Bookvica

[GRANDFATHER LENIN]

Item #334

Pamiati V.I. Lenina [i.e. In Memory of V.I. Lenin]. [N.p., 1920s]. 11 pp.: ill. 21,5x18 cm. Handwritten school notebook. Small tears of the covers, otherwise very good.

The unique survival of the time. Watercolor picture of Lenin as a child is on the front cover signed by child’s hand (V. Antonovich) as well as the title ‘‘In Memory of V.I. Lenin’’ and ‘‘#1’’ at the top. Notebook includes 6 children’s poems, each signed, and 6 drawings in pencil and watercolor paint. The first poem is dated (30th of January, Friday) and a title ‘‘Behind the Lenin’s Coffin’’. Vladimir Lenin died on the 21st of
January in 1924 and was put in a mausoleum 6 days later. So these poems are composed and written short after that and full of sorrow
and grief. Lenin was considered a leader of the proletariat and father of a young Soviet country. ‘Grandfather’ Lenin was the primary source,
challenging the authority of which would put the whole communist system under attack unlike the challenge to Stalin’s authority was put at stake only by the totalitarian regime (Lenin fought for the revolution, and ‘Koba’ - for power). Throughout existence of Soviet Union children were taught respect and love for ‘grandfather’ Lenin, not Stalin.

There are three portraits of a young Lenin in the notebook and all of them have a resemblance with Parkhomenko’s drawing from a Little Oktobrists five-pointed star badge. In 1923-1924 Little Oktobrists was a name of the children born in 1917, the year of the October revolution. Later the term was used for the youth organization for children between 7 and 9 years of age. Another drawing shows funeral procession. A portrait of a grown Lenin follows the poem titled ‘‘Five Nights and Days’’ referring to the time for which the coffin was installed in the Hall of Columns for the official farewell.

In general, all poems are gloomy and heavy which was very in tune with the epoch: ‘‘And snowflakes are falling and falling on Lenin’s white from the snow coffin’’. At the same time the cult of his persona started to flourish even more: ‘‘Lenin is dead - Lenin is alive!’’. In the form of a civil religion of national scale, the cult of Lenin spilled out immediately after his death. The task was to establish an emotional connection between people and the party, personified by Lenin.

Considerable attention was paid to the propaganda of Leninism among children. The stories of the childhood of an energetic, diligent boy Volodya, who never forgot his duty to the people, were to become a model of behavior for every Soviet child. And the idealized ‘Ilyich’ - named after his patronymic in order to make it closer and more accessible - served as the personification of the regime in the guise of a smiling good-natured who saved Russia and loved children. It was expected that the children brought up by Leniniana would grow up loyal Soviet citizens, and their youthful love for Lenin in maturity would turn into devotion to the Soviet power.

A very interesting detail about mausoleum’s drawing in the notebook: the depicted building is the second temporary mausoleum designed by Aleksei Shchusev made out of wood - a documented evidence of the famous architect’s work which existed only for 5 years.

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