Russia's Quiet Rebels

...The Stilyagi's opinion of Soviet literature was somewhat less than enthusiastic...

...Their completely distorted knowledge of the Kremlin's actions was demonstrated by their insistence that it would never attempt to influence the actions of a foreign Communist party or of one of the satellite regimes...

...One student said that he had paid the equivalent of $64 on the black market for a book of van Gogh prints which had retailed for $2.50 in the U.S...

...Stilyagi is a term applied to a small group of young Soviet radicals who can best be compared to our own Beatniks...

...The non-conformist 'Stilyagi,' Soviet Russia's new 'Beat Generation,' question Communist values and seek freedom for individual expression By Alfred Geduldig ALFRED GEDULDIG, an American political scientist, returned recently from a 10-week tour of Soviet youth organizations and institutions...

...I realized she was making the exciting discovery that there were other people in the world who had the same doubts and questions about man and society as she and her friends...

...but their confidential whispers tell a most revealing story...

...The basic psychological patterns of non-conformity serve as a fundamental emotional release...

...In addition to getting to read otherwise unavailable literature, translating provides them a good supplemental income...

...There are juvenile delinquents in the Soviet Union, contrary to all official pronouncements on the subject...

...He spat...

...These commodities are then resold at exorbitant profit for the "businessmen...

...But they were willing and eager to listen...

...Two youths predicted that they would defect from the Soviet Union within a year...

...But there were those who didn't know, and obviously didn't care, what their career was to be...

...Though most Soviet girls would never consider holding hands with a boy in public, several girls told me frankly that they would have no compunctions about sleeping with boys they liked...

...My outfit was perfect, and with the co-ed from the Art Institute holding my arm...

...After a moment of further questioning, it became evident that he knew what he was talking about...

...They admired Stalin for winning the war and rebuilding Russian war damage, though they were torn between this admiration and the compromising exposure of his "mistakes...

...This has brought about a great demand for translators, and those who work at it, even on a part-time basis, make excellent wages...

...Had I been dressed as an American, I would have been greeted with friendly smiles, but in their eyes I was a Stilyaga...

...In a stack of 30-odd records, most were Czech and Polish—none were Russian...

...A misty rain fell from the overcast sky, and a milk-white fog clung to the streets...

...Another girl was warned by Party die-hards to stay away from me, although she was thoroughly pro-Soviet...

...Those who are pro-Soviet still enjoy modern art, jazz, and other examples of Western "capitalistic decadence...

...an author who has received Party disapproval...

...I asked my friend, Alya, how they were able to get the foreign recordings...

...Some of these students claimed to be writers, but said they were still at a stage where they read voluminously and created little...

...A son of a high Communist official said he wanted to tell me "the truth about Russia...

...Most of them, however, are neither vociferous nor delinquent, and they do not claim to be joined by a common philosophy...

...Many seemed equally pained to think of what the Soviet Union would be like in ten years...

...People had been eyeing me and stepping out of my way ever since I had left downtown Leningrad, reacting inwardly in a manner similar to that of their more outspoken comrade...

...but he was afraid...

...Only a few of the Stilyagi had an understanding of even the basic tenets of Western democracy...

...One of the leading Komsomols (Young Community Leaguer) even whispered that Russia would probably never be the paradise foretold by Marx and Lenin...

...It has reintroduced an awareness of the individual, the principle of the right to question, the process of volition and the satisfaction of self-expression...

...Student black marketeers are not uncommon in most of Russia's larger cities...

...These records are old-fashioned," he said, in a curious mixture of Russian and English, "but you should see my new-collection...

...He was readying himself to deliver a lengthy lecture on modern jazz, when Alya thoughtfully interrupted to ask what I thought of pre-Soviet literature...

...Those who do not have the necessary means are sometimes forced to resort to petty thievery and black marketeering...

...What they do share with the Beatniks is irresponsibility, temperament and a type of directionless rebellion...

...He was wearing sunglasses in a room that was barely lit...

...The discussions in the corners stopped as I brought out some small books of modern art reproductions and passed them around...

...He is no longer so naive...

...Embassy's Russian-language magazine, Amerika, and were fascinated by anything American, especially the literature and music...

...My short, general appraisal was highly favorable, and the nods of agreement I saw around the room filled me with a strangely rich satisfaction...

...The Stilyagi whom one meets on the street introduce themselves as "businessmen," and are willing to pay almost any price for whatever a Westerner is willing to sell...

...A half-dozen English discs got the most attention...

...The Government has admitted that alcoholism has been an increasing problem among the entire younger generation in recent years...

...Here were young Soviet people caught up in the heat and passion of new ideas...

...Their tastes are primitive and unrefined, and their ideas are passionate and unrealistic, but they are alive and struggling...

...As I neared the end of Nevsky Prospect, where I was to meet the young lady, a worker pushed past me indignantly and muttered, "Stilyaga...

...This situation illustrates a major conflict facing Soviet youth: They envy the material and intellectual progress of the West, but they have been taught to condemn the systems which have made these achievements...

...For all the officially heralded Socialist virtues, I found that illicit love affairs were common among the Stilyagi...

...Others wished to be writers, artists, architects...

...They sense that something is seriously amiss, but find it hard to define precisely what the problem is or to formulate possible solutions...

...a prostitute who conducts her business in a taxicab...

...In spite of the slight intellectual liberalization of the past two years, they still live in fear of undercover police surveillance...

...One reason for this conflict is the extraordinary Russian ignorance of American governmental processes...

...and was sporting a three-day growth of beard...

...Like other Russians, the Stilyagi demonstrated their insatiable hunger for information about the U.S...

...The Quiet Rebels know privation and sacrifice...

...Of course, it is difficult to determine how representative the Stilyagi are of the general attitude of Soviet youth...

...She had asked about the Beat Generation, which she had heard about from a friend of hers who had been in the United States...

...The Quiet Rebels know this fear and oppression well...

...But the favorite of the Quiet Rebels was Dostoyevsky...

...They impressed me with their skepticism, doubt and frustration...

...I have only the latest American records," he continued, with obvious pride...

...This is hollow victory without the trappings and trimmings of real emotional freedom...

...One said, "You have an American expression which fits the situation perfectly: The Komsomol is a pain in the neck...

...This was but one of several Stilyaga parties I was invited to in my stay-in the USSR...

...Someone cited the "Droll Stories...

...fn this atmosphere of internal contradiction, it is no wonder that Soviet youth is confused...

...Few praised the present regime...

...We had met at a student party earlier in the week during a discussion of Britain's Teddy Boys...

...The more thoughtful members of the group appeared to be questioning the immediate effects of their planned economy...

...She pointed to a fellow across the room, a caricature of an American jazz buff: Hollywood-style clothes picked up from the black market, long, swept-back hair and a small beard...

...The Stilyagi have systematically resisted Party indoctrination since the death of Stalin, but this new assault against non-conformism will test the endurance and resilience of the individual in his struggle for self-examination and expression...

...As a result of these strained circumstances, the Stilyagi frequently resort to escapism and unorthodox emotional release...

...Much of Western literature is difficult to obtain and dangerous to possess, but once it has found its way to the group it is read avidly by all the members...

...A great many Stilyagi expected to become teachers...

...But vodka is expensive, and the wild parties that one hears about are enjoyed only by the children of the "New Class...

...Officially, the USSR is puritanical, but the Quiet Rebels form a definite exception to this rule...

...Among themselves, they criticize existing institutions and conditions, but these objections are not made publicly...

...It was obvious that they were not objecting to me as a Westerner...

...They accepted the ultimate goals of Communism, which even they found difficult to define, but were bitter about the present standard of living...

...The vodka had flowed in an endless stream, and the phonograph blared in order to foil curious neighbors and bugging machines...

...none could explain the functions of the American Supreme Court or Congress...

...Russia's Quiet Rebels Ir WAS a typical spring afternoon in Leningrad...

...An American car may cause a riot, though no student I interviewed showed much pride in the Soviet sputnik...

...Some had combined their reading and writing by translating foreign literature into Russian...

...Admittedly, their tastes lacked refinement and sophistication, but they were far more open and progressive than the average Russian who thinks Socialist Realism is the ultimate in art...

...The Stilyagi are bewildered and searching...

...As I identified some of the characteristics of the Beatniks...

...I learned a great deal about them, for like most progressives, they like to talk...

...This is not as easy as it sounds...

...Several students told me privately that they would never join the Komsomol, even though this might seriously handicap them in the future...

...Several of my guides profited handsomely by their association with Americans, buying suits, portable typewriters, books, shirts and other rare items...

...He recited the titles of several of Dave Brubeck's albums, accompanying his comments with some improvisations which he hummed through his nose...

...On the other hand, the anti-Soviets proclaim their devotion to the Russian motherland, even though they are dissatisfied with present conditions...

...One Stilyaga explained that the students were forced to double-up on the use of apartments...

...They read the U.S...

...The Stilyagi are, for the most part, apolitical...

...In Lenin's old office at Smolny in Leningrad, an enthusiastic, pro-Soviet guide opened a cabinet, and was shocked to find a tape recorder spinning gaily away...

...There is much in Dostoyev-sky that a police-state regime would find unpalatable...

...Another outgrowth of the severe housing shortage is an interesting sociological phenomenon known as the "taxi-girl...

...The Soviets publish one billion books a year, and an increasing number are of foreign origin...

...A Moscow girl was arrested for becoming too friendly with me...

...The desire for wealth was pronounced, and they were suspicious of Premier Nikita Khrushchev's claims about the joys and rewards of Soviet life...

...possibly their quiet rebellion will die and they will join the fold...

...I tried to explain that the Beatniks were self-admitted intellectuals, whereas the Teddy Boys were more comparable to our juvenile delinquents...

...A Ukrainian girl sent letters to me within Russia through a traveling friend, because she didn't trust the mails...

...They were astonishingly ignorant of Soviet foreign policy...

...He said that he frequently shared his facilities with other anxious young couples...

...Because of the stringent censorship, the Stilyagi have a difficult time formulating their criticisms...

...True, they cannot speak out...

...The more staid members of Russian society read Tolstoy, Chekhov, Lermontov and Pushkin...

...I was warned by several people not to wander through certain sections of Leningrad for fear of the "hoods...

...the disguise was complete...

...The Kremlin is cognizant of this potential threat and has recently placed "vigilante" committees in all Komsomol organizations...

...Possibly they are the avant-garde...

...Even if the Stilyaga movement does not gain in force and momentum in coming years, it has already served a major purpose...

...which are, of course, on the Communist "Index," and as we offered one tale or another for the group's entertainment, I found they knew much more about them than I did...

...It wasn't long before heated arguments broke out over Socialist Realism, intentional distortion, heavy definitive lines, dimensionality, color and the integrity of the artist...

...Hemingway is among their favorites, and they read Balzac for his realism, ribaldry and sentiment...

...They resented the fact that they would soon have to decide—or harsher plans would be made for them...

...I was wearing a tan gabardine raincoat and a sports cap...

...Such freedoms can be very damaging to a society which is striving for the standardization of the human being...

...Western radio stations were exceptionally popular, primarily for their jazz programs...

...My appointment had taken me into one of the better residential sections of the city, a long way from the path usually beaten by the tourists...

...With an uncertain future facing the Russian citizen, there is a tendency to laud "the good old days," though not one of them wished for the old days to return...

...Obviously they were embarrassed by the artistic change that had taken place, and switched the subject to Western literature...

...Not a single student had heard of the Berlin blockade, and such touchy subjects as the Finnish War and the Hungarian Revolution, which they had heard of, were usually too dangerous to discuss...

...The housing shortage is acute, and this results in such bits of homely philosophy as, "If you have an apartment, you have a sex life," and "No grass, no love...

...Their frustration is intensified by the barriers to communication, which make the nurture and exchange of ideas a daring venture...

...The music was supplied by old and well-worn 78 RPM records...

...That segment of the younger generation which no longer views the future as do the orthodox doctrinaires is not as pessimistic or fatalistic in tone as the Beatniks are...