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Subject: [GV] Re: Babel's description of GR villages 1916 + 1922
Date: Fri, 1 Feb 2002 21:48:01 Africa/Johannesburg

> Hi
> My guess as to why they didn't write about it is
> because they probably weren't able to write. I don't
> know what kind of opportunities they had for education
> and you can correct me if I'm wrong cause I honestly
> don't know much more than what I've heard from my
> grandmother.
> Valerie Barbie

Thanks Valerie,
but don't underestimate the GRs, as there were scribes,
teachers, clergy, journalists, editors, even writers and poets -
and a few historians, as well as univesity lecturers and a professor or 2.,
judges, and even a GR (ex-colonist) general.

Like any society in the 1st and 2nd world, there was also the
Educated class with university degrees and the middle-bourgoise-
town-merchant-trading class. Even young ladies were educated
(if their parents paid for it and allowed it ! ).
there was a GR Girls school in Saratov, where girls were schooled
to the level to become governesses. But where are they now ? and
their descendents ?

But it seems that they were not in the habit of keeping diaries,
or writing recollections (except for short stories about their own
personal village experiences ). I haven't seen novels or
memoires on the level of other Russian emigree writers
(with the exception of generals and colonels ).
I am sure such literature must exist, but it is not brought to the
attention of this list, or is being discussed.

(I am talking about the pre-1920 period)

Vera




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