"For Soviet audiences, imbibing Western culture, and in fact, misinterpreting it, was an expression of a freedom, particularly after the Stalinist era where works of art were to be interpreted as the Party dictated." #ButCommunism

How To Think Freely

In their encounters with Western art, Soviet audiences found ways to reimagine themselves.

By JENNIFER WILSON

May 9, 2019

"Soviet readers desperate to get their hands on Western literature during the Thaw were not anti-communist. Indeed, J.D. Salinger’s Catcher in the Rye was beloved by Soviet critics and readers alike, who saw in Holden Caulfield’s contempt for a world of 'phonies' an indictment of American culture 'where everything was for sale.' For Soviet audiences, imbibing Western culture, and in fact, misinterpreting it, was an expression of a freedom, particularly after the Stalinist era where works of art were to be interpreted as the Party dictated."