The Case of Comrade Tulayev
Victor Serge
1949
Around 400 pages
You know a List book is underrated when it doesn't even have a Wikipedia page. Sometimes it's a hidden gem, other times the world was trying to protect us from mediocrity. This was a powerful account of the Stalin purges, so there are more sinister reasons why this might not be well-publicized. This guy had quite a pair on him.
Comrade Tulayev, a high ranking government official, is shot in the streets of Moscow, setting off waves of suspicion and paranoia that result in one of those purges totalitarian governments are so fond of. So the way everything plays out is not surprising, with historical hindsight and previous List novels that have covered these issues.
Unlike Orwell, Serge isn't painting with broad strokes, and expects the reader to have a strong grasp of the specific historical events playing out at the time. Sorry to disappoint ya teach, but I am not well-versed in the Soviet involvement with the Spanish Civil War, for example. And the story felt a little disjointed anyway, so I found it a bit hard to follow.
But reading a novel that is sticking it to Stalin is always fun. I am just spoiled by other writers who have defter hands.
RATING: ***--
Interesting Facts:
Originally an anarchist, Serge joined the Bolsheviks five months after arriving in Petrograd.
UP NEXT: The Garden Where the Brass Band Played by Simon Vestdijk
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