Image: Marietta Shaginyan “Hydrocentral”
In 1931, Marieta Shaginyan completed her novel Hydrocentral, which chronicles the construction of the ‘Dzora’ hydro power plant – an experience drawn from the years she spent on construction site of the project.
Shaginyan sent a draft of the novel to Stalin, reminding him of his promise to write a preface. However, Stalin's response left the writer disappointed.
"I sincerely apologize, but at the moment, I am unable to read your work or provide a preface. Three months ago, I would have been happy to fulfill your request, but unfortunately, due to an overwhelming workload, I am now unable to do so", - in his letter, Stalin writes to Shaginyan.
In his book Stalin: Chronology of Life and Activities (Part One): Revolution from the Above, historian Yuri Zhukov quotes Stalin's response to Marieta Shaginyan, dated May 20, 1931: "As for speeding up the publication of Hydrocentral and shielding you from unnecessary criticism, I will certainly take care of it. Just let me know who exactly I should pressure to get things moving."
Russian journalist and publicist Vyacheslav Polonsky also attributes Stalin's failure to fulfill his promise to his overwhelming workload. In his memoirs, Polonsky writes: “10/V.31 Marieta Shaginyan arrived. She was unwell and had undergone a series of operations. Despite these difficulties, she managed to finish Hydrocentral. She, herself was deeply impressed by the novel, saying proudly, ‘The first novel to depict industrial relations.’
She lived in the barracks with the workers for over two years, gaining a wealth of technical knowledge and a deep understanding of the most intricate technical issues. Although she was sick and hard of hearing, she maintained a strong desire to work.
She was dreaming about receiving a preface for Hydrocentral from Stalin. She was also considering translating the novel into other languages but feared it would be sold for less than it's worth. She mentioned that the Germans had offered to buy the translation rights, but the offer was so low that she refused to sell. She had a mixture of fame, money and enthusiasm!”, he wrote.
Notably, Korney Chukovsky also mentions Stalin’s letter to Marietta Shaginyan. In his book Diary of 1930-1969, he writes: “Once, in the House of Arts, she brought firewood and an axe to her room. Feeling sorry for her, I said, 'Let me help you with that.' But she misunderstood, thinking I wanted to take the firewood from her, and swung the axe at me! Afterward, she showed me a letter from Stalin about Hydrocentral. Stalin had intended to write a preface for this book, but he’s so busy that he hadn’t been able to find the time. Instead, he asked her to let him know who he should 'press' to ensure that Hydrocentral was approved without distortion. The letter was cute, written in red ink, and very friendly. What’s especially revealing was that Shaginyan, though she really wanted to meet Stalin, never dared to visit him in person – mainly because she was embarrassed by her hearing impairment.”
The novel Hydrocentral was a significant milestone in the writer's understanding of Lenin's goals for reorganizing society. Perhaps the most important aspect of the novel is that it not only addresses new industrial relations, but also explores the formation of new socialist traits in human character," reads the preface to the 1988 edition of the book.
Source: ECTI