Life and Fate Read Along, Part 2 Chapter 26

This post, covering Part 2, Chapter 26 is part of The Slavic Literature Pod’s chapter a day read along of Vasily Grossman’s Life and Fate. Learn more about our project here.

Today we get insight—through the dissemination of gossip—into the highest levels of government and their discussion of Soviet science. The first few paragraphs of the chapter even take us through Stalin’s apparent defense of the Institute.

Facing suggestions that the Institute's budget is cut and criticism of idealist tendencies, Stalin replies “We are not going to economize on the Academy… we must protect our scientists from Arakcheevs,” (p. 456). Immediately after swearing everyone present to secrecy, the information from the meeting starts spreading throughout Moscow.