(I think it was he) This story I read maybe 20 yrs ago.. in -?- a US pub I don't recall. I think I recall it verbatim - it's hard to forget.
Yevtushenko had arrived at a hall to read some recently published poetry to a large assemblage. He was old then, a bit awkward and needed his glasses. He read a page or so and then accidentally knocked the papers off the podium..
As he bent down and slowly tried to gather the pages .. a voice in the audience recited the next line. Then another person the following line .. on it went, as other voices recited in unison.
It was said that he had some trouble with his eyes, just then
For me it was the perfect illustration of the importance of poetry in Russia and the other -SSRs, and also indicative of the general literacy. Quite different here, alas - though no one could miss the wonderfulness of this event.. for anyone there or simply, hearing of it.
Could there ever be a larger tribute to a poet? They had memorized his work; his quite recent work!
Still makes goose bumps, just to recall it. (I trust it must be true; no one could be so crass as to invent it. Except Billy, and he wouldn't know anything about the subject.)
PS: for Arkadiy
I have a 7" audio tape of Shostakovich' 10th Symphony, composer conducting (maybe in lieu of Kyril Kondrashin?) - recorded in fact by the composer's son, on a Telefunken prof. machine. Probably thus the Moscow Symphony O. It is with the original words to the poem Babii Yar, prior to censorship - which story I heard only vaguely. It was smuggled out in early '60s, by a visiting US physicist.
Since we worked in the same place and I was doing audio things - I made a copy for him, with understanding I was to make no others (though I made it almost-clear I would keep one, in any event).
I haven't heard it in years; haven't even a R-to-R machine around currently - though I need to acquire one anon, to hear some of my own stuff and get things moved over to another medium.
I'd think this of historical interest to *someone* or group. Any ideas?
It was, at the time a powerful indictment of the regime; the admonition about no copies proliferating - was for protection of all concerned. I took that to be real and not hyperbole. It was a privilege to hear the first audition of this work in the US - ever! and on a super-system with KLH-9 electrostatic speakers, etc.
AFAIK, the original I used was the *only* copy of the performance made; cannot be sure if sometime another was made, however - but with Shostakovich & son present? I don't know if Yevtushenko was also there for the performance.
Ashton