Description
Book SynopsisThis book brings together a lifetime of experiences told by a beloved member of the field of Slavic languages and literature - Irwin Weil. During the Soviet era, Irwin frequently visited and corresponded with leading members of Russia’s intelligentsia, including prominent émigrés such as Vladimir Nabokov, Korney Chukovsky, and Dmitrii Shostakovich. His deep love of the Russian people and their culture has touched the lives of countless students, in particular at Northwestern University, where he has taught since 1966. It is these stories of an unassuming Jewish American from Cincinnati, Ohio who rubbed shoulders with some of the most prominent thinkers, writers, and musicians in the Soviet Union that are presented for the first time in this volume.
Trade Review“In an engaging and moving way, Irwin Weil reflects upon his almost ninety-year existence (including half a century as professor of Russian at Northwestern University). Indeed, the most salient feature of Weil’s memoirs is that when he talks about his personal and professional life, he speaks not only about himself but also about two generations of scholar-teachers who, like Weil, had no idea that they would fall under the sway of Mother Russia, or that they would spend their lives professing her charms. . . .In writing his recollections, Weil expresses the hope that he has affected “for the better” the lives of both Russians and Americans. As evidenced by From the Cincinnati Reds to the Moscow Reds, he has. Indeed, Weil’s examined life has been well worth living.” -- Thomas Gaiton Marullo, University of Notre Dame, The Russian Review (April 2016, Vol. 75, No. 2)
Table of ContentsPreface
Acknowledgments
Editor’s Note
1. The Lives of Sidney and Florence Weil
Ancestry
Sidney Weil
Florence Levy
Joining the Army
After the War
The Roaring Twenties
Faith and Family
Great Depression
Baseball Players
The Move
Life Insurance
Raising Money
Zionists and Education
The Horrors of World War II and Life After
Baseball versus Academia
Rabbi Heller
Jewish Traditions
Dad’s Greatest Pleasures
Later Years of Life
2. Early Years and Education of Irwin Weil
Introduction
Namesake
Growing Up
Early School Years
Vivian’s Family Background
Musical Background
Adolescent Politics and Experiences
First Impressions of Russia
Flying
University of Cincinnati
University of Chicago
Experiences with Russian History and Literature
Life in the Theater
Marriage to Vivian
Kulischer
Harvard
Brandeis
Northwestern
3. Entry into the Soviet Union
Going to the Soviet Union
A Welcome to Remember
KGB
Literary Endeavors
Trip to Leningrad
Malyshev and Alekseev
Jewish Father and Son in Leningrad
Firsthand Learning Experiences
Aunt Olga
Back in the United States
Days at Brandeis University
Returning to the Soviet Union—1963
Vitya, My Roommate and Advisor
The Search for Chukovsky
Meeting Chukovsky
Discussions in Chukovsky’s House
Bialik
Additional Thoughts about Gorky
4. Social and Political Reform in the Soviet Union
Evtushenko
Not Discussing Politics
Khrushchev
Kennedy
Judge Not
Ovcharenko
Marina Rafailovna Kaul and Rosalia Semyonovna Ginzburg
Being Cautious
American Association of Teachers of Slavic and East European
Languages (AATSEEL)
American Council of Teachers of Russian (ACTR)
Changes in Soviet Politics
Cold War Rhetoric
Prejudices and Privileges
Favorable Aspects
News
Shostakovich
Prokofiev
NabokovAfanasyev
Change
5. Letters from the USSR
Tues. Sept. 6, 1960
Wed. Sept. 7, 1960
Thurs. Sept. 8, 1960
Tues. Sept. 13, 1960
Index
