He Kept His Head
Yevgeny Yevtushenko was recently described with some surprise as `a rebel within the existing order.' But why the surprise? Anybody with any contact with younger Russians abroad during the last few years must have been struck by the difference between their increasingly sophis- ticated attitudes and the crudely proselytising noises still uttered by their national propaganda. I recall a party given by Russians here, osten- sibly `to meet' some lickspittle English `intellec- tuals.' These native party members and fellow- travellers were left on their loutish own while the Russian hosts escaped to the few guests whose non-Communism was impermeable. `Com- munism, you see,' said one of them smoothly, `is just like the air we breathe. In other words, we simply take it for granted as you take your parliamentary democracy.' I shouldn't like to make too much of this, especially after the recent discomforts, but in the young faithfuls abroad one would have to be quite bigoted not to see something of the liberalising pressure which must bear on the Russian leadership. In another country I had a long talk once with a young man who began by saying: `Don't imagine that we are unaware of the grave prob-
lents inherent in our system.' and ended, many vodkas later, by describing Chairman Khrush- chev loudly as `a rough peasant.' Soon afterwards he was recalled to Moscow, but instead of losing his head or his toenails, he was promoted. This may not prove anything, but I find it vaguely comforting.
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