Ch.80The Great Writer of Russia (2)

# Tolstoy is a figure that even I, someone who knows nothing about literature, am familiar with.

But if we’re talking about someone of Tolstoy’s caliber, they’d certainly make a good figurehead.

The Minister of Culture and Arts of the Russian United States is the successor to Tolstoy!

That sounds quite impressive.

Moreover, shouldn’t I personally get involved in this?

I can’t go all the way to Harbin, but at least the Tsar can show that he’s personally taking action for Russian art.

“Well then, let’s make it happen. It doesn’t sound like a bad idea.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

“If it’s someone of Tolstoy’s caliber, I should meet them personally.”

At my confident declaration, the Duma members exchanged glances and held their tongues.

What are these people trying to do?

“If you have something to say, please speak up.”

“Well, we’ve seen since the civil war that we can’t stop the Tsarina from taking action herself, but this time, couldn’t you go as a reporter?”

These people? I wasn’t planning on that this time.

They didn’t even find out when I went to inspect the factory, yet these people worry too much about unnecessary things.

* * *

Ivan Bunin

He was a writer and poet during the Russian Empire era.

Born in 1870 to a noble family in Voronezh, he began his literary career working at a newspaper office, publishing poetry and prose in the newspaper “Homeland.”

As a prolific author of many poetry collections and novels, in 1903 he completely translated “The Song of Hiawatha” by American Romantic poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow into Russian, for which he received Russia’s Pushkin Prize. He was awarded the Pushkin Prize again in 1909.

In 1909, he was also elected as an honorary scholar in the literary section of the Imperial Academy of Sciences in Saint Petersburg.

In actual history, when revolution broke out in Russia, he fled to France where he lived as a stateless person. While working in France, he was respected as Tolstoy’s successor, and in 1933 became the first Russian to receive the Nobel Prize in Literature.

However, he was anti-communist, and after World War II, the Soviet Union tried but failed to win over the great writer.

But in this history, his story was different.

As the civil war intensified, Lenin and the Bolsheviks tried to conscript all able-bodied men, and when Bunin, of noble birth, was about to be dragged away, he fled to France, not wanting to fight for the Bolsheviks and hoping for the White Army’s victory.

In France, he wrote poetry about the miserable reality facing his homeland while hoping for the White Army’s victory until the end of the civil war, and his work was highly regarded by many in France.

When the civil war solidified with the White Army’s victory and the Russian United States was established, he returned to Russia and created the Russian United States Writers’ Association in Moscow, becoming its chairman.

His poetry helped many Russians who were struggling after the civil war, and he had already established himself as a great writer within Russia.

Then one day.

Someone visited the Writers’ Association.

“Are you Ivan Bunin, Russia’s great writer?”

“Yes, I am. And you are?”

Judging by the attire, it was a military officer, and a high-ranking one at that with a cross on the chest, but also a woman. A young woman at that.

He had heard there were quite a few female soldiers in the civil war, but could such an aristocratic-looking woman have been active in the war?

While his head was filling with such questions.

“Would you consider becoming the Minister of Culture and Arts?”

“Minister of Culture and Arts?”

If it’s related to art, then poetry and novels would certainly fall within that category, but Minister of Culture and Arts?

Who is this woman to propose such a position to him?

While he was pondering this question, the woman put her hands behind her back and circled around Ivan Bunin as she spoke.

“After the civil war, much was destroyed, and Russia is changing but still lacks many things. Yes, precisely art. We lack creative activities, creation. Many artists had their allegiances divided when the revolution broke out. The State Duma is establishing a new Ministry of Culture and Arts to revitalize Russian art that has declined.”

Yes, I understand. I understand, but…

Who exactly is this person speaking now?

Is she someone from the State Duma?

Or as I thought, a female soldier who played a significant role in the White Army?

These days, during the reform and reconstruction process, some Duma members have learned about the association through newspapers and have been sponsoring it directly.

For that reason, he knew some names of State Duma members, but a young woman like this?

In the end, Ivan Bunin had to ask the question first.

“May I ask who you are to be saying such things?”

“Someone who can appoint you as minister. It doesn’t matter if you’re just a figurehead. Mr. Bunin, you can just focus on your creative work. I’ll assign all the deputy ministers you need anyway.”

Someone who can appoint him as minister?

A young woman in a White Army general’s uniform?

Suddenly, Ivan Bunin felt a chill run down his spine.

Because it was obvious who this person was.

Ivan Bunin immediately showed proper Russian aristocratic courtesy to the woman before him.

“It is an honor to meet the Tsarina!”

“Ah, please don’t be so formal. After going through the civil war, I’ve actually become uncomfortable with such formalities.”

Anastasia waved her hand dismissively as if bothered.

“But how could I not show proper respect to the Saint of All Russia and the Tsarina herself?”

“If you want to be so formal, you can come.”

Want to be so formal? Oh, she means the ministerial position she mentioned earlier.

“You mean the ministerial position?”

Anastasia nodded at Ivan Bunin’s question.

Ivan Bunin’s head throbbed at the sudden offer to become a minister.

He couldn’t understand why he was suddenly being asked to take the position of Minister of Culture and Arts.

So the question is, why should he suddenly take that position?

That’s the issue.

“I hear that communist Germany is oppressing artists to suppress freedom of expression. Shouldn’t we elevate our artists at times like this?”

“Yes, that’s a good approach. But even though I’m a famous writer, being appointed as a minister… Wouldn’t there be several issues?”

“It’s already been approved by the Duma. And there’s no need for you to work at the Duma or anything like that. You can continue as you have been. Just write for the development of Russian literature.”

Indeed, what else would a poet and novelist like himself do?

The people below him would probably handle the necessary work.

Ivan Bunin had developed a keen sense through his long literary career.

What the Tsarina is saying now is that she wants to show the world that Russia is a country that values art enough to appoint a writer as a minister.

This would attract many people from communist Germany.

‘But was Anastasia the Tsarina always this kind of person?’

Being of noble birth himself, he was not ignorant about the imperial family.

Perhaps the civil war had changed her.

“May I ask if Your Majesty personally prepared this?”

“No. I’m embarrassed to say that I was too busy with my own duties and didn’t know about you, the great writer. The Minister of Administration told me about you.”

“I see.”

Working in Moscow, it seems the Duma members who had heard of his fame in France had highly evaluated him.

“It seems the State Duma knows well about your writing. I heard you were famous in France too.”

“You flatter me.”

In France, he had only become famous for writing about the reality of his homeland suffering from civil war.

He never thought it would reach the Tsarina who ended the civil war.

Somehow, it felt awkward to refuse now.

“Then, will you accept the ministerial position?”

Anastasia smiled warmly and extended her hand to Ivan Bunin.

It was as if to say, take my hand if you accept.

“I’m not sure if my writing skills are that great, but if it’s necessary for Russia, I’ll accept.”

“Then, I look forward to working with you, Minister of Culture and Arts.”

Ivan Bunin took the young Tsarina’s hand.

* * *

Free Socialist Republic of Germany

After the communist revolution, artists in Germany could not live freely.

Painters, poets, novelists—all had to follow the party’s orders and create art and write about communist propaganda.

As the only country that had successfully achieved a communist revolution, they needed to showcase its advantages to the world, so the party took measures to ensure artists could only work on communist propaganda.

Thomas Mann and Heinrich Mann were such artist brothers.

“Brother, are we going to continue living under the Communist Party?”

“What, you want to leave Germany?”

“This can’t go on. My novel, the fruit of my 12 years of effort, has been blocked!”

The German Communist Party oppressed artists.

No, not all artists were oppressed. If they wrote according to the party’s taste, praising communism or writing about defeating the bourgeoisie and bringing about world revolution, the Communist Party would even award them the German Socialist Hero Medal.

“Then, shall we go to East Prussia or Austria?”

“We’re going to Russia.”

Suddenly Russia?

“Huh, I thought you’d say East Prussia.”

Heinrich Mann knew his brother had supported the Kaiser’s conservatism, so he expected him to want to go to East Prussia. But Russia?

“Even I wouldn’t defend the Kaiser who brought the country to this state.”

“Then why Russia?”

Puzzled, he tilted his head, and his brother handed him a newspaper.

It was an Austrian newspaper.

“It’s a recent newspaper from Austria.”

Heinrich Mann read through the newspaper his brother Thomas Mann had handed him.

It said that the great writer Ivan had been appointed as Russia’s Minister of Culture and Arts.

As the chairman of the Russian United States Writers’ Association, this person had become a minister, and now there was a novel-writing boom in Russia.

Heinrich Mann recalled the story of Ivan Bunin, a novelist who had built a reputation during his brief time writing in France.

That Ivan Bunin had been appointed as Russia’s Minister of Culture and Arts.

“The great writer Ivan Bunin has become Russia’s Minister of Culture and Arts?”

“They say that because many artists died during the civil war, Russia is even giving special benefits to artists. I heard painters from the Königsberg Art Academy are going there too.”

Many artists had left communist Germany for Lithuania, East Prussia, or Austria, and only those who weren’t real artists, who only listened to the party, remained in the vacant positions.

However, some had also gone to Russia.

Unlike communist Germany, which oppressed artists, Russia gained an advantage by implementing policies that favored artists.

“But Russia?”

Russia was truly an unexpected choice.

He never thought his brother would mention Russia, nor that he would be interested in it.

There were other options like Austria, East Prussia, and other great powers.

“If I go there, I can publish my book right away.”

Ah, so that’s it.

He wondered why his brother had specifically chosen Russia, but it was to publish the work he had been preparing.

He thought there might be some grand reason. Tsk.

Heinrich Mann sighed deeply and shook his head.

“Sigh. I see. It’s because of your work.”

Well, after preparing for 12 years, he must feel a sense of urgency.

He would want to try somehow.

Thomas Mann slammed both hands on his brother’s desk and looked sharply at Heinrich.

“I can’t deny that’s a reason. But many people who went to Lithuania or Austria have also decided to go to Russia.”

“Is Russia that good now?”

He had heard that Russia was now developing with the spirit of being the heir to Byzantium, gradually shaking off the pain of the civil war.

“We need to go quickly, while the communists are only limiting our writing activities.”

Communist Germany had so far only restricted writers to writing for the party and limited other free writing activities.

If the number of artists leaving Germany increased, they would probably block them midway, and that authoritarian Communist Party would purge artists as an example, reducing them to slaves of the party.

Since the establishment of communist Germany, the brothers had not been able to live comfortably.

In the original history, Thomas Mann was planning to publish his masterpiece “The Magic Mountain,” the culmination of 12 years of effort. But in the current world, that was impossible.

It felt awkward to go to the German Empire, which was now reduced to just East Prussia, and many had already gone to Lithuania or Austria.

No, rather, artists who had settled in Lithuania or Austria were also going to Russia.

Heinrich Mann thought very briefly.

Because he had also considered going to America.

Seeing how the country was being run by the communists now, it seemed better to go to another country.

His brother had probably already discussed this with his wife before coming to him.

If they just sat here worrying, they might later find the path to foreign countries blocked.

It was best to leave now while the communists were suggesting that those with complaints should leave.

So what more was there to think about?

Heinrich Mann got up from his seat.

“Alright. Let’s go then.”

“Yes. I knew you would come with me.”

The Mann brothers, Heinrich and Thomas, emigrated to Russia with their families.