The School. Reading 'To Kill a Mockingbird' in Russia

The school was empty late in the evening and the Red Corner was the coziest place. All those photos of Lenin and other big comrades were protecting us. They seemed curious too, squinting at the book we put on the desk. We read it. It was the time to share.

-Ponyatno ( I see- MS) – said Kolya, “It is a social book. Our folks here only translate the books which describe the tough life in the capitalistic society. Negroes are oppressed in America, right? In this book that Negro Robinson was accused of something I do not fully comprehend and found guilty. I also do not understand why that guy Ewell attacked the kids after that. And what is with that Boo? Strange book.”

-Alabama, where is it?

-I’ve got a map. Here, it is, down South, close to Florida.

-South, huh? Remember in that movie ‘The Circus’ that white woman had a child from a Negro and she had to flee because of all those Southerners. She had to flee up to here. --When was it?

-In the 30s, before the war. Guess what, you’re right- this book is also about that time. Remember how they talked about Hitler and stuff. Funny, for them Hitler was something so far away.

We looked around. The Red Corner was full of war photos, memorabilia of our grandfathers, their uniforms, group photos on the tanks, in the German cities, etc. Hitler, yes, we knew about him.

- OK, let’s go home. Too bad we have no Negroes here to ask about this book.

-My cousin Tanka, she knows some of them. Those are foreign exchange students, We can ask her to bring one. It will cost us a box of chocolates.

4. The Negro

The man was very tall. He towered over petite Tanka like a giant from the fairy-tales. And he knew Russian. His name was William and he was from South Africa.

-You said you needed a guy from the South,- said Tanka,”Where are my chocolates?”

-Here, choke on them!. What’s the use if he is not from the US?

-I know this book,-William said. He took it from me and started turning pages slowly, deliberately. I noticed that he had remarkable hands: slim, long- fingered, like those hands we were shown in the museum of arts.

-I know this book, he said again, “It’s a book of Death.”

-What Death. That Ewell dude?

 1  |  2  |  3  |  4  |  5  |  6  |  7  |  8