational, and transportation centre of Russia and the continent...
) was a Soviet Russian writer and cultural functionary. He has been described as a party dogmatist and as a classic of socialist realism
Socialist realism
Socialist realism is a style of realistic art which was developed in the Soviet Union and became a dominant style in other communist countries. Socialist realism is a teleologically-oriented style having its purpose the furtherance of the goals of socialism and communism...
. Some of his writings were not well received by the official press, as Kochetov was considered too "reactionary
Reactionary
The term reactionary refers to viewpoints that seek to return to a previous state in a society. The term is meant to describe one end of a political spectrum whose opposite pole is "radical". While it has not been generally considered a term of praise it has been adopted as a self-description by...
" even by Soviet standards of the 1960s.
Biography
Kochetov was born into a peasant family, the youngest of eight children, all but three of whom died of hunger or illness during the First World War. His impoverished parents were unable to care for him, and he left home in 1927, moving from Novgorod to LeningradSaint Petersburg
Saint Petersburg is a city and a federal subject of Russia located on the Neva River at the head of the Gulf of Finland on the Baltic Sea...
, where he graduated in 1931 from a technical school and worked thereafter as an agronomist
Agronomist
An agronomist is a scientist who specializes in agronomy, which is the science of utilizing plants for food, fuel, feed, and fiber. An agronomist is an expert in agricultural and allied sciences, with the exception veterinary sciences.Agronomists deal with interactions between plants, soils, and...
, then as director of a Machine Tractor Station and of a state farm. In 1938 he became a reporter for the newspaper Leningradskaya Pravda. During the Second World War, Kochetov worked as a reporter for various newspapers at the Leningrad Front
Leningrad Front
The Leningrad Front was first formed on August 27, 1941, by dividing the Northern Front into the Leningrad Front and Karelian Front, during the German approach on Leningrad .-History:...
.
From 1946, he devoted himself to literary activities (On the Plains of the Neva , described recollections of the war. His writings were characterized from the start with rigorous following of the political line. In 1952 he published the novel The Zhurbin Family , which portrays the life of a worker dynasty. It was adapted as the film A Big Family
A Big Family
A Big Family is a 1954 Soviet drama film directed by Iosif Kheifits. It was entered into the 1955 Cannes Film Festival. It was based on Vsevolod Kochetov's novel Zhurbiny.-Cast:* Sergei Lukyanov - Matvei Zhurbin...
. The book was re-published numerous times and translated into a number of languages.
His next novel, The Brothers Yershov, was composed as a sort of counterpoint to Vladimir Dudintsev
Vladimir Dudintsev
Vladimir Dimitrievich Dudintsev was a Ukrainian-born Russian writer who gained fame for his 1956 novel, Not by Bread Alone, published at the time of the Khruschev Thaw....
’s Not by Bread Alone
Not by Bread Alone
Not by Bread Alone is a 1956 novel by the Soviet author Vladimir Dudintsev. The novel, published in installments in the journal Novy Mir, was a sensation in the USSR...
, but was criticized even in Pravda
Pravda
Pravda was a leading newspaper of the Soviet Union and an official organ of the Central Committee of the Communist Party between 1912 and 1991....
for exaggerations. His last important work was the novel What Do You Want Then? .
As a pro-Soviet figure, Kochetov worked for numerous years as a cultural functionary and maintained a militant communist attitude, always wary of liberal
Liberalism
Liberalism is the belief in the importance of liberty and equal rights. Liberals espouse a wide array of views depending on their understanding of these principles, but generally, liberals support ideas such as constitutionalism, liberal democracy, free and fair elections, human rights,...
or pro-Western influences. For example, when Ilya Ehrenburg
Ilya Ehrenburg
Ilya Grigoryevich Ehrenburg was a Soviet writer, journalist, translator, and cultural figure.Ehrenburg is among the most prolific and notable authors of the Soviet Union; he published around one hundred titles. He became known first and foremost as a novelist and a journalist - in particular, as a...
's memoirs were published, Kochetov complained of certain writers “burrowing in the rubbish heaps of their crackpot memories.”
As a bureaucrat, on the other hand, he managed to help his colleagues in need, including those he strongly disagreed with. Kochetov was awarded a number of awards (Order of Lenin
Order of Lenin
The Order of Lenin , named after the leader of the Russian October Revolution, was the highest decoration bestowed by the Soviet Union...
etc.). From 1955 to 1959 he was the editor in chief of Literaturnaya Gazeta
Literaturnaya Gazeta
Literaturnaya Gazeta is a weekly cultural and political newspaper published in Russia and Soviet Union.- Overview :...
, from 1961 editor in chief of the journal Oktyabr'
Oktyabr'
Oktyabr may refer to:*Oktyabr, Azerbaijan, a village in Azerbaijan*Oktyabr', Osh, a village in Kyrgyzstan*Oktyabr', Jalal-Abad, a village in Kyrgyzstan*Oktyabr, Russia, name of several rural localities in Russia...
, which was in effect the conservative counterpart to Tvardovsky's Novyy Mir, a more liberal journal that published texts of dissident authors like Solzhenitsyn.
In the novel What Do You Want Then?, Kochetov treats mercilessly phenomena that he had always opposed and criticized. The novel has been compared with a pamphlet
Pamphlet
A pamphlet is an unbound booklet . It may consist of a single sheet of paper that is printed on both sides and folded in half, in thirds, or in fourths , or it may consist of a few pages that are folded in half and saddle stapled at the crease to make a simple book...
. The author rejects the values of the Western world, criticizes ‘bourgeois propaganda‘, the alleged lack of vigilance among the Soviet people, that enables the class enemies and Western "imperialists" to further their goal of undermining socialism
Socialism
Socialism is an economic system characterized by social ownership of the means of production and cooperative management of the economy; or a political philosophy advocating such a system. "Social ownership" may refer to any one of, or a combination of, the following: cooperative enterprises,...
. The plot includes a number of disguised Western agents, including а former SS man, who have been sent to the USSR to pursue subversive activities and "corrupt" the Soviet youth. The novel was not well received by Pravda
Pravda
Pravda was a leading newspaper of the Soviet Union and an official organ of the Central Committee of the Communist Party between 1912 and 1991....
and was never again published in Russia. Twenty Soviet intellectuals signed a letter of protest against the publication of such an "obscurantist" work. Kochetov intended the novel as a Soviet version of The Possessed.
A number of parodies of the novel were written by Russian intellectuals and circulated in samizdat
Samizdat
Samizdat was a key form of dissident activity across the Soviet bloc in which individuals reproduced censored publications by hand and passed the documents from reader to reader...
), e.g. (Why Are You Laughing Then?), which alludes to the novel The Brothers Yershov (in that text referred to as The Brothers Yezhov
Nikolai Yezhov
Nikolai Ivanovich Yezhov or Ezhov was a senior figure in the NKVD under Joseph Stalin during the period of the Great Purge. His reign is sometimes known as the "Yezhovshchina" , "the Yezhov era", a term that began to be used during the de-Stalinization campaign of the 1950s...
).
Kochetov apparently committed suicide in 1973, as pains caused by cancer became intolerable. It is sometimes noted that his stoic, manly decision actually reconciled him with some of his opponents of his lifetime.
Patricia Blake wrote of her 1962 interview with him:
In appearance, Kochetov is anything but the rough-and-ready proletarian his novels evoke. Except for his unpleasantly thin lips, he is a handsome man with fine features and a slim figure. He was impeccably dressed in a business-like dark suit, white shirt, and striped tie. ...
Kochetov was eager to talk but evidently wished to say nothing. Never before had I met a man so composed in the face of disagreeable questions, and so adroit at parrying them. ... Here, clearly was a profoundly embittered man. When he spoke about his early life I began to sense the private passions engaged in his battle against the new intelligentsia. ... Kochetov made it the hard way, and his novels are paeans to the proletariat, to men of his own experience. What can such a man feel about the young writers who have recently risen to fame by way of no harder school than the Gorky Literary Institute? I put it to him, and he replied: 'This one writes rubbish . . . that one has no ideas . . . he is also a fraud . . . not worth speaking about.' ...
We shook hands in the corridor, and he put his hand on my shoulder and said, 'You see, I'm not quite so bad as you imagined, am I? Please tell your readers that I don't eat people, that I don't swallow babies in one gulp!'
Works
- On the Plains of the Neva
- The Zhurbin Family
- The Brothers Yershov (1958)
- What Do You Want Then?