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H. G. Wells : Russia in the Shadows
Russia in the Shadows is a book by H. G. Wells published early in 1921, which includes a series of articles previously printed in The Sunday Express in connection with Wells's second visit to Russia (after a previous trip in January 1914 to St. Petersburg and Moscow) in September and October 1920. Wells was at the height of his fame, having recently completed The Outline of History, and was paid 1000 for the articles by the Sunday Express. During his visit to Russia he visited his old friend Maxim Gorky, whom he had first met in 1906 on a trip to the United States, and who arranged Wells's meeting with Lenin.
Wells portrayed Russia as recovering from a total social collapse, "the completest that has ever happened to any modern social organisation." He minimized the role of the Bolsheviks in the fall of the Russian state, and presented this explanation of their "While all the rest of Russia was either apathetic like the peasantry or garrulously at sixes and sevens or given over to violence or fear, the Communists were prepared to act."
In a chapter devoted to an interview with Lenin at the Kremlin Wells describes the leader and founder of Russian communism. Wells portrays Lenin as a pragmatic leader who "has recently stripped off the last pretence that the Russian revolution is anything more than the inauguration of an age of limitless experiment."
While Wells in Russia in the Shadows, as always, rejects Marxism on principle (Das Kapital impresses him as "a monument of pretentious pedantry"), he argues that "we should understand and respect the professions and principles of the Bolsheviki" in order to make a "helpful intervention" in Russia, lest its social collapse drag down Western civilization with it.
Wells portrayed Russia as recovering from a total social collapse, "the completest that has ever happened to any modern social organisation." He minimized the role of the Bolsheviks in the fall of the Russian state, and presented this explanation of their "While all the rest of Russia was either apathetic like the peasantry or garrulously at sixes and sevens or given over to violence or fear, the Communists were prepared to act."
In a chapter devoted to an interview with Lenin at the Kremlin Wells describes the leader and founder of Russian communism. Wells portrays Lenin as a pragmatic leader who "has recently stripped off the last pretence that the Russian revolution is anything more than the inauguration of an age of limitless experiment."
While Wells in Russia in the Shadows, as always, rejects Marxism on principle (Das Kapital impresses him as "a monument of pretentious pedantry"), he argues that "we should understand and respect the professions and principles of the Bolsheviki" in order to make a "helpful intervention" in Russia, lest its social collapse drag down Western civilization with it.
79 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 1920
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About the author
H.G. Wells
5,365 books11.1k followersHerbert George Wells was born to a working class family in Kent, England. Young Wells received a spotty education, interrupted by several illnesses and family difficulties, and became a draper's apprentice as a teenager. The headmaster of Midhurst Grammar School, where he had spent a year, arranged for him to return as an "usher," or student teacher. Wells earned a government scholarship in 1884, to study biology under Thomas Henry Huxley at the Normal School of Science. Wells earned his bachelor of science and doctor of science degrees at the University of London. After marrying his cousin, Isabel, Wells began to supplement his teaching salary with short stories and freelance articles, then books, including The Time Machine (1895), The Island of Dr. Moreau (1896), The Invisible Man (1897), and The War of the Worlds (1898).
Wells created a mild scandal when he divorced his cousin to marry one of his best students, Amy Catherine Robbins. Although his second marriage was lasting and produced two sons, Wells was an unabashed advocate of free (as opposed to "indiscriminate") love. He continued to openly have extra-marital liaisons, most famously with Margaret Sanger, and a ten-year relationship with the author Rebecca West, who had one of his two out-of-wedlock children. A one-time member of the Fabian Society, Wells sought active change. His 100 books included many novels, as well as nonfiction, such as A Modern Utopia (1905), The Outline of History (1920), A Short History of the World (1922), The Shape of Things to Come (1933), and The Work, Wealth and Happiness of Mankind (1932). One of his booklets was Crux Ansata, An Indictment of the Roman Catholic Church. Although Wells toyed briefly with the idea of a "divine will" in his book, God the Invisible King (1917), it was a temporary aberration. Wells used his international fame to promote his favorite causes, including the prevention of war, and was received by government officials around the world. He is best-remembered as an early writer of science fiction and futurism.
He was also an outspoken socialist. Wells and Jules Verne are each sometimes referred to as "The Fathers of Science Fiction". D. 1946.
More: http://philosopedia.org/index.php/H._...
http://www.online-literature.com/well...
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http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/H._G._Wells
Wells created a mild scandal when he divorced his cousin to marry one of his best students, Amy Catherine Robbins. Although his second marriage was lasting and produced two sons, Wells was an unabashed advocate of free (as opposed to "indiscriminate") love. He continued to openly have extra-marital liaisons, most famously with Margaret Sanger, and a ten-year relationship with the author Rebecca West, who had one of his two out-of-wedlock children. A one-time member of the Fabian Society, Wells sought active change. His 100 books included many novels, as well as nonfiction, such as A Modern Utopia (1905), The Outline of History (1920), A Short History of the World (1922), The Shape of Things to Come (1933), and The Work, Wealth and Happiness of Mankind (1932). One of his booklets was Crux Ansata, An Indictment of the Roman Catholic Church. Although Wells toyed briefly with the idea of a "divine will" in his book, God the Invisible King (1917), it was a temporary aberration. Wells used his international fame to promote his favorite causes, including the prevention of war, and was received by government officials around the world. He is best-remembered as an early writer of science fiction and futurism.
He was also an outspoken socialist. Wells and Jules Verne are each sometimes referred to as "The Fathers of Science Fiction". D. 1946.
More: http://philosopedia.org/index.php/H._...
http://www.online-literature.com/well...
http://www.hgwellsusa.50megs.com/
http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/t...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/H._G._Wells
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March 8, 2021"The crude Marxist philosophy which divides all men into bourgeoisie and proletariat, which sees all social life as a stupidly simple "class of war", had no knowledge of the conditions necessary for the collective mental life"
"Marxist Communism has always been a theory of revolution, a theory not merely lacking in creative and constructive ideas, but hostile to creative and hostile ideas. Every Communist orator has been trained to contemn "Utopianism"..."
This is a remarkable "historical" work, as it started with some positive expectations regarding the revolution-Russia and progressed through disappointment as Wells traveled across a nation beset by destruction and “ruin”.
As he put it: “Ruin; that’s the primary basic Russian fact at the present time”. “The revolution is secondary”. Destruction, because the “quintessence of Bolshevism” ….degenerated into a “régime of violence”.
Wells had been in Russia, previously, with his son. But then, by 1920, he received an “official” invitation. He had positive expectations regarding meeting his friend Gorky; also, about a possible talk with Lenin.
Saint Petersburg was especially pointed as the ruined city. From his travels it stands out, these aspects, I've collected, as curious: (a) the suppression of the Jewish studies because they were “reactionary”; (b) the excellent quality of food for kids in schools (c) the orthodox priests as mainly ignorant peasants; (d) the great mass of the people not interested in politics.
"The Bolsheviks are Marxist Socialists". "Marx died in London nearly 40 years ago, the propaganda of his views has been going on for over half a century"(...) I avoided his works..."
As for Lenin, Wells met him in Moscow. Lenin was “the little figure at a great desk”. He spoke excellent English; had a "brownish face…a lovely smile", though he had the habit of “screwing up one eye" as he paused while talking.
Some hope is ascribed to the creative effort in Russia. That is, to culture.
The book has some valuable photos, regarding those aforementioned figures (Gorky and Lenin) but also other photos of import for the communism movement, namely the Baku Conference against capitalism and the British Imperialism.
Jokes on the “cultivated” beard of Marx, are well fit.
"Some day, if I am spared, I will take up shears and a razor against Das Kapital; I will write The Shaving of Karl Marx"
(Unshaven Marx)
(A well-shaved Wells, but moustache)
Pity on the socialist Well...s.
April 20, 2020
Kısmen de olsa, Wells ile aynı düşüncelere sahip olmak gurur verici. Rusya’nın içinde bulunduğu durumu özetleyen, ziyareti sırasında Lenin ve Stalin gibi dönemin önemli insanlarıyla görüşen Wells, hem bir gazeteci, hem distopik eserler veren bir yazar, hem de bu insanlarla benzer ideolojiye sahip biri olarak notlarını tutmuş. Gördüğü şey ile ideolojisinin farklılıkları, geçiş döneminin sancılarından fazlası gibi gelmiş ona. Savaştan çıkan bir ulusun, hemen sonrasında sert bir biçimde geçiş yaşaması, katliamlar ve yaşanan diğer üzücü olaylardan sonra Rusya iyi bir tablo çizememiş Wells’in gözünde. Tarihi araştırdığımızda tahmin ediyorum kimse için iyi bir tablo çizemez.
Burjuvazinin bu biçimde alaşağı edilmesi, şiddetin üst boyutta yer alması ve tabi uygulanan politikalar, ne sığınılan ideolojiye ne de insanlığa sığan türden değil. Ne yazık ki sadece Rusya için geçerli bir hal değil bu. Ülkemizde de benzer biçimde olaylar yaşanmış. Elbet bu kadarı değil ama elleri bağlı bir insanı kafasından vurarak öldüren katillerin, bunu ideolojik bir nedene ya da yaptırmak istedikleri bir başka nedene yaslaması benzer kefeye konabilir. Her ne için olursa olsun insan hayatını hiçe sayma, yaşama hakkına müdehale, cinayet, katliam ideolojiler içinde olmamalı. Eğer bir şeyler söylemek ya da hakkını aradığını sanarak silaha sarılıyorsan ve o silahla katliam yapmaya başlıyorsan, hem insanlıktan hem de ideolojinden çoktan uzaklaşmış, eleştirdiğin kimselerin yanında yer almışsın demektir.
Burjuvazinin bu biçimde alaşağı edilmesi, şiddetin üst boyutta yer alması ve tabi uygulanan politikalar, ne sığınılan ideolojiye ne de insanlığa sığan türden değil. Ne yazık ki sadece Rusya için geçerli bir hal değil bu. Ülkemizde de benzer biçimde olaylar yaşanmış. Elbet bu kadarı değil ama elleri bağlı bir insanı kafasından vurarak öldüren katillerin, bunu ideolojik bir nedene ya da yaptırmak istedikleri bir başka nedene yaslaması benzer kefeye konabilir. Her ne için olursa olsun insan hayatını hiçe sayma, yaşama hakkına müdehale, cinayet, katliam ideolojiler içinde olmamalı. Eğer bir şeyler söylemek ya da hakkını aradığını sanarak silaha sarılıyorsan ve o silahla katliam yapmaya başlıyorsan, hem insanlıktan hem de ideolojinden çoktan uzaklaşmış, eleştirdiğin kimselerin yanında yer almışsın demektir.
February 12, 2010
H.G. Wells visited Russia (Petrograd and Moscow) in the fall of 1920, a tremendously bleak time, and his overall impressions, delivered in six installments, were interesting--especially if you know the players-- and measured, but, as he says himself, he was not a particularly curious man. His sense of the Bolshevik Government is I think apt, and his take on Marx's beard is hilarious.
May 27, 2018
See LR ilmunud raamatuke räägib härra kirjaniku tähelepanekutest Venemaal eelmise sajandi uue maailmakorra loomise tuhinas ja seda siis mitme reisi jooksul (1905-1934) ning sellest, mida ta nägi oma reiside jooksul. Soovitan lugeda eriti neil, kes peavad Marxi ideid paljutõotavateks (kirjanik ise leidis enesel soovi Marxi habe maha ajada ja seda ajal, mil Marx juba aastaid surnud oli ning Venemaal oli palju naiivseid, aga see-eest tulihingelisi marksiste).
Tekkis ka selline mõte - kas me ise suudame märgata uue korra tekkimist ajal, mil see juba tekib? Selles mõttes väga põnev lugemine ehk ajastu kirjeldus, mis kirja pandud vägagi vahetult.
Tekkis ka selline mõte - kas me ise suudame märgata uue korra tekkimist ajal, mil see juba tekib? Selles mõttes väga põnev lugemine ehk ajastu kirjeldus, mis kirja pandud vägagi vahetult.
August 9, 2021
Huvitav lugemine mitmes mõttes: kuidas nägi väljastpoolt tulnu revolutsioonijärgset Venemaad ja maailma edasise arengu võimalusi, mida räägib kirjapandu Venemaa ja mida Wellsi enda kohta, kuidas paistavad autori muljed praegu vahepealsete sündmuste ja teadasaamiste taustal ja kuidas Wellsi ja järelsõnas ka Vseviovi infokillud kajavad (või ei kaja) kokku värskelt loetud “Muraga”.
Ükski neist küsimustest ei kipu olema selline, millele oleksid olemas väga selged ja konkreetsed vastused, pigem ärgitab see kõik mõtisklema ja edasi lugema. Nii et siis Lockhart ja ehk ka Gorki ja miks mitte midagi ilukirjanduslikku Wellsilt.
Ükski neist küsimustest ei kipu olema selline, millele oleksid olemas väga selged ja konkreetsed vastused, pigem ärgitab see kõik mõtisklema ja edasi lugema. Nii et siis Lockhart ja ehk ka Gorki ja miks mitte midagi ilukirjanduslikku Wellsilt.
June 25, 2022
An interesting read, considering the fact that it was published in 1920 and more than 100 years later almost nothing has changed in Russia
July 14, 2013
Очень взвешенный взгляд на события, последовавшие за Революцией 1917 года. Даже как-то не ожидал -- особенно учитывая тот факт, что это писалось в 1920м году.
January 9, 2023
Did you know that H. G. Wells was the author of five dozen novels and the fantastic ones make up a much smaller number among them than those written in the genre of realism? Did you know that Wells created the works that immortalized his name between the thirtieth and thirty-fifth years of his life: "The Time Machine", "The Invisible Man", "The War of the Worlds", "The Island of Dr. Moreau" - all this was written from 1895 to 1898, despite the fact that the writer almost lived up to eighty, the next half century resting on the laurels of glory, provided with a wonderful start. Here, it happens so, although this does not detract from the merits of Wells-a thinker and essayist.
"Russia in the Dark" is a series of essays that Wells wrote in the form of notes for The Sunday Express newspaper, during a trip to Russia in 1920, immediately after the First World War and the Civil War.
Пролить свет
Я хочу уже здесь сказать, что эта несчастная Россия не есть организм, подвергшийся нападению каких-то пагубных внешних сил и разрушенный ими. Это был больной организм, он сам изжил себя и потому рухнул.
Известно ли вам, что Герберт Уэллс был автором пяти десятков романов и фантастические составляют среди них куда меньшее число, чем написанные в жанре реализма? А знаете ли вы, что произведения, обессмертившие его имя, Уэллс создал в промежутке с тридцатого по тридцать пятый год жизни: "Машина времени", "Человек-невидимка", "Война миров", "Остров доктора Моро" - все это написано с 1895 по 1898 при том, что дожил писатель почти до восьмидесяти, следующие полвека почивая на лаврах славы, обеспеченной прекрасным стартом. Вот, бывает и так, хотя это не умаляет достоинств Уэллса-мыслителя и эссеиста.
"Россия во мгле" - это ряд эссе, которые Уэллс писал в форме заметок для гвзеты The Sunday Express, во время поездки по России в 1920, сразу после Первой мировой и Гражданской. Это была его вторая поездка в страну, которую впервые посетил в 1914 и застал тогда достаточно благополучной державой, не без некоторой азиатчины повсеместной коррумпированности, но в целом движущейся по пути прогресса. Визит 1920 коренным образом отличался Во время этого путешествия он видит разоренные города, по улицам которых ходят люди в отрепьях, многие обуты в лапти - собственные мануфактуры порушены, а импорт невозможен вследствие блокады.
Всюду бедность на грани и за гранью нищеты, ни один общественный институт должным образом не работает: транспорт, логистика, делопроизводство - всюду хаос и разгильдяйство. Впрочем, потемкинскую деревеньку для него озаботились-таки выстроить, во время визита в "обычную" школу дети дружно называли имя Уэллса и якобы любимые ими книги этого
"колосса, в тени которого теряются Шекспир и Диккенс"
, как не без сарказма говорит об этом визите писатель. Конечно, такая убогая вульгарная лесть не могла обмануть человека умного и тонкого, каким он был, как не могла и доставить ему удовольствия. Дальше он описывает, как попросил остановить машину возле какой-то другой случайной школы и тамошние ученики ожидаемо слыхом не слышали ничего об Уэллсе, но в остальном были очень смышлеными детками и автора приятно удивило качество школьного питания, которое дети получали бесплатно.
Во время этого путешествия встречался с Горьким, с которым был дружен много лет и разделял с ним не только социалистические убеждения, а Уэллс был известным представителем Фабианского социализма, и связан не только узами таланта, для творческих людей немаловажными, но и любовью к одной женщине. Мария Закревская озарила светом своего обаяния жизнь обоих писателей. Горький, о котором Уэллс говорит с большой теплотой, и надо сказать, не беспочвенно - оставляя за скобками литературную ценность позднего горьковского творчества, он действительно невероятно много делал для того. чтобы культура в России не погибла окончательно, за многих заступался, неимоверному количеству творческих людей помогал выживать в эти темные времена.
Уэллсу он устроил его встречу с Лениным, о котором тот пишет уважительно, но без того раболепия, которым отличалась каноническая лениниана позднесоветского периода. Известный социалистическими взглядами Уэллс был настроен к молодой Стране Советов сочувственно, тем более жутким выглядит описание полнейшего коллапса, "самого полного из когда-либо случавшихся в любом современном обществе", поразившего его в прежде довольно благополучной державе, которую впервые он посетил в 1914.
Говоря о приходе к власти большевиков, он отмечает, что в обескровленной долгой войной, трагически разобщенной стране, где все были против всех, коммунисты оказались единственной более-менее консолидированной силой, и именно это позволило им взять власть.Анализируя современное состояние дел, писатель утверждает, что упрекать большевиков в разрухе, воцарившейся всюду в стране, как минимум неразумно, они не захватили власть в цветущем оазисе, но встали у руля судна, практически идущего ко дну.
Серьезная аналитика, интересная умная, сколько возможно непредвзятая эссеистика.
"Russia in the Dark" is a series of essays that Wells wrote in the form of notes for The Sunday Express newspaper, during a trip to Russia in 1920, immediately after the First World War and the Civil War.
Пролить свет
Я хочу уже здесь сказать, что эта несчастная Россия не есть организм, подвергшийся нападению каких-то пагубных внешних сил и разрушенный ими. Это был больной организм, он сам изжил себя и потому рухнул.
Известно ли вам, что Герберт Уэллс был автором пяти десятков романов и фантастические составляют среди них куда меньшее число, чем написанные в жанре реализма? А знаете ли вы, что произведения, обессмертившие его имя, Уэллс создал в промежутке с тридцатого по тридцать пятый год жизни: "Машина времени", "Человек-невидимка", "Война миров", "Остров доктора Моро" - все это написано с 1895 по 1898 при том, что дожил писатель почти до восьмидесяти, следующие полвека почивая на лаврах славы, обеспеченной прекрасным стартом. Вот, бывает и так, хотя это не умаляет достоинств Уэллса-мыслителя и эссеиста.
"Россия во мгле" - это ряд эссе, которые Уэллс писал в форме заметок для гвзеты The Sunday Express, во время поездки по России в 1920, сразу после Первой мировой и Гражданской. Это была его вторая поездка в страну, которую впервые посетил в 1914 и застал тогда достаточно благополучной державой, не без некоторой азиатчины повсеместной коррумпированности, но в целом движущейся по пути прогресса. Визит 1920 коренным образом отличался Во время этого путешествия он видит разоренные города, по улицам которых ходят люди в отрепьях, многие обуты в лапти - собственные мануфактуры порушены, а импорт невозможен вследствие блокады.
Всюду бедность на грани и за гранью нищеты, ни один общественный институт должным образом не работает: транспорт, логистика, делопроизводство - всюду хаос и разгильдяйство. Впрочем, потемкинскую деревеньку для него озаботились-таки выстроить, во время визита в "обычную" школу дети дружно называли имя Уэллса и якобы любимые ими книги этого
"колосса, в тени которого теряются Шекспир и Диккенс"
, как не без сарказма говорит об этом визите писатель. Конечно, такая убогая вульгарная лесть не могла обмануть человека умного и тонкого, каким он был, как не могла и доставить ему удовольствия. Дальше он описывает, как попросил остановить машину возле какой-то другой случайной школы и тамошние ученики ожидаемо слыхом не слышали ничего об Уэллсе, но в остальном были очень смышлеными детками и автора приятно удивило качество школьного питания, которое дети получали бесплатно.
Во время этого путешествия встречался с Горьким, с которым был дружен много лет и разделял с ним не только социалистические убеждения, а Уэллс был известным представителем Фабианского социализма, и связан не только узами таланта, для творческих людей немаловажными, но и любовью к одной женщине. Мария Закревская озарила светом своего обаяния жизнь обоих писателей. Горький, о котором Уэллс говорит с большой теплотой, и надо сказать, не беспочвенно - оставляя за скобками литературную ценность позднего горьковского творчества, он действительно невероятно много делал для того. чтобы культура в России не погибла окончательно, за многих заступался, неимоверному количеству творческих людей помогал выживать в эти темные времена.
Уэллсу он устроил его встречу с Лениным, о котором тот пишет уважительно, но без того раболепия, которым отличалась каноническая лениниана позднесоветского периода. Известный социалистическими взглядами Уэллс был настроен к молодой Стране Советов сочувственно, тем более жутким выглядит описание полнейшего коллапса, "самого полного из когда-либо случавшихся в любом современном обществе", поразившего его в прежде довольно благополучной державе, которую впервые он посетил в 1914.
Говоря о приходе к власти большевиков, он отмечает, что в обескровленной долгой войной, трагически разобщенной стране, где все были против всех, коммунисты оказались единственной более-менее консолидированной силой, и именно это позволило им взять власть.Анализируя современное состояние дел, писатель утверждает, что упрекать большевиков в разрухе, воцарившейся всюду в стране, как минимум неразумно, они не захватили власть в цветущем оазисе, но встали у руля судна, практически идущего ко дну.
Серьезная аналитика, интересная умная, сколько возможно непредвзятая эссеистика.
July 10, 2020
1920 yılı... 1. Dünya Savaşı yaşanmış, Çarlık Rusyası çökmüş ve Bolşevik hükümeti kurulmuş. Yazar, bu kitapta bu yılda Rusya'ya yaptığı ziyareti anlatıyor.
"Öte yandan, köylüler dışındaki her sınıf -ki buna resmi görevliler de dâhil- inanılmaz bir sefalet içinde yaşıyor." diye anlatıyor gözlemlerini yazar. "Ülkedeki malların üretimini sağlayan kredi ve sanayi sistemi çökmüş durumda ve başka bir üretim biçimini devreye sokma çabaları başarısız olmuş."
Nedenlerini irdelerken ise bu durumun en büyük sorumlusunun emperyalist devletler ve altı yıldır süregelen savaş olduğunu dile getiriyor. Bolşevik hükümetini ise "ahmak ama dürüst" olarak tanımlıyor ve Rusya için başka bir seçeneğin olmadığını dile getiriyor.
Wells ayrıca bu ziyaretinde Lenin'le görüşüyor. Yazar konuşmalarının iki ana tema üzerinde ilerlediğini söylüyor: "Siz Rusya'da ne inşa ediyorsunuz?" Diğeri ise Lenin'den Wells'e, "İngiltere'de neden toplumsal devrim başlamıyor?" Şehirlerin, kırsalların, ekonominin, yeni düzenin inşası yolunda sohbet ediyorlar.
Kitabın sonunda bir de ek bölümü var. Bu bölüm 1934 yılında geçiyor ve Wells'in Stalin ile yaptığı söyleşiyi içeriyor. Bu söyleşide Wells sınıf savaşını mutlaklaştırmayı reddediyor ve uzlaşıcı bir tavırla sosyalist ilkelerin uygulanabileceğini iddia ediyor. Stalin ise devrim ve proleterya (işçiler) iktidarı olmadan sosyalist düzenin uygulanamayacağını savunuyor.
Esasında Rusya tarihi ilgilendiğim bir alan olmamasına rağmen kitap, bu ilgiyi uyandırabilecek kadar hoş. Tavsiye ediyorum.
"Öte yandan, köylüler dışındaki her sınıf -ki buna resmi görevliler de dâhil- inanılmaz bir sefalet içinde yaşıyor." diye anlatıyor gözlemlerini yazar. "Ülkedeki malların üretimini sağlayan kredi ve sanayi sistemi çökmüş durumda ve başka bir üretim biçimini devreye sokma çabaları başarısız olmuş."
Nedenlerini irdelerken ise bu durumun en büyük sorumlusunun emperyalist devletler ve altı yıldır süregelen savaş olduğunu dile getiriyor. Bolşevik hükümetini ise "ahmak ama dürüst" olarak tanımlıyor ve Rusya için başka bir seçeneğin olmadığını dile getiriyor.
Wells ayrıca bu ziyaretinde Lenin'le görüşüyor. Yazar konuşmalarının iki ana tema üzerinde ilerlediğini söylüyor: "Siz Rusya'da ne inşa ediyorsunuz?" Diğeri ise Lenin'den Wells'e, "İngiltere'de neden toplumsal devrim başlamıyor?" Şehirlerin, kırsalların, ekonominin, yeni düzenin inşası yolunda sohbet ediyorlar.
Kitabın sonunda bir de ek bölümü var. Bu bölüm 1934 yılında geçiyor ve Wells'in Stalin ile yaptığı söyleşiyi içeriyor. Bu söyleşide Wells sınıf savaşını mutlaklaştırmayı reddediyor ve uzlaşıcı bir tavırla sosyalist ilkelerin uygulanabileceğini iddia ediyor. Stalin ise devrim ve proleterya (işçiler) iktidarı olmadan sosyalist düzenin uygulanamayacağını savunuyor.
Esasında Rusya tarihi ilgilendiğim bir alan olmamasına rağmen kitap, bu ilgiyi uyandırabilecek kadar hoş. Tavsiye ediyorum.
August 26, 2019
Has some interesting descriptions - as many as could be hoped for in such a short book. E.g. of the conversation with Lenin and the existence of flower shops on the desolate streets of Petersburg.
What seems especially striking, however, is the seeming optimism with which the writer views the on-going transformation of Russian society. Eventually it is revealed that this attitude may have arisen out of a perception of the Bolsheviki government being the lesser of possible evils under the difficult circumstances. This notion seems to be so strongly held, that one might wonder at this imaginative lapse in Wells. He is, however, capable of making the leap of linking the survival of the fledgling government to the survival of civilization as such.
The desire to make the most of the government may account for dubious complimentary assertations such as: "The Bolshevik Government is inexperienced and incapable to an extreme degree; it has had phases of violence and cruelty; but it is on the whole honest."
What seems especially striking, however, is the seeming optimism with which the writer views the on-going transformation of Russian society. Eventually it is revealed that this attitude may have arisen out of a perception of the Bolsheviki government being the lesser of possible evils under the difficult circumstances. This notion seems to be so strongly held, that one might wonder at this imaginative lapse in Wells. He is, however, capable of making the leap of linking the survival of the fledgling government to the survival of civilization as such.
The desire to make the most of the government may account for dubious complimentary assertations such as: "The Bolshevik Government is inexperienced and incapable to an extreme degree; it has had phases of violence and cruelty; but it is on the whole honest."
Read
February 14, 2021https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bDD8s...
Selam kitapçokseverler. Bu bölümümüzde H. G. Wells’in Rusya’ya yaptığı üç ziyaretten 1920 yılında gerçekleşen ikincisini anlattığı Gölgeler İçinde Rusya eserini konuşuyoruz.
Bolşevik Devrimi sonrası Rusya’nın haletiruhiyesinin resmeden Wells üzerinden, iç savaşın henüz sona erdiği, Bolşeviklerin başta olduğu ama kontrolü tam sağlayamadığı bu dönemde Wells, Rus Çarlığı’nın yıkılmasının etkisindeki sosyal hayatı, kültür-sanat ve bilim dünyasındaki gelişmeleri değerlendiriyoruz. Ayrıca Wells'in Kremlinde Lenin'le yaptığı röportajı konuşuyoruz.
Keyifli dinlemeleriniz olması dileğiyle.
okursohbetleri@gmail.com üzerinden görüş ve önerilerinizi bekleriz.
Sevgiler.
Selam kitapçokseverler. Bu bölümümüzde H. G. Wells’in Rusya’ya yaptığı üç ziyaretten 1920 yılında gerçekleşen ikincisini anlattığı Gölgeler İçinde Rusya eserini konuşuyoruz.
Bolşevik Devrimi sonrası Rusya’nın haletiruhiyesinin resmeden Wells üzerinden, iç savaşın henüz sona erdiği, Bolşeviklerin başta olduğu ama kontrolü tam sağlayamadığı bu dönemde Wells, Rus Çarlığı’nın yıkılmasının etkisindeki sosyal hayatı, kültür-sanat ve bilim dünyasındaki gelişmeleri değerlendiriyoruz. Ayrıca Wells'in Kremlinde Lenin'le yaptığı röportajı konuşuyoruz.
Keyifli dinlemeleriniz olması dileğiyle.
okursohbetleri@gmail.com üzerinden görüş ve önerilerinizi bekleriz.
Sevgiler.
November 16, 2024
David Vseviovi kirjutatud järelsõna oli parem kui Wellsi tekst, aga väga viga ei olnud ka sellel. Wells püüdis lükata süüd Venemaa viletsa olukorra eest keisrivõimule ja rahvusvahelisele sõjale, kus Lenin tegi lihtsalt oma parima vene rahva päästmiseks, kuid bolševike kogemused ja võimalused ei lubanudki palju rohkemat. Ma saan tema mõttest aru, aga ei ole nõus, et mõne teise valitsuse all Venemaal paremini ei oleks läinud. Bolševikud (enamlased) on vastandujad ning seega orienteeritud konfliktile. Menševike või kadettide juhtimisel oleks kindlasti suudetud paremini koostööd teha ja kaubandust arendada. Iseasi, tõepoolest, et neil ei olnud jõudu Venemaad valitseda.
May 14, 2017
Interesting, but repetitive* and not the most insightful thing ever written about Russia in 1920s (definitely not the least insightful either). Discovering Moura Budberg/Maria Zakrevskaya - thanks to the afterword by David Vseviov - has made reading it more than worthwhile for me, though. A Russian/British double agent who used to live in Estonia, loved both Gorsky and Wells AND "could drink in amazing quantities, mostly gin"? I rest my case.
*Probably inevitable, as this is a collection of articles.
*Probably inevitable, as this is a collection of articles.
April 19, 2022
Интересно читать отчет человека, который там присутствовал. Будучи иностранцем, он видит картиру разрухи немного под другим углом. И надо учитывать, что это 1920, большивики только пришли к власти, еще военный коммунизм только в рассвете. Еще нет НЭПа.
It is interesting to read the report of the person who presents on site. Being foreigner, Wells sees the picture of devastation from a slightly different angle. And we must accept that this is only 1920, the Bolsheviks have just come to power, war communism is still only at its top. There is no NEP(new economic program) yet.
It is interesting to read the report of the person who presents on site. Being foreigner, Wells sees the picture of devastation from a slightly different angle. And we must accept that this is only 1920, the Bolsheviks have just come to power, war communism is still only at its top. There is no NEP(new economic program) yet.
August 9, 2022
Удивительно и печально читать литературу 20х годов и видеть, как некоторые вещи о России и войне почти дословно переносятся на сегодняшние реалии. Уэллс, пропагандирует пацифизм, не зная, что впереди мир ждёт еще одна кровопролитная война.
И сейчас, после многих лет относительного мира в Европе, страшнее читать как при всем понимании разрушительности и жестокости войны, она все равно происходит снова и снова.
Часть, посвящённая большевизму, тоже интересна как взгляд современника тех событий. Уэллс оказался прав, сомневаясь в будущем того 'коммунизма'.
И сейчас, после многих лет относительного мира в Европе, страшнее читать как при всем понимании разрушительности и жестокости войны, она все равно происходит снова и снова.
Часть, посвящённая большевизму, тоже интересна как взгляд современника тех событий. Уэллс оказался прав, сомневаясь в будущем того 'коммунизма'.
January 10, 2023
Getting first hands reports of the post-Revolutionary Russia was always of a great interest to me. Mr. Wells visited it when the Civil War was still under way and provided his accounts in this book. Overall, it was interesting to read and get his perspective. Sometimes it was difficult to go through many assumptions he was making there, knowing the history of further developments and all the suffering communists brought to various people of USSR.
July 5, 2020
I personally agree Wells on many things but i don't understand why he tried peaceful neutrality for a while . He wants to peaceful revolution , yes all socialist and communists thinks that but unfortunately upper classes won't allow that. He technically accepted they won't allow that but I don't know why it took so long to understand for him.
August 15, 2020
Interesting short read on the experiences of H G Wells when visiting Soviet Russia in 1920. He talks about the differences with his visit in 1914, meets up with artists and scientists, even has a discussion with Lenin. Some interesting insights on how Russia got to where it was and the thinking process of early Bolsheviks.
June 26, 2025
El libro trata de dar una opinión personal sobre la revolución rusa, pero no profundiza mucho sobre los aspectos más terribles de la guerra. Es interesante su punto de vista ya que relata de primera mano testimonios muy importantes sobre algunos momentos, pero siempre desde un punto de vista privado, nunca científico.
October 15, 2025
1920’lerin iç savaştaki sscb’sini, komünizme mesafeli wells’in gözünden okumak ilginç. Yeni bir düzen kurmaya girişmiş insanlara öğütler vermesi enteresan. Yorumları genellikle olumsuz ya da umutsuz, ama içten. Okul ziyaretlerindeki detaylar ilginç. Lenin’le söyleşisinde de enteresan detaylar var.
February 9, 2020
Çarlık rusyasından Sovyet yönetime geçiş sürecinde ülkeye genel bir bakış sağlayan harika bir eser. Çevirisi için tebrik ederim. Gerçekten harika
February 23, 2020
Наблюдательно. Смело. Проницательно.
November 30, 2024
H.G. Wells first person diary-like account of his 1920 visit to Russia, and his short interview with Lenin. Short, raw, impactful, slice of life account.
May 13, 2025
Wells burada Hindistan'da kaplan görmeye giden bir Indiana Jones rolündedir. Ama okuyun tabi, güzel olur...
February 13, 2025
This provided an interesting perspective on the Russian Revolution and early Bolshevik state that I had previously not been aware of. Wells provided a decently balanced criticism of the early Marxist state and detailed its' troubles and failing from the point of view as a non-Marxist collectivist. Although it must be said, he did go to Russia in the shadow of its darkest hours, I'm not sure what more he could've expected from a war torn and poverty struck feudal nation hanging on by a thread under the tutelage of what was then a fledgling and fragile political establishment.
I feel as though his analysis of the Orthodox Church in Russia was quite lacking, but I expected as much from someone like him who was essentially a left-leaning liberal and probably didn't understand nor care for Eastern Christianity the way a more spiritually minded person would.
All in all, a quite illuminating read on the early Bolsheviks and Wells' experiences travelling through St. Petersburg and Moscow.
I feel as though his analysis of the Orthodox Church in Russia was quite lacking, but I expected as much from someone like him who was essentially a left-leaning liberal and probably didn't understand nor care for Eastern Christianity the way a more spiritually minded person would.
All in all, a quite illuminating read on the early Bolsheviks and Wells' experiences travelling through St. Petersburg and Moscow.
August 12, 2024
Wells'in okuduğum ilk kitabı. Kendisinin bilimkurgu kitap türünün öncülerinden biri olduğunu öğrendikten sonra aldığım ilk kitabı ve bir de bakıyorum yazar 1917-20 yıllarında Rusya'da gerçekleşen Bolşevik devrimini ışık tutan bir kitapla karşıma çıkıyor. Wells'in o dönemin büyük ustalarından ve dünyaca ünlü bir yazar, her yerde sözü muteber ama çok mütevazi bir adam. İngiliz kökenli yazar kendisini sol görüşe yakın görüyor ve bunu kitabında da belirtmiş. Samimi yazım tarzı açık sözlülüğü beni çok etkiledi. O dönemin Rusya'sında en azından ve daha ziyade Moskova ve St. Petersborg penceresinden bakmaya çalışmış ve aynı zamanda kendi analizini yapıp Rus yetkililere de kendi görüş ve tavsiyelerini söylemiş. Özellikle kitabın sonunda yer alan Lenin ile olan sohbetini okurken çok zevk aldım. Size de okumanızı tavsiye ederim.
December 9, 2009
Not on of Wells' most know books. In fact it seems to be pretty rare, and there appears to have been only one printing in the UK and one in the US. My book doesn't contain a printing year, but it must have been published in either 1920 or 1921. It's a fairly short book, 153 pages and 8 pages with photos.
It is about a visit H.G. Wells made to Russia in 1920, more exactly to St. Petersburg and Moscow. The purpose of this trip is to get an impression of Russia after the Bolshevik had taken over.
For a longer review by me, go to http://kriswager.blogspot.com/2007/02...
It is about a visit H.G. Wells made to Russia in 1920, more exactly to St. Petersburg and Moscow. The purpose of this trip is to get an impression of Russia after the Bolshevik had taken over.
For a longer review by me, go to http://kriswager.blogspot.com/2007/02...
May 23, 2015
Герберт Уелс приїжджає в радянську росію. Гуляє по Петрограду, відвідує Москву і спілкується з леніним. Основні його висновки: росія в руїнах, російська імперія рухнула через війну і некерований грабіж царем свого населення, більшовики - єдині, хто можуть у такій ситуації керувати країною, крєстьянє - тупі егоїсти (дослівно), сидять на своїй землі і не спроможні дивитись вперед, вони взагалі гальмують весь процес, і якщо крєстьнє призведуть росію до хаосу, вніманіє! Європа не матиме доступ до багатих ресурсів росії і тому сама потрапить у халепу. Єдині, хто можуть хоч якось врятувати ситуацію, - сполучені штати америки. Такі справи. І це зовсвм не фантастичний роман Уелса.
Want to read
February 10, 2015
Read hereOpening: In January 1914 I visited Petersburg and Moscow for a couple of weeks.
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