V. I.

Lenin

210

To:   V. D. BONCH-BRUYEVICH

Dear V. D., I received today more news about the new literary
child [1] but, surprisingly, not a word from you. What does this mean? I
am extremely worried about the fate of the child. They write, for instance,
that they fear the material sent is out of date. This worries me greatly. I
insist most categorically that everything sent in should be published (with
corrections owing to “unforeseen circumstances” if need be). This is
after all a matter of principle, a matter of policy. We have no information
as yet on this question, we are depending on you, and you are silent. This
is impossible. A few lines from you once or twice a week is the minimum
necessary to maintain contact and to feel closer to things. To make matters
worse, there are letters from, the “discontented” (I received a long
letter today from one of them—I daresay you can guess from whom). And so
I beg you: write, write more often and in greater detail.

Warmest regards to V. M.

Yours,

Starik

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Notes:
[1]
A reference to preparations for the publication of the newspaper
Zvezda (Star) in St. Petersburg. It came out from December 16
(29),

1910, to April 22 (May 5), 1912. Its successor was Nevskaya Zvezda
(The Neva Star), started because of frequent confiscations of
Zvezda . The last issue of Nevskaya Zvezda came out on
October 5 (18), 1912. The Editorial Board of Zvezda originally
consisted of V. D. Bonch-Bruyevich, N. I. Jordansky (a Plekhanovite) and
I. P. Pokrovsky (a representative of the Social-Democratic group in the
Third Duma, a Bolshevik sympathiser). The publisher was Duma deputy
N. G. Poletayev, a Bolshevik.