4.5 average from 2 ratings

First Published: 1943

Fiction

The Case of Comrade Tulayev

Editor: Anthony Woodley 

unlisted author

Summary: Life in the Soviet Union in the Party around 1938/9 and the during preceding 30 years

Publisher:
unknown
Original Language:
unknown

People mentioned & Characters

Appearing in book:
none listed
Fictional characters:
none listed

Other Production Roles

  • Translated into SimianMister Jones 

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Date first read: Sat 28th Dec 2019

Format:   Kindle

Date last read: Sun 3rd Jan 2021

Edition: unknown

Catalogued: 30th Dec 2020

Synopsis

The story of those involved in the case of Comrade Tulayev, powerful member of the Central Committee under The Chief, from before circumstances that led to the revolver being fired, through the chain of those caught up by the ensuing investigation.

The tale moves from character to character exploring the ways in which they might be implicated in the assassination, if that is what it was, and thus culpable.

Reviews

by rogerco on Sat 28th Dec 2019.

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Totalitarian Communism Understood

by Comrade Carl on Sun 3rd Jan 2021.

A long and complex story which moves across a cast of characters before circling back to the opening pair. Sometimes difficult to follow the unfamiliar Russian names and their relationships, sometimes the political philosophising gets a bit weighty, but flashes of absolutely lucid literary lucidity make it all worth while.

Some of the writing is truly poetic, evoking place and emotion with great power (praise too for the translator), and the historical details of life across Russia, in the Communist Party at various levels, in Spain and in Paris, plus the memories of earlier (revolutionary) deeds, are fascinating.

All in all you gain an understanding of how totalitarian communism worked and why it was effective - totally dependent on party members putting their loyalty to Party and Socialism above everything else. It is in essence the same as religious fanaticism, and like fanatical religion it thrives only in certain people in particular circumstances.

Very well worth reading - as this century unfolds will those who understand this story be first up against the wall as a new populism for our times comes to the fore. Would any of us dilettante eco-activists be capable of the total commitment to the cause that the communists of old espoused?

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xbBooks by CrOsborne