One of the most famous Russian writers, Alexander Trifonovich Tvardovsky, is considered to be a talented poet and journalist. He is one of the few gifted people who managed to print in the Soviet years. However, not all works of Twardowski were approved by critics and allowed for publication. Among the forbidden texts was the poem "By the Right of Memory". A summary of it will be considered in this article.
History of creation
The poem “By the Right of Memory”, a summary of which will be considered below, was written in the 60s. But because of the ban, it was published only in 1987. The work was originally conceived as part of the poem “Beyond the Distance — the Distance,” since Twardowski considered it unfinished, there was a certain understatement in it: I can leave ... "
However, later an additional chapter formed into an independent poem. And this work reflected the writer's dissatisfaction with the political and social changes of the 60s: attempts to exalt Stalin again, hiding from the people the decisions of the party congress, growing totalitarianism, strict censorship, custom-made denunciations, false letters on behalf of the “working people”. All these changes were reflected in the fate of the whole people and of Twardowski himself. All this sincerely worries the writer, he cannot remain on the sidelines and appears in the poem as an accuser of power and a denouncer of its cruel, inhuman actions.
Genre originality
From the point of view of the genre, the poem can be called lyrical and philosophical reflection. Although the poet himself calls it a "travel diary." The protagonists of the work: the Soviet country, the people inhabiting it, as well as their deeds and accomplishments.
The genre originality of the work “By the Right of Memory” is interesting, the brief content of which indicates the presence of a fairy tale plot, as well as magical heroes:
- protagonist returning home;
- assistant hero - tractor driver;
- antihero - a thief;
- savior - Stalin.
The prevalence of fairy tales is also evidenced by the abundance of proverbs, sayings, and proverbs in the folk style. Thus, Twardowski depicts reality in a mythological form, so many episodes have a deep symbolic meaning.
Theme
The main theme of the poem “By the Law of Memory” (a brief summary confirms this idea) is the theme of memory. But this problem is transforming into another, more dangerous one - responsibility before the descendants for reluctance to deal with what happened in the past: "He who hides the past ... he is unlikely to be in harmony with the future." Twardowski believed that no one has the right to forget the past, since it concerns everyone and affects the future of the country, its development and the well-being of the people.
The poem is built as an expressive monologue of the lyrical hero, concerned about the loss of continuity and the destruction of communication between generations.
Poem "By the Right of Memory": a summary
The work consists of three parts. The first part is devoted to the writer’s youthful memories, it sounds warm, ironic, filled with plans and dreams: “And where, which of us will have to ... hear our youth”.
The dreams of the young poet are high and pure, his main desire is to work for the good of his native country. And if necessary, he is ready to give for his homeland and life. The writer recalls, with longing and sadness, about his youthful naivety and ignorance of all the hardships that fate had prepared: "To love the mother earth, / So that it would be fire and water."
The second chapter of the work “By the Right of Memory”, the contents of which we are considering, is called “The Son Is Not Responsible for the Father”. This is the most tragic part not only in the poem, but also in the life of Twardowski. The fact is that the writer’s family was dispossessed and exiled to Siberia, Alexander Trifonovich himself remained in Smolensk only because he had separated from his family in those years. The poet could not help loved ones, and this tormented him all his life. Moreover, he was assigned the stigma “son of a fist”, which did not facilitate life in the Soviet Union. It was these experiences that were reflected in the poem: "Thank the father of the people that he forgave your father."
The third part of the poem sounds like an affirmative monologue, where the writer defends the right to memory. As long as the descendants remember the affairs of their ancestors, they are alive. Memory is a great gift of man, and he should not refuse it.
Analysis
The poem “Right of Memory” was called by many critics the repentance of Twardowski. In it, the poet tries to atone for the mistakes of youth, his grief and regret spill over into the beautiful lines of a genius work.
In the first chapter, along with youthful memories, one can also notice the foreboding of historical changes, which will turn into a tragedy and a conflict of the hero not only with the surrounding reality, but also with himself. It is the internal conflict that will become the main one in the second chapter of the work. The poet looks at Stalin’s phrase “the son is not responsible for his father” from different angles. These words were a kind of lifeline for those who did not want to share the fate of their parents. However, the poet’s lyrical “I” rejects this help; he does not want to betray his father. Moreover, he defends the exiled parent. Twardowski is ready to answer for him, to defend the right to a human attitude to the enemy of the people, thereby trying to atone for the youthful betrayal of his family.
But gradually the idea of ​​responsibility for the affairs of parents turns into responsibility for the achievements of the whole country. What happened during the time of Stalin is guilty of all those who silently looked at the repression.
Conclusion
Twardowski’s poem “By the Right of Memory” reflected all the trials that fell to the poet on his life path. This is the Stalinist repression, and the Great Patriotic War, and the difficult post-war period, and the thaw. His forbidden work became a confession, a cry of the soul, which is no longer able to remain silent about what has been experienced.