From Under the Lid

Evidence of rather widespread disaffection or at least dissatisfaction among Russian writers has been frequently reported in recent years. We have heard of a number of attempts of Russian novelists, playwrights and critics to express in more or less veiled form some of their disgust with key features of the contemporary Russian scene. But while we are relatively well-informed about writers, less attention has been paid to similar signs of disaffection among other types of intellectuals. That is why we feel it of some value to print here excerpts from a rather remarkable article by one R. I. which appeared in the Moscow review Nasa Stvarnost (1956, No. 10). The article expresses not only a most astounding departure from the usual Soviet views about the character of contemporary capitalism, but it contains formulations which make it appear as if the author is attempting here to describe not only Western state capitalism but the contemporary Russian economy. Some of his formulations ha...