Life and Fate Read Along, Part 2 Chapter 54

This post, covering Part 2, Chapter 54 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 Viktor is pushed to a boiling point. His research is going unrecognized, his administrative assistants aren’t being recalled, and his promotion requests are being denied.

After Shishakov suggests that Viktor’s research is not critical to the goals of the State, Viktor so tactfully replies that he feels “it was of no concern to physics whether or not it confirmed philosophy; that the logic of mathematical proof was more powerful than that of Engels and Lenin; that it was for Badin of the Scientific Section of the Central Committee to accommodate Lenin’s views to mathematics or physics, not for mathematicians and physicists to accommodate their views to Lenin’s,” (p, 583). Although Viktor realizes that these comments will probably result in his dismissal, imprisonment, or death, he simply can’t stop himself.