Lydia Chukovskaya- Sofia Petrovna
This is the tragic tale of the life of one Sofia Petrovna during the time of Stalin's Great Purges. She was a good communist. Efficient at her job, she was often praised for her excellent work. She was raising her son to have faith in the Soviet way of life. Her dear Kolya was her life and her joy. Her life was a bed of roses. She felt she could want for nothing more.
One day, She received information that her son has been informed upon as being an enemy of the state. Sofia's life was turned upside down. Everything she was ever taught to believe in was now being questioned. But, she still tried to believe in what she was taught by the Communists- that Stalin cares for her and will listen. So, she wrote letter after letter to Stalin, personally addressing them to him, begging for him to look at her son's case, that he is innocent. She begins to witness those around her being turned in and executed. Her life was falling apart. What will she do?
A surprising, though painfully realistic end makes the power of this story come to bear. Chukovskaya forces the reader to sympathizes with her Sofia: and feel her loss and love. Though Chukovskaya's writings were banned when this story was written, under Khrushchev, this story was published, as part of his effort to expose Stalin's crimes against the Russian people. This is a very intense work which will have you filled with the pain and suffering of suspense and leave you with a greater understanding of life under Stalin.
nikola
Russian Gothic Project