Not By Bread Alone

by Vladimir Dudintsev

Not by Bread Alone was 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. The tale of an engineer who is opposed by bureaucrats in seeking to implement his invention came to be a literary symbol of the Khrushchev Thaw.

Not by Bread Alone. (2012, May 11). In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved from http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?t...

An inventor named Lopatkin struggles against entrenched bureaucracy and self-servers in an attempt to help the Soviet pipe industry. He wins his personal battle, but the "invisible empire" of the bureaucracy remains intact and Lopatkin knows that a long struggle still lies ahead.

http://www.sovlit.net/bread/

Genres: Fiction, Russia, Russian Literature, Roman

First published January 1, 1956

About the author

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.

Dudintsev, the son of a member of the gentry, attended law school in Moscow and fought during the second world war. After the war, he became a reporter and writer.

Inspired by Soviet apparatchiks refusing to credit a report of a deposit of nickel because Soviet dogma said it was impossible, Dudintsev wrote Not by Bread Alone, the tale of an engineer who is frustrated by bureaucrats when he attempts to bring forth his invention. The novel sparked wild enthusiasm among the Soviet population. Official reaction soon turned against the book, and Dudintsev suffered years of poverty, and was only able to publish occasional works. As the USSR tottered, in 1987, Dudintsev published a novel, The White Robes, for which he was awarded a State Prize the following year. He died in 1998.

Reviews

[Gremrien · Rating 2 out of 5]

I have heard about this book several times recently, and although I did not expect much from it, I thought that it would be useful to learn about this landmark novel in Soviet literature.

It is, of course, very cardboardish as literature, but I understood perfectly why it could cause such a profound effect to Soviet society. Actually, I was very surpised by the content: it is very smoothed-out, of course, but it is still quite brave for 1956. Even the very first scene, where директор комбината Дроздов with his wife are returning home and walking along streets of their little provincial town, seems almost surreal for 1956:

“- Пройдемся пешочком, Надюша! А? Гляди-ка, погодка!
Сани остановились. Жена Дроздова, подобрав мягкие полы манто, купленного шесть дней назад в Москве, сошла на чистый, неглубокий и очень яркий снежок.
– Чудо какой снег! – послышался ее счастливый, молодой голос.
Леонид Иванович немного замешкался. Прорвав дыру в большом картонном коробе, он доставал оттуда ярко-оранжевые крупные апельсины и рассовывал по карманам. Потом махнул кучеру и, грубо срывая корку с апельсина, заспешил к жене. Та спокойно приняла очищенный и слегка разделенный на дольки плод, и они пошли, наслаждаясь солнечным зимним днем. Дроздов – маленький, в кожаном глянцевом пальто шоколадного цвета, с воротником из мраморного каракуля и в такой же мраморно-сизой ушанке. Жена – высокая, с постоянной грустью в серых глазах, без румянца, но с ярко-розовыми губами и с большой бархатной родинкой на щеке. Она была в шапочке и в манто из нежно-каштанового шелковистого меха, в широкоплечем дорогом манто, которое сидело на ней немного боком. Она все время отставала, и Леонид Иванович поджидал ее, держа каждый раз в руке новый очищенный апельсин.
(…)
Так они шли, то сходясь, то расходясь, занимая всю улицу, кивая и раскланиваясь со знакомыми. Иногда попадались навстречу школьники с сумками и портфелями. Те, кто постарше, отойдя в сторонку, тянули наперебой: “Здравствуйте, Надежда Сергеевна!” – Надя преподавала в школе географию. Пропустив Дроздовых и выждав еще с минуту, ребята бросались на дорогу, на оранжевые корки, затоптанные в снег. С веселыми и удивленными криками они хватали и прятали яркое, пахучее чудо – таких корок еще никто не видывал в этом степном и недавно еще совсем глухом районе.
Дроздовы жили на соседнем, широком проспекте Сталина. Дома здесь были тоже двухквартирные, но с более затейливыми, железными крышами и с большим числом окон. В этих домах жил, как говорили в Музге, командный состав комбината. Дом Дроздова не отличался ничем от своих соседей, кроме того, что он весь был занят одним хозяином и обе его квартиры были соединены в одну.
Пропустив жену вперед, Леонид Иванович вошел в сени, затопал, закашлял. Домашняя работница – рослая деревенская девушка Шура – выглянула в дверь и тут же распахнула ее.
– Батюшки, новая шуба! Здравствуйте, Леонид Иванович! Надежда Сергеевна, с вас причитается за обнову! Чего это за мех, да какой мягкий!
– Этот мех заморский, – прищурив глаза, с важностью сказал Леонид Иванович, помогая жене снимать манто. Надя, стоя перед ним, по привычке слегка согнулась. – Мех заморский, норка называется.
Шура при этих словах с готовностью прыснула.
– Ладно смеяться. На-ка, повесь… в шифоньер.”

It looks for me that even such little episode shoud have caused a powerful “resonance” then, but no, the author deepened and narrowed his explorations of injustices in the Soviet society and, maybe, it was not the best decision, I don’t know.

Nevertheless, the novel is read quite lively, it is smooth and simple. In fact, it reminded me a little “Доктор Живаго” by Пастернак, in terms of his worst qualities (tasteless vaudevillishness, even more tastless sentimentality towards women together with irresponsible attitude to them, wonderful coincidences, secret benefactors, and so on). Maybe, it was just such an epoch that induces those ridiculous ideas in minds of writers.

[Sean Reeves · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a very interesting 1956 novel that focuses on Communist bureaucracy obstructionism in the Soviet Union in the aftermath of World War 2. It's translated from Russian and to be honest the translation is a little plodding at times but the story line compensates for that. Here is what Google Bard had to say about the novel:

"Not by Bread Alone (Russian: Не хлебом единым) is a 1956 novel by the Soviet author Vladimir Dudintsev. The novel was a sensation in the USSR, and it is considered to be one of the most important works of literature to come out of the Soviet Union.

The novel tells the story of an engineer named Lopatkin, who invents a new machine that could revolutionize the Soviet agricultural industry. However, Lopatkin faces bureaucratic obstacles and personal attacks as he tries to get his invention approved. The novel is a scathing indictment of the Soviet bureaucracy and it explores the themes of individual creativity and the importance of freedom.

Dudintsev was born in 1918 in the Ural Mountains. He began his career as a journalist and he worked for a number of Soviet newspapers. In 1954, he published his first novel, The White Clothes, which was a critical success. Not by Bread Alone was his second novel and it made him an international celebrity.

Dudintsev was expelled from the Communist Party in 1957 for his criticism of the Soviet bureaucracy. He was also banned from publishing in the Soviet Union for many years. However, his work continued to be published in the West and he became a symbol of dissent in the Soviet Union.

Dudintsev died in 1998 at the age of 80. He is considered to be one of the most important Soviet authors of the 20th century.

Here are some of the things that make Not by Bread Alone a unique and special novel:

The novel's timely and controversial subject matter. The novel was published in 1956, at a time when the Soviet Union was undergoing a period of de-Stalinization. The novel's criticism of the Soviet bureaucracy was seen as a challenge to the authority of the Communist Party.

The novel's strong protagonist. Lopatkin is a sympathetic and relatable character who is fighting for a just cause. The reader is rooting for him throughout the novel.

The novel's vivid depiction of Soviet life. The novel provides a detailed and realistic portrait of life in the Soviet Union in the 1950s. The reader gets a sense of the bureaucracy, the corruption, and the challenges that people faced.

The novel's hopeful ending. The novel ends with Lopatkin finally getting his invention approved. This provides a sense of hope for the future and it suggests that even in a repressive society, it is possible for individuals to make a difference.

Not by Bread Alone is a classic novel that is still relevant today. It is a powerful story about the importance of individual creativity and the struggle for freedom."

[Virgilio Machado · Rating 5 out of 5]

Quando a revista moscovita Novy Mir iniciou a publicação, em folhetins, do romance Nem Só de Pão Vive o Homem, o seu autor, Vladimir Dudintsev, era um desconhecido. Os grandes jornais soviéticos não referenciaram a publicação da obra, mas os leitores de Novy Mir começaram a discuti-la, a criticá-la, convertendo o espontâneo movimento de interesse por uma obra inconformista num geral debate público, no qual, em breve, as questões circunscritas aos méritos literários do autor e da sua obra eram subvertidas por toda uma série de problemas políticos e humanos. À maneira apaixonada como na U. R. S. S. milhões de pessoas discutiram o «caso Dudintsev» sucedeu uma vaga larga de interesse em todos os países pelo romance Nem Só de Pão Vive o Homem. E, por razões bem compreensíveis, o livro foi considerado, consoante o prisma em que leitores colocavam, uma obra admirável e uma obra detestável. As interpretações divergentes - e as interpretações abusivas - multiplicaram-se nos jornais e nas revistas dos países europeus, americanos e asiáticos. Por circunstâncias específicas que aqui não compre enumerar, Vladimir Dudintsev tornou-se um «herói literário» - o romancista que foi capaz de escrever Nem Só de Pão Vive o Homem.

Aba da capa

Espero que os amadores de literatura no Ocidente, e nos nossos dias, estejam suficientemente imunizados contra os títulos gritantes ditados pelas necessidades da actualidade. É por esse motivo que não enceto uma polémica estéril com os «especialistas» da Rússia. Ofereço o meu livro aos meus novos leitores, contando com o seu juízo imparcial!

Dudintsev
Aba da contracapa

[Christina · Rating 4 out of 5]

Я взялась за эту книгу, потому что в лучшие годы журнала "Новый мир" эта публикация стала самой популярной среди читателей. В редакцию приходили тысячи откликов. Я, конечно, думала, что роман будет рефлексией о сталинских временах. Ни тут-то было. Ни Сталина, ни Ленина, ни партию Дудинцев не упоминает вообще, ни прямо, ни иносказательно, их вообще нет в его - вневременном - мире. Сам он давит на то, что книга о вреде "монополии" в науке и промышленности. Может быть, именно это и хотел сказать автор, но сказал совсем не это.
А сказал он, что всегда есть и будут и конъюнктурщики, и проходимцы, и халтурщики; и что они - не продукт каких-то там суровых времен и порочной системы, а просто люди. И всем им надо уметь противостоять.
Не понравилась мне только любовная линия, совершенно стерильная. Женские персонажи так вообще все какие-то плоские и с не поддающейся моему понимаю мотивацией.
Из общего для шестидесятых - новый образ настоящего коммуниста в противовес неискреннему и идеологизированному образу сталинских времён.

[Nadya De Angelis · Rating 3 out of 5]

Добротная советская проза: прекрасные описания, идеологически выверенные сюжетные повороты, картонные беспомощные персонажи.

[Tristram · Rating 4 out of 5]

A little slow to pick up, but a great story with wonderful portrayals of humanity and true relationship. When contrasted with the tribulations that Lopatkin is put through, these become much more evident and powerful. The atmosphere has that sort of industrial charm that can be seen in much Soviet media of the time.

[Atreju · Rating 4 out of 5]

Jacques Bergier considerava questo romanzo un romanzo di fantascienza. Definizione piuttosto tirata per i capelli, anche se fino agli anni '50 la SF in Russia (err, in URSS) era la c.d. "SF del campo ravvicinato". Niente spazio, niente alieni, niente futuro, solo il presente. D'altra parte, quelli erano anni in cui vigeva il motto: "il futuro è nostro" (cioè la rivoluzione ecc. ecc...). Insomma, questo era lo stato della SF all'epoca. Si parla di un progetto ingegneristico (nel campo della fusione delle tubature) che può rivoluzionare l'industria sovietica e dell'ostracismo (fino a una vera e propria persecuzione) patito dall'inventore, solo perché non ha la copertura della politica. Un j'accuse alla politica e alla burocrazia che dominavano anche gli istituti scientifici dell'epoca e, allo stesso tempo, una spinta al progresso dell'umanità da parte di uomini e donne determinati, pronti al sacrificio per amore della scienza. La scienza in unione sovietica patì molte persecuzioni perché si voleva per forza soggiogarla all'ideologia. Pensiamo alla figura di Trofim Lysenko e ai danni subiti dall'agronomia, pensiamo all'astronomia e alla decadenza di un eccellenza quale era l'Osservatorio di Pulkovo. Inoltre, ci trovo molta tradizione letteraria in questo romanzo. Nel '56 fu anche un caso letterario e poi uscì un film piuttosto famoso. Sa va sans dire che l'autore fu subissato di critiche e attaccato. Questa cosa rovinò la sua carriera, tanto che non riuscì più a pubblicare nulla di rilievo.
Il mio voto: 3,5, arrotondato a 4 per il coraggio dell'autore.

[John · Rating 1 out of 5]

I AM NOT SURE OR CAN GIVE NO CONCRETE REASONS WHY I THINK THE TRANSLATION OF THIS BOOK WAS WHY I GAVE IT ONE STAR. The author certainly was brave to write such a book at the time but it was poorly written in my opinion. Very choppy and too wordy, too long . He got his ideas across in the first hundred pages but he kept on and on. If I could find an edition with a different translator, I would read it.

[Glen · Rating 5 out of 5]

A difficult read as it's a bit dry ... However it gives interesting insights into the soviet system ... As it must be remembered its very writing challenged a system that for many was considered unwise to do so ... The principle character fights on regardless ... The vey existence of the book is a history in itself ...

[tomsyak · Rating 3 out of 5]

Я уже плохо помню "Оттепель" Эренбурга, но мне кажется, что роман Дудинцева гораздо более мощно отражает эпоху. Но литературно слабее, к сожалению.

Понравилось описание того, как главные герои занимаются сексом, очень по-советски - "Надя брала Дмитрия Алексеевича за руку, смотрела, как бы прощаясь с ним, и один раз, вдруг забыв обо всем, они опять прыгнули с поезда..."

[l · Rating 2 out of 5]

"Not By Bread Alone" is the english title.

Got halfway through and was bored to tears.

[Tjb189215 · Rating 2 out of 5]

I didn't finish it. It is very dry with some nice foresight in it but just very boring and dry.