Soviet Adventures in the Land of the Capitalists - Ilf and Petrov's American Road Trip

Unique account of how ordinary people shaped Soviet-American relations in the 1930s told through the adventures of two Russian humourists.

In 1935, two Soviet satirists, Ilia Ilf and Evgeny Petrov, undertook a 10,000 mile American road trip from New York to Hollywood and back accompanied only by their guide and chauffeur, a gregarious Russian Jewish immigrant and his American-born, Russian-speaking wife. They immortalized their journey in a popular travelogue that condemned American inequality and racism even as it marvelled at American modernity and efficiency. Lisa Kirschenbaum reconstructs the epic journey of the two Soviet funnymen and their encounters with a vast cast of characters, ranging from famous authors, artists, poets and filmmakers to unemployed hitchhikers and revolutionaries. Using the authors' notes, US and Russian archives, and even FBI files, she reveals the role of ordinary individuals in shaping foreign relations as Ilf, Petrov and the immigrants, communists, and fellow travelers who served as their hosts, guides, and translators became creative actors in cultural exchange between the two countri es.

Inhaltsverzeichnis:

Introduction; Part I. Promised Lands: 1. Amerikanizm; 2. Alienism and radicalism; 3. Pernicious propaganda; 4. Two Russian gentlemen; Part II. New York and the Eastern States: 5. Extraordinary adventures in the land of the capitalists; 6. Photographing New York; 7. Dos; 8. The business of pleasure; 9. Black New York; 10. Complex hybrids; 11. Squaring the circle; 12. The apex of middlebrow culture; Part III. To the Pacific Ocean: 13. The road; 14. Frozen meat, salty butter, and other American delicacies; 15. The nationalities question; 16. A laboratory of anthropology; 17. New Mexico moderns; 18. Can you kid a kidder?; 19. The man in the red shirt; 20. Natural wonders and technical marvels; 21. The American dneprostroi; Part IV. The Golden State: 22. Irrational presuppositions; 23. The soviet colony in Carmel; 24. Friends of the soviet union; 25. Nothing could be more hollywoody; Part V. Journey's End: 26. Racism and democracy; 27. Anxious life; 28. Coda.

Rezension:

'This book breathes a mixed spirit of distant travel, cultural misperception, mortal danger, and satirical laughter. In 1935, two Soviet authors crossed the US in 1935, from New York to Carmel, and published an engaging but deceptive travelogue, One-Story America. In her striking reconstruction, Lisa A. Kirschenbaum combines both realities -- Soviet literature and American history - in one story, well-grounded in the archives but very entertaining to the contemporary reader.' Alexander Etkind, author of Russia Against Modernity