The Bolshevik Myth (Diary 1920-1922)
- Language:
- English
- Status:
- Complete work
- Authorship:
- Written by the author
- Condition of the text:
- No scanning noise detected (automatic measure over the whole text, not checked by hand)
- Extent:
- ~97,100 words · 461 passages
Cite this work
- APAAlexander Berkman. (n.d.). The Bolshevik Myth (Diary 1920-1922). Digital reproduction: SigPhi. https://sigphiai.com/en/works/alexander-berkman/the-bolshevik-myth-diary-1920-1922
- MLAAlexander Berkman. The Bolshevik Myth (Diary 1920-1922). Digital reproduction, SigPhi, https://sigphiai.com/en/works/alexander-berkman/the-bolshevik-myth-diary-1920-1922.
- ChicagoAlexander Berkman. The Bolshevik Myth (Diary 1920-1922). Digital reproduction, SigPhi. https://sigphiai.com/en/works/alexander-berkman/the-bolshevik-myth-diary-1920-1922.
Reference to the edition that SigPhi reproduces: SigPhi is its digital reproduction, not its publisher. The edition's year is not in the metadata (hence "n.d."), and the translator appears only when recorded.
What it is about
Berkman's diary in Russia between 1920 and 1922: he arrived believing in the revolution and came away not believing in it.
Context and history
Berkman was an American anarchist deported in 1919 along with Emma Goldman and two hundred others; he landed in Russia with the enthusiasm of a man coming home, and the book is the day-by-day record of how that came apart. There is no theory: there are conversations, journeys, prisons visited, queues, requisitions from peasants, acquaintances who disappear. The point where everything breaks is Kronstadt, in March 1921. The strength of the text lies precisely in its not arguing: Berkman does not want to be right, he wants to report what he saw, and he is slow to accept what he sees. Written from the left and against what the left wanted to hear, it was among the first testimonies of its kind, and it took decades before it could be read without abuse.
Editorial context, not a citable source: unlike the passages of the work itself, these statements cannot be checked against the corpus.
to them. They looked forlorn, those "dangerous enemies" of the United States. The powerful American Government never appeared to me in a more ridiculous light. The women made no complaints: they are treated well and receive good food. But all three are penned in a small cabin intended for one person only; day and night armed sentinels guard their door. No trace of Christ appeared anywhere on the ship this Christmas Day. The usual espionage and surveillance, the same discipline and severity. But in the general messroom, at dinner, there was an addition to the regular meal: currant bread and cranberries. More than half of the tables were vacant, however: most of the men are in their bunks, sick. December 26. — Rough sea, and more men "laid out." The six-foot "Baby" is the sickest of them all. The hatches have been closed to keep the sea out, and it is suffocating below deck. There are forty-nine men in our compartment; the rest are in the two adjoining ones. The ship physician has asked me to assist him on his daily rounds, as interpreter and nurse. The men suffer mostly from stomach and bowel complaints; but there are also cases of rheumatism, sciatica, and heartdisease. The Boris brothers are in a precarious condition; young John Birk is growing very weak; a number of others are in bad shape. December 27. — The Boston deportee, a former sailor, claims the course of the Buford was changed twice during the night. "Perhaps making for the Portugal Coast," he said. It is rumored we may be turned over to Denikin. The men are much worried. Human psychology everywhere has a basic kinship. Even in prison I found the deepest tragedies lit up by a touch of humor.…