Aleksandr Isayevich Solzhenitsyn (1918-2008)
The 'mountains of garbage' in modern Russian language. 1966
Typed letter signed to Tatian Grigorievna [Vinokur], Ryazan, 3 January 1966.

In Russian. Two pages, 146 x 203mm. Envelope.

Excoriating the 'mountains of garbage' that make up the majority of Russian linguistic usage. Solzhenitsyn refers to an ongoing dispute about the state of the Russian language: 'the dispute in the Literary Gazette is becoming less and less clear – and I contributed to this ambiguity'. His criticisms were not aimed, as has been suggested, at literary language, and he emphasises that 'the language of the most advanced sciences (mathematics, physics) and the language of fiction above the average level – these are two poles, to which I would not apply any advice or wishes ... But between these poles there is 99% of everything that is written – and in this "ocean" there are mountains of garbage'. He singles out for criticism the language of journalists, sociologists, publicists and popular science, labelling it a 'developed jargon ... worked out so that the meaning has almost nothing to cling to ... And in this jargon the whole education of social thought and literary taste is carried out...'.

This lot is offered without reserve.
This lot has been imported from outside of the UK for sale and placed under the Temporary Admission regime. Import VAT is payable at 5% on the hammer price. VAT at 20% will be added to the buyer’s premium but will not be shown separately on our invoice.
Please note this lot is the property of a consumer. See H1 of the Conditions of Sale.