Directive title: not available [1931] - [D020]

Concise description of the directive:

II International Congress of Revolutionary Writers (The I Congress took place in 1927 in Moscow and it was there that the decision was made to publish “Vestnik inostrannoy literatury”).
OBJECTIVES: 1) fight against imperialism; 2) fight against white terror; 3) defence of the USSR.

Problem to be discussed: can proletarian culture and literature ever develop in capitalist countries?
Probably so, since the political power of the bourgeoisie also presupposes its cultural power.

Yet proletarian art is not just taking ‘first steps’ as the social democrats, representatives of world fascism, suggest; communist ideology is in fact increasingly influencing the proletarian masses in the third period of post-war capitalism; and this is also thanks to the CULTURAL REVOLUTION IN THE USSR.

The bourgeoisie is in crisis. Capitalism is hostile to art and poetry (Marx). Therefore, already on the eve of the World Revolution, the proletariat is creating its own culture and literature.

THE CONGRESS SHOWED GENERAL UNITY; HOWEVER, THERE WERE ALSO ‘UKLONY’ (SWINGS) TO THE RIGHT (BARBUSSE).

Conclusions:

PROMOTE PROLETARIAN WRITERS (ESPECIALLY THOSE FROM WORKERS’ JOURNALISM — RABKORY);
FIGHT AGAINST PETTY-BOURGEOIS PACIFISM AND FALSE WORKERS’ AND FASCIST LITERATURE;
SUPPORT REVOLUTIONARY PETIT-BOURGEOIS WRITERS AND PEASANTS;
MORP IS STILL TOO WEAKLY LINKED TO PEASANT LITERATURE IN COLONIAL, POST-COLONIAL AND AGRARIAN CAPITALIST COUNTRIES;
THE ARTISTIC METHOD OF PROLETARIAN LITERATURE MUST ONLY BE THAT OF DIALECTICAL MATERIALISM AND MUST BE DEVELOPED.

OBJECTIVES OF LITERATURE: REFLECT REALITY AND BECOME AN INSTRUMENT OF THE REVOLUTIONARY TRANSFORMATION OF THE ENTIRE WORLD.

PROLETARIAN LITERATURE IS A FORM OF CLASS STRUGGLE.

WRITERS MUST BE MOBILISED FOR A FIGHT AGAINST CAPITALIST MILITARY INTERVENTION IN THE USSR.

FOCUS OF ATTENTION ON MILITARY DANGER

THE INTERNATIONAL OFFICE OF REVOLUTIONARY LITERATURE (MBRL) HAS PERFORMED THE TASK OF BRINGING TOGETHER AND ORGANISING THE DISPERSED REVOLUTIONARY FORCES. NOW COMES THE NEW PHASE: IT IS NOW A MASS LITERARY ASSOCIATION, THE MORP.

The declaration of the world’s revolutionary writers. Signatories:

Italy: Giovanni Germanetto
France: Louis Aragon, Henri Barbusse
England: Robert Ellis, Harold Hezlom?

The statement of the MBRL secretariat (Bel Illesh):

“Vestnik innostranoy literatury” only dealt with general issues, was behind the times and published mainly established writers. WE, on the other hand, need to give more space to the international workers’ movement and beginning young proletarian writers. Moreover, “Vestnik” published little bourgeois literature: we should give it more space.

Bruno Yasensky rightly criticised “Monde” heavily in his article for its lack of principles and collaboration with social fascism. However, he rightly did not criticise BARBUSSE HIMSELF.

Poll among the world’s writers: what are they prepared to defend the USSR in the event of imperialist intervention?
Proletarians: we will defend with weapons in hand
Bourgeois: we are against war
Famous bourgeois writers: silence

Now we must fight not only against fascism, but also against social fascism
The army of beginning proletarian writers is growing

What are we, MBRL, doing for the spread of proletarian and revolutionary western literature in the USSR?

It is difficult because as early as 1927 and even later, articles came out, including in “Pravda”, accusing us of publishing proletarian literature that did not exist in the West or was immature (“Pravda”).

The only organisation that immediately supported Western writers was RAPP!!! Pravda was against it. But now the RAPP plays to the dominant role (monopoliya) in the USSR.

Doklad by S. Gopner (IKKI representative): leviy uklon at the congress – simplification; the renunciation of bourgeois cadres, the conviction that only proletarians can be revolutionary writers (sektantstvo, levizna: like those who want to reject Barbusse)