05 September 2007

Comrade Lenin is Always With Us



Lest anyone think that I have disappeared from the face of the earth completely since returning to the United States, I am pleased to present what I hope is evidence to the contrary. Unfortunately, this evidence also proves that I've done very little productive work since my repatriation. However, I hope those of you still reading enjoy the fruits of my labor:

Behold, the online gallery of the entire Lenin bust collection. Bet you didn't know there were so many out there!

Thanks to the "no Lenins in the bedroom" rule (her rule, not mine), they are confined to the "Lenin Room" which also doubles as a study and triples as a guest room. For better or worse, nobody yet seems willing to stay with us as a guest. As if there's something weird about sleeping under the watchful gaze of 37 pairs of Lenin eyes...

Oh, and I suppose the "Lenin Room" also serves as the "pickle room," as it seems to be a suitable place for the 16 pounds of Russian dill pickles I'm fermenting at the moment. But more on that later...

9 comments:

Daisy Deadhead said...

Once upon a time, decades ago, I went to a demonstration in Chicago, and the (Trotskyist) "Red Rose book collective" in Evanston, near Northwestern Univ (apparently they have disappeared into oblivion; can't find any mention of them on the net) allowed us to sleep on the floor of their storefront. So that night, we got high and went to sleep. What we didn't know (in the relative dark), was that there was a humongous mural of Lenin on the wall, situated so the morning sun shone right on the mural... so when we woke up (still rather confused from last night's cannabis-induced revelry), the very first thing we saw was a giant colorful WALL of Lenin, glaring down at us, which we certainly hadn't expected!

Yow! Like the face of God, huh!? :D

Nice to read your blog.

Unknown said...

I'm so envious of your collection...

Rubashov said...

Hyde,
All it takes is one to start a collection (and an obsession)... : )

Unknown said...

Ha, that's awesome. Where do you get them, did you get them directly from Russia? I want to go there someday.

BTW, is your name really Rubashov? Because I recently read the Darkness At Noon book. Just curious. :)

Rubashov said...

Yes, most of them I brought back from Russia on various trips. The most prolific was my latest stay of 7 months, which produced about 20 Lenins and earned me the label of "obsessed" from most of my friends (before it was just "eccentric").

Alas, Rubashov is just a pen name, but it was Darkness at Noon that started me on the path of Soviet/Russian studies, so it holds a special place in my heart. And it's a great book!

Anonymous said...

Hi!
I have a Lenin bust (dated 1958) and is made of (I believe) bronze, looks a little like the first bust among your collection photos. The bust is very heavy...the face looks younger than the one on your first bust. My question:

I am interested in selling it, do you know approx. what the price range is for a bust like this? I could send you a photo...

Best regards, Martha

Anonymous said...

Hi!
I have a Lenin bust (dated 1958) and is made of (I believe) bronze, looks a little like the first bust among your collection photos. The bust is very heavy...the face looks younger than the one on your first bust. My question:

I am interested in selling it, do you know approx. what the price range is for a bust like this? I could send you a photo...

Best regards, Martha

Rubashov said...

Hi Martha.

Sure, why don't you send a photo? Email address is:

rubashov17 at gmail dot com

-R

Anonymous said...

Thank you...I will get back to you as soon as I am able to (the bust is at a relative's house overseas, I inherited it after my father and have not brought it home with me yet).

/Martha