::::::::
A very interesting ceremony, attended by nearly four hundred people, took place in New York City yesterday (January 29, 2012). Three writers, Nechama Tec, Timothy D. Snyder, and I received Prakhin awards for writing books about Stalinism. It was the fifth gathering of that type, organized by the unique Prakhin International Literary Foundation (http://www.opednews.com/populum/WWW.prakhin.org). They believe that communist crimes, committed in the name of "class purity," deserve as much attention as fascist crimes committed in the name of "racial purity." The more people know about Stalinism, especially young people, the less likely it will be experienced again.
Snyder wrote ""Bloodlands: Europe Between Stalin and Hitler," Tec wrote "Defiance: The Bielsky Partisans," and I wrote "Hell On Earth: Brutality and Violemce Under The Stalinist Regime." The first two books are widely known; my short educational book (see the first link below) is still waiting for young readers. Victoria Neznansky was also recognized. Her contribution was not a book but an original dramatic performance: "Sosua: Dare to Dance Together," in which students from the YM&YWHA of Washington Heights and Inwood conveyed a message of peace and unity to the world community. The previous day, the same youngsters had presented "Sosua" at the United Nations.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Ludwik Kowalski, the author of two free online books at:
and
http://csam.montclair.edu/~kowalski/life/intro.html
entitled
Hell
on Earth: Brutality and Violence Under The Stalinist Regime,
and
Tyranny
to Freedom: Diary of a Former Stalinist
