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Book review
Three books that yield
an insight into Russia
by Edith Bllckallvr
THE BEST FOODS OF
RUSSIA. By Sonia Uvezian. 279
pp. New York: Harcourt, Brace
Jovanovich. $8.95.
IN LENINGRAD. By Joseph
Weeks berg. 249 pp. New York
Doubleday. $12.50.
TO BE PRESERVED
FOREVER. By Lev Kopelev. £68
pp. New York: Lippincotl
$12.50.
A Russian peasant tells a folk
legend about meeting a man
fishing through the iey river
during S Siberian winter day.
After catching five fish, more
than any of his companions, he
was asked the secret of his
success. “No secret," he said
through chapped and stiffened
lips. "No secret, only' en-/
durance." He had summarized
the mystique of Mother Russia
as these books verify.
She is a land of superlatives
and contradictions, of myths so
long established they have
become facts. For example, do
the inhabitants of the three
Caucasian Republics, Arihenia,
Azerbaidzhan and Georgia live
longer than others or have birth
records been lost or falsified?
Scientists have studied the un
hurried life-styles and diets of
these people, rich in vegetables
and fruits, broiled meats and
fish, herbs, dairy dishes, nuts,
grain and honey.
To decide for yourself, and,
perhaps, add to your longevity,
try some of the recipes found in
this Russian cook book such as
fillet of beef with wine or flam
ing holiday pilaf. Armenian
Sonia Uvezian has included
several tempting yogurt recipes
in her collection, and, in spite of
its remote origins, most in
gredients are in every American
grocery store, with a glossary of
foreign terms enhancing the
practicality of the volume.
For aesthetic nourishment
you can turn to a visual journey
ol Leningrad with beautiful
color photographs and a percep
tive accompanying text by The
New Yorker foreign correspon
dent, Joseph Wechsberg. You
can view the Winter Palace from
a tour bpst on the Neva River
and savor human encounters
with people from many Walks of
life such as one pensive old man
who recalled that he was born in
St. Petersburg, went to school in
Petrograd, was married in
Leningrad and, if he had his
way, would like to live again in
St. Petersburg. The name
changes mirror this glittering
jewel’s paradoxical, turbulent
history as home to a monarchy
that not only opened a "window
to the West" but also gave to this
"Venice of the North" its unique
architecture, art treasures,
parks and palaces. But the
warmth and goodness of the peo
ple are the lifeblood of the city
and their ability to cope during
the 900 days of Nazi siege gives
further insights into the en
durance capacity of Russians.
The people’s faith in Leningrad’s
involability made their city sur
vive. “They didn’t talk
heroically,” one proud guide
remarked, “They acted
heroically.”
But, unfortunately, the treat
ment given to creative artists,
courageous enough to challenge
Communist totalitarian repres
sion, has been unheroic, and
Lillian Heilman’s moving
tribute in the forward to her
friend Lev Kopelev’s narrative
tells what life has become for a
Gulag survivor, who was respon
sible for the first publication of
Solzhenitsyn’s work.
Kopelev, scholar, literary
critic and linguist, puts his life
in jeopardy as he describes a
harrowing story of brave choices
and the inability to compromise
with his ideals because he
zealously loves his country, its
people and what it might yet
become.
The tale unfolded in these j
pages is more than sorrowful; it
is one that should be read in
order to have ah accurate un
derstanding of the realities of
contemporary SoViet life, es
pecially for those who are Jews.
The author is symbolic of un
told others' who, sometimes
single handedly, try to challenge
and defy, in the cause of human
decency, the might of one of the
most repressive states in the
world. These people exhibit even
more admirable stamina than
that shown by the humble
fisherman in frigid Siberia.
(Edith Bticksilver is in the
English Department at Georgia
Tech, -where she teaches a course
in Soviet literature. J
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