Foreign Commission of the Soviet Writers’ Union in the 1960s: Priorities, Work Features, Challenges

Abstract

The Foreign Commission of the Soviet Writers’ Union, founded at the same time as the Union in the 1930s, was supposed to follow the principles and techniques generally accepted among Soviet institutions of foreign propaganda, but the practice of this institution differed due to the human factor and the specific nature of the writers’ profession. In the 1960s, the priority of the Foreign Commission of the Soviet Writers’ Union was personal contacts with foreign writers, as well as interaction with international organisations such as European community of writers (COMES), PEN-Club and the Afro-Asian Writers’ Bureau. The Commission was also involved in the struggle for influence over Third World writers, and this struggle developed in competition with Cuba and China. Nevertheless, it was not foreign policy factors that led the Writers’ Union to isolation at the end of the decade, but campaigns against writers and dissidents inside the country. The Sinyavsky–Daniel trial paved the way for a deeper crisis following the Soviet invasion of Czechoslovakia. By creating a semblance of well-being with the help of statistics, the Commission’s staff was aware that the prestige of Soviet literature had been severely damaged.

Keywords

• foreign commission of the soviet writer’s union
• 1960s’ thaw
• comes
• pen club
• afro-asian writers’ bureau
• sinyavsky–daniel trial