THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS

November 14, 1975 25

SELMA'S
Yarn Shop

Fictional Solzhenitsyn Is Portrayed in 'Gates of Hell'

By ALLEN A. WARSEN

Harrison E. Salisbury,
the associate editor of the
New York Times, winner of
a Pulitizer Prize and presi-
dent of the National Insti-
tute of Arts and Letters, has
enriched American litera-
ture with the masterfully
written novel "The Gates of
Hell" (Random House,
1975).
It is a book about the Rus-
sian inferno, the Gulag. It is
profound, engrossing and
keeps the reader in a contin-
ual state of suspense. Its
central figures are Andrei
Sokolov and Andropov, the
chief of the Soviet secret
police.
Though the story is about
Sokolov, Andropov plays a
crucial role in it. He is the
protagon-
ist of a
part of the
novel
which
may be
regarded
as a sepa-
rate story,
or a story
within a
story, and
SALISBURY
can be
compared to a river and its
tributary. Its problem: to
expell or not to expell the in-
ternationally famous
writer, Andrei Sokolov from
Russia.
The principal part of the
novel, however, is about So-
kolov. It traces his life story
from cradle to his_expulsion
from the Soviet Union.
It is noteworthy that

Andrei from his early
youth had the feeling that
something went wrong in
Russia, but was unable to
identify its cause. He re-
jected outright his aunt
Tetya Sofia's contention
that Russia's misfortunes
were the Jews. "They are
selling the grain for gold
and we Russians are
starving. So it has always

r

been. They drink our
blood, our good Russian
blood."

Sokolov with his percep-
tive mind, as he grew older,
became aware that the main
cause of his country's ills
was the "Big Mustache."
For the world's troubles, he
blamed both the "Big Mus-
tache" (Stalin) and the
"Little Mustache" (Hitler).
The Nazi-Soviet Pact he
regarded as a cynical deal
between two swindlers, and
the main reason Russia was
not prepared militarily
when it was attacked by the
Nazis.
He accused Stalin of
commiting "one blunder
after another," and held
him personally responsible
for the millions of Russian
war casualties.

While detesting Stalin
and his cohorts, Sokolov
idealized the Decembrists
(Russian officers who con-
spired against Nicholas I,
in December, 1825), Push-
kin, Herzen, and Lenin.
The latter's misdeeds he
considered mistakes for
which he blamed Lenin's
advisers and informers.
He believed that "Lenin's
revolution was the culmi-
nation of„lop years of Rus-
sian striving, Russian
idealism, dedication to the
cause of the people."

Sokolov loved Russia, and
as soon as the Nazis at-
tacked it, he, his wife Rosa
and her father, Dr. Litvin,
joined the armed forces. Dr.
Litvin was an early casualty
of the war.
Rosa served as a nurse on
the war front. There she of-
tentimes risked her life sav-
ing others.
Sokolov, too, served his
country devoutedly. He was
twice promoted and
awarded medals for distin-
guished service and bravery.

However, his criticism
of Stalin continued. This
he shared with Vania, a
former school friend, with

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whom he carried on a cor-
respondence. Vania, too,
served his country with
distinction.

The KGB learned of An-
drei's criticism. He was ar-
rested, thrown into the Gu-
lag and charged with
belonging to a conspirato-
rial organization.
Years later, he conceived
that his remark about Stal-
in's mustache. was trans-
formed "into a conspiracy
and made up the standard
kind of case, never thinking

U.S. State Aide
Moves to Israel

JERUSALEM — Most
North Americans who move
to Israel boast that they had
to give up a lot. But Joe
Romanelli calls himself an
exception to this general
rule.
"Hy absolute standard of
living," he says, "has gone
up since I've come to this
country. I'm married, with a
family on the way, and I've
acquired a home in Jerusa
lem which I never had in the
States."
Still, it's a big change
from the U.S. State Depart-
ment in Washington, where
he had a career in the world
of diplomacy, to his present
position as assistant to the
adviser to the chairman of
the Jewish Agency.
So why is. he now living in
Israel? "The decision," he
answers, "was the result of
a long process that just kind
of fermented within me."

that any real evidence ex- sive. The laconic sketches of
Brezhnev, Kosygin, Pod-
isted."
In the Lubyanka, Bu- gorny, Suslov, Grechko,
tyrka, Lefartovo, and Shelepin and Gromyko are
Taishet 303, Sokolov was insightful and masterly.
subjected to the brutalities,
inhumanities and humilia-
tions the Gulag has been
famous for.

In the various prisons,
Sokolov met former revo-
lutionaries, priests, Bap- -
Lists, and people who were
"framed." Prisoner Rozen
belonged to the last cate-
gory. He, in spite of his
suffering, "devoutly be-
lieved in the international
and anti-nationalist prin-
ciples of the early Bolshe-
viks."

It should be obvious that -
"The Gates of Hell" and the
Gulag literature are anala-
gous. It should also be evi-
dent that Andrei Sokolov is
a fictionalized Aleksandr
Solzhenitsyn.
Nevertheless, "The Gates
of Hell" is an original, ab-
sorbing and realistic novel.
Its analysis of the Soviet
system is superb and inci-

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Hebrew Schools
Set Awards Event

NEW YORK — Eighteen
Jewish communal figures —
leaders in Hebrew Day .
Schools, Nov. 16 in New
York.
There are today nearly'
480 schools offering a corn-
bined program of Hebrew
and general studies in 35.
states and five Canadian
provinces according to To-•
rah Umesorah's annual re-
port issued in conjunction
with the annual function of
the Hebrew Day School
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