a cultured question

[serialcondition.livejournal.com]

I came across this in my readings: "As Lenin promised, we will make toilets of pure gold . . . " (Abram Tertz "On Socialist Realism)

what is he referring to
and how does it sound in Russian

thank you
t.

UPD the mystery is solved
full quote from Lenin inside
also "ЗОЛОТОЙ УНИТАЗ" (gold toilet) is now a phrase that denotes meaningless luxury (from alamar)

Comments

[b0bb.livejournal.com]

As seen on Google:

"В статье "О значении золота теперь и после полной победы социализма" Ленин писал: "Когда мы победим в мировом масштабе, мы сделаем из золота общественные отхожие места…"

[serialcondition.livejournal.com]

how chic :)
and I thought Tertz was being flippant

thanks

[ekeme-ndiba.livejournal.com]

Когда мы победим в мировом масштабе, мы, думается мне, сделаем из золота общественные отхожие места на улицах нескольких самых больших городов мира. Это было бы самым «справедливым» и наглядно-назидательным употреблением золота для тех поколений, которые не забыли, как из-за золота перебили десять миллионов человек и сделали калеками тридцать мил­лионов в «великой освободительной» войне 1914-1918 годов.


When we are victorious on a world scale I think we shall use gold for the purpose of building public lavatories in the streets of some of the largest cities of the world. This would be the most just and most educational way of utilizing gold for the benefit of these generations which have not forgotten how, for the sake of gold, ten million men were killed and thirty million maimed in the "great liberation" war of 1914–1918.

[serialcondition.livejournal.com]

thank you for the entire quote -- it makes more sense now why he would say such a thing

[honey-melt.livejournal.com]

Thanks for reminding me of this author. I had the priviledge of taking a class taught by Andrei Sinyavsky(A.K.A. Tertz) in Oregon just a few years before he died. I think he was amazing and it was so cool to be able to meet him and talk with him. I love so much of what he wrote.

[honey-melt.livejournal.com]

oops - privilege

[serialcondition.livejournal.com]

how wonderful
I too like his writing but right now I'm reading him in translation to speed up the process

t.

[alamar.livejournal.com]

I want to add that, as a consequence of this, toilet bowl of gold, marble or whatever is a frequently used symbol of meaningless and wild luxury in present Russian.

[serialcondition.livejournal.com]

could you be so kind as to provide an example of such a phrase in Russian?
thank you
t.

[alamar.livejournal.com]

Just an easy yandexing:
http://www.scandali.ru/news/news3221.html
==
ДРАКА ЗА ЗОЛОТОЙ УНИТАЗ

Руководство "Норильского никеля" и "Роснефти" делит VIP-самолет
==
There's a lot more on http://www.yandex.ru/yandsearch?rpt=rad&text=%22%E7%EE%EB%EE%F2%EE%E9%20%F3%ED%E8%F2%E0%E7%22

[serialcondition.livejournal.com]

thank you
it might not be as easy if you don't know what words exactly to yandex

t.

[ashakoshka.livejournal.com]

btw+) there is a gold toilet in one of Moscow's night disco clubs! it also symbolies miningless and stupid demonstration of snobbery!!!