56. Gersteins Moskauer Erinnerungen

Im Alter von 95 Jahren veröffentlichte Emma Gerstein ihre aufsehenerregenden Erinnerungen an ihre Freundschaft mit zweien der bedeutendsten russischen Dichter, Ossip Mandelstam und AnnaAchmatowa. Im Guardian vom 17.4. das Vorwort und ein Auszug (das bekannte Anti-Stalin-Epigramm von 1933 betreffend). Hier eine Passage aus dem Vorwort:

„15 January. This morning they sold Mandelstam at the Bookstall. After the previous disappointments a list was drawn up of over 200 people. Lev put me down as # 65. At 9.30 am and even earlier there was a crowd waiting outside… The temperature was 19 below zero. We went off, once in a while, to warm up in some neighbouring financial institution. Sometimes, as always happens in queues, amazing rumours began (they wouldn’t bring any, they’d only have 50 copies, only people who brought their Writers‘ Union card would get one). At about 11 the books arrived. The shop’s director announced that 200 copies would be put on sale. People lined up.“

Geschehen am 83. Geburtstag des zu Lebzeiten und lange danach verfemten Dichters.

Emma Gerstein’s Moscow Memoirs, published by Harvill Press on April 22nd at £25