Cement p.1 by Gladkov

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Show Notes

This week, Matt and Cameron kick off a two-part series on Fyodor Gladkov’s Cement, one of the most famous examples of literary Socialist Realism. (Or...is it?) Stay tuned to hear one man’s brave journey to...make a factory work again amidst famine and devastation. No - wait, that’s not a good sell — stay tuned to hear Matt and Cameron argue that Cement is much more interesting that a simple plot summary makes it seem.

Major themes: Committees, Simple-hearted, working-class political commissars, Gender roles

12:47 - “Gladkov’s Cement: The Making of a Soviet Classic” by Robert Busch

16:01 - Spain in our Hearts by Adam Hochschild. Probably one of my favorite books, written by one of my favorite authors. You should also check out The Mirror at Midnight and King Leopold’s Ghost if you’re interested in South African and Congolese history respectively.

27:57 - *11th hour

44:57 - “The Hardening of Cement: Russian Women and Modernization” by Pavla Vesela

The music used in this episode was “soviet march,” by Toasted Tomatoes. You can find more of their work on Bandcamp and YouTube.