ABSTRACT
When solzhenitsyn retired to Solotcha, his original intention had been to make a start on the historical epic that he regarded as his chief life’s work and for which he had made such careful preparations. Litvinov and the dissidents were already handing their letters to Western correspondents, but Solzhenitsyn was still too cautious to do that. He was still, however precariously, a member of the Soviet establishment (and a member of the Writers’ Union) and felt that he was obliged to preserve appearances. While refusing to acknowledge that any Western publication of Cancer Ward was authorized (and denying any personal involvement), Solzhenitsyn reserved his “categorical” condemnation and prohibition only for stage and screen adaptations, which weren’t in question at the time. Pavel Antokolsky was a minor but honest poet of the older generation. He also wrote a personal letter to Solzhenitsyn in support of Solzhenitsyn’s letter to the Writers’ Congress.
