Δευτέρα 27 Ιανουαρίου 2014

Death is afraid of Leningrad...

Defend Leningrad

...I came in and said: Papa i won't eat my bread ration. If i will stay alive i want to saw 
to post generations what kind of bread we had to eat during the siege. My father said 
"You 'll die". I said if i eat it, i still may die and perhaps even if i don't eat it i may still 
stay alive. It was so terrible. That's why i wanted to keep that bread, so the children 
could see and know how we lived. It's hard to imagine now what we had to endured 
during the block period to survive...

...Above all when you recall it you are astonished by the strong belief people had in 
their victory. At the time when things were so harsh there were no ground at all for 
such a relief. Take evacuation for instance. It was a much more difficult problem than 
trying to get supplies to the front line. It was hard to persuade people to leave the 
city, they just wouldn't move, they said: "we 'll win, we 'll beat the enemy soon, i am 
not moving any place" Even today i can't really understand some things...

Youth of the City of Lenin!Let our selfless work help the Red Army to crush and destroy the enemy!
... In those days you needed greater courage to live than to die! People worked long 
shifts. 16, 20 hours per day despite the hunger and cold. As Leningrad's history put it: at 
night the occasional flicker of fires and the red flash of exploding artillery shells were 
the only source of light into the darkness! But Leningrad was seemed to possessive 
an indestructible will to survive...


Leningrad is not afraid of death they said. Death is afraid of Leningrad!

872 days under siege, the city of Lenin never surrendered. It was 27th of January 1944 when the Soviet Red Army managed to lift the blockade (started 8th of September 1941) and push back the Nazi forces. 

Τρίτη 21 Ιανουαρίου 2014

In memory of Volodya


«Ωρα, βροντά τα συνθήματά του κεραυνούς -
μήπως θα το ρίξουμε στα κλάματα;
Λένιν ζωντανότερος κι απ' τους ζωντανούς
Είναι η γνώση μας, η δύναμη και τ' άρματα»
Vladimir Mayakovsky, "Εκλογή"


A million arms,
a sudden forest, 
the forest waves.
Red Square becomes a living red flag.
The line of march is its living staff.
From the immense living folds once more
Lenin living speaks:
"Draw up proletarians for the final clash,
slaves stiffen your backs, straighten your knees!"
Vladimir Mayakovsky, "V.I.Lenin" 1924 


On this day 90 years ago Vladimir IIyich Ulyanov passed into eternity.

Det som engang var...


Fattigmannen, 1894 - 96

Pesta farer landet rundt, | The Plague Hag is sweeping the land
i by og bygd, hus og hytte. | town and villages, house and cottages.
Hun raker i hundrevis, | She brooms hundreds,
soper i tusenvis. | sweeps thousands.
Skaadden vælter i vældige flak, | The fog is coming
over fjord og fjeld. | over the fjords and mountains.
Lægger sig dødningeklam | Clammy like a ghost
over alt. | everywhere.

Hun farer landet rundt, 1894-96
Illustrasjon til Svartedauen, 1894-96

Pesta med sin sopelime skaaner ingen. | The Plague Hag with her broom spares no one.
Soper den som træt af livet, | Sweeps the one who is tired of life,
knækt af kummer og af smærte, ber om døden. | broken of pain, begs for death.
Soper den som ber om livet, | Sweeps the one asking for life,
den som først i rædselen i sit sidste øieblik, | the one who in the horror of his last moment,
hykler for et gudebilled. | hypocrites for a idol.
Soper alle uden skaansel, ind i døden. | Sweeps them all, into death.

Illustrasjon til Svartedauen, 1894-96

Høstkveld, 1894-96

Pesta drager. | The Plague Hag is leaving
Stille, stille | Quiet, quiet
vil jeg fare. | I will go.

Sungen er sidste tone | Sung is the last tone
af en gravsang. | of a grave song.


In remembrance of Norwegian artist Theodor Kittelsen, who died on this day 100 years ago...