Many Russian writers and critics see Platonov as the greatest Russian prose-writer of the last century. Even in Russia, however, some aspects of his work have received little attention. His six film scripts have barely been studied at all; his eight finished and two unfinished plays are still seldom staged. At least two, however, are masterpieces. Along with the short novel
Kotlovan[
The Foundation Pit, 1930],
Sharmanka[
The Hurdy-Gurdyor
The Barrel Organ, 1930] and
14 Krasnykh izbushek[
Fourteen Little Red Huts, 1933] constitute Platonov’s most impassioned, and penetrating, response to Stalin’s assault on the Soviet peasantry. There is something of Brecht’s political urgency in them, and in many respects they anticipate the tragic farce of Samuel Beckett; there is also much that…
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Citation: Chandler, Robert. "Sharmanka". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 04 July 2016 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/sworks.php?rec=true&UID=14450, accessed 27 December 2024.]