The Slave Soul of Russia: Moral Masochism and the Cult of Suffering

Rating:
Summary: An excellent analysis of the Russian character and mind.
Review: One of the best books I have read during the past years. As the only Western psychiatrist in Russia, I was very impressed by the most accurate analysis of the author about the Russian mind and soul. This book is a must for everyone with a genuine interest in understanding past and present Russia and Russians.

Rating:
Summary: Limbs of truth a-flying...
Review: While doing his "psychoanalysis" the author preys on 2 features of Americans: their love of psychoanalysis and their ignorance of the world history.

Bibliography is impressive and long, but science is not only the reference list, but actually painstakingly exploring the unknown and conscientiously drawing conclusions from the data collected. This author seems to have had his mind pre-set from the very beginning and tried hard to cram all the largesse of information he amassed into his Procrustean conclusion. Limbs of truth are a-flying...

There are many "authentically Russian phenomena" in the book with analogies throughout the world history which this obviously very educated author omits to mention. Example: he extrapolates corporal mortification of SOME Russian medieval monks upon all Russian people NOW, also adding "the bathhouse flagellation cult" (a primitive sauna massage technique enhancing blood circulation by slapping yourself with birch branches bearing large round leaves, so the surface touching you /leaves/ is flat and can do no damage to the skin). He forgets to mention though that corporal mortification was common in Catholicism, and even nowadays there are organizations ("Opus Dei", for one), in the United States included, which practice very real corporal mortification. These organizations with ultra-radical participants always existed in history, but the bulk of population never belonged to them.

The way the "cultural background" of many Russian proverbs is "analyzed" can be depicted by another Russian proverb: "/He/ heard the bells toll, but does not have a clue as to where the sound is coming from" - "slyshal zvon, da ne znaet, gde on". Each proverb has its time of birth, death and its frequency of usage in the language. To analyze them as a reflection of anything at all, the author would have needed to date them and see if they're actually used in the language now - and what percentage they make in the bulk of proverbs collected to date (their historical frequency). One might also look into possible existence of same or similar proverbs in other languages to be able to draw a correct conclusion if the social phenomenon they reflect is specific to this nation or international. You will not find frequency or cross-analysis of proverbs here. You will find analyzing proverbs born in middle ages and dead nowadays with (surprise!) a conclusion about "the slave soul" now...

2 blunders. (1) the cover - of all the vast number of paintings by Russian artists the author actually picked the painting (by the famous Russian artist Sourikov) depicting maybe THE most rebellious and independent-minded woman in all Russian history, the Princess Morozova, a lady belonging to the top of Russian XVII century nobility who was outrageously rich and prominent in the society and who laid down everything - her fortune, the highest status she had by birth and marriage, her serfs and properties - for the right to believe in God as she thought was right. She died for this right; she was starved to death in a pit. "Give me my freedom or give me my death", correct? This painting for "The Slave Soul..."? Of course, how many Americans know this painting and will notice? I do not know if this was a pure blunder or a design, but I as a reader feel my intelligence is insulted here.

The second outstanding blunder: Russians have an exaggerated love of their Motherland (Fatherland) and their "personifying their land" is a Freudian longing to obey a parent impersonated by the land (or the state). The feelings reflected in the words "Motherland", "Fatherland" and the love of the land are not Freudian. They are, in fact, pagan, or even more ancient - it's just a desire to survive in the world, pure and simple. Land feeds you, land and fertility was the first God or Gods every human being worshiped. Paganism counted for a lot more millennia than Christianity, and this is reflected in all modern languages.

As to the "longing to obey the "Father figure" in calling themselves "children of the Fatherland" - well, maybe I'm missing something, but the hymn of the French revolution "La Marceillaise" actually started with the words "Allons Enfants de la Patrie", which is exactly the same - "Forward, children of your Fatherland". So, I guess, people fighting for their freedom on barricades are just longing to be slaves of the state... And why would Delacroix depict Freedom Leading the People as a Woman-Mother? Why would people need anybody to lead them at all - is it because they are slaves longing for parental guidance? You know, we can reach absolute absurdity going down the path of the author's reasoning...

Russia's history covers more than 2 millennia and vast parts of it the author managed not to notice - he noticed that "not all serfs ran from their masters" (well, try it when you're burdened with kids, cattle and belongings and have no money and no means of transportation or survival in a sub-zero climate, with a fatal punishment looming over your head for escaping), but he definitely forgot about the MASS exodus of Russian serfs who COULD escape, to the Don-river and to Siberia and forming a whole armed freedom-loving "nation within nation" called Kazaks which in the long run the Tzar himself had to acknowledge as a considerable force and lure by benefits to be his friends rather than foes.

And - how good is that - the author mentions that "serfdom ended in Russia ONLY in 1861". Well, how correct could that be characterizing the profound slavish and masochistic nature of a Russian person, if the Emancipation of slaves in America happened actually 2 years LATER than it happened in Russia? Will the author consider writing a book about the "slave soul of African Americans" or he would rather prefer not to face the outrage of the African American community - and Russia has long been a punching bag during cold war times - so why not gain some more "scientific" (and financial) capital exploiting this well-trodden path... Yours truly /servant/ - ooops!