Georgi Demidow und die Sprache der Repression (Literatur, Film, Geschichte)

The Soviet physicist and author Georgy Demidov (1908–1987) is considered one of the most important authors of labor camp literature. For decades, his work was suppressed. It was only after the collapse of the Soviet Union that his stories were published, offering unique insights into the mechanisms of repression and violence during the Stalin era.

After Fone Kwas oder Der Idiot (Fone Kwas or The Sucker, ger. 2023), the second volume of a German-language Demidov series is now published by Galiani. Zwei Staatsanwälte (Two Prosecutors) describes the social consciousness during the annus terribilis 1937—the epitome of political persecution and lawlessness in the Soviet Union.

However, the book presentation will not only discuss the alarming topicality of Geory Demidov’s work, but also the film adaptation of Two Prosecutors by Ukrainian director Sergei Loznitsa, who has previously explored the Stalinist show trials in his work.

An evening on literature and film, on history and the present, and on the power of storytelling in times of violence. A discussion between director Sergei Loznitsa, literary scholar Susanne Frank (Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin), and Demidov translators Irina Rastorgueva and Thomas Martin. The discussion will be moderated by Zaal Andronikashvili (ZfL).

Fig. above: Georgy Demidov, © Valentina Demidova and Julia Sinyakova