Evil Men Have No Songs: the Terrorist and Literatuer Boris Savinkov, 1879-1925
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University of South Carolina Scholar Commons Theses and Dissertations 2016 Evil Men Have No Songs: The eT rrorist and Literatuer Boris Savinkov, 1879-1925 Irina Vasilyeva Meier University of South Carolina Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarcommons.sc.edu/etd Part of the Comparative Literature Commons Recommended Citation Meier, I. V.(2016). Evil Men Have No Songs: The Terrorist and Literatuer Boris Savinkov, 1879-1925. (Doctoral dissertation). Retrieved from https://scholarcommons.sc.edu/etd/3565 This Open Access Dissertation is brought to you by Scholar Commons. It has been accepted for inclusion in Theses and Dissertations by an authorized administrator of Scholar Commons. For more information, please contact [email protected]. EVIL MEN HAVE NO SONGS: THE TERRORIST AND LITTÉRATUER BORIS SAVINKOV, 1879-1925 by Irina Vasilyeva Meier Bachelor of Science Eastern New Mexico University, 2008 Master of Arts Eastern New Mexico University, 2010 Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements For the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Comparative Literature College of Arts and Sciences University of South Carolina 2016 Accepted by: Judith Kalb, Major Professor Alexander Ogden, Committee Member Alexander Beecroft, Committee Member John Muckelbauer, Committee Member Elena Osokina, Committee Member Lacy Ford, Senior Vice Provost and Dean of Graduate Studies © Copyright by Irina Vasilyeva Meier, 2016 All Rights Reserved ii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Back in the ninth grade I took an interest in a new book on the family bookshelf, because I recognized the author’s name from my Russian history class. The book was called Vospominaniia terrorista (The Memoirs of a Terrorist) by Boris Savinkov. Nobody knew how it turned up in my family’s collection, but I can assume that, ironically, it perhaps came as the so-called nagruzka (“extra load”) that one had to buy in order to get one of the books written by the Russian classics, that were in bigger demand and therefore, in deficit in the early 1990s. Little did I know that I would hold the same book in my hands 18 years later, having devoted my dissertation project to this notorious terrorist and writer. With great pleasure, I would like to convey my gratitude to my wonderful dissertation committee: Drs. Alexander Ogden, Alexander Beecroft, John Muckelbauer, Elena Osokina, and especially Dr. Judith Kalb, my dissertation chair, who not only encouraged me to take on the study of Savinkov despite all the controversies surrounding his persona, but who also patiently guided me through every step of this project. I am forever grateful for her unyielding support and invaluable feedback. I am also much indebted to my dearest friend and colleague Shannon Lujan for her friendship, thoughtful comments, and rewarding discussions that helped me in shaping my arguments. My research for this project was supported by Carroll T. and Edward B. Cantey, Jr. Bicentennial Fellowship in Liberal Arts, Rhude Patterson Graduate Fellowship, Ceny iii Walker Graduate Fellowship, and Russell J. and Dorothy Bilinski Dissertation Fellowship. I am sincerely honored and grateful to have received this financial assistance. I would also like to thank State Archive of the Russian Federation (GARF), Russian State Archive of Literature and Art (RGALI), and The Center of Socio-Political History in Moscow for providing numerous primary sources for this study. Last, but definitely not least, I would like to express special appreciation to my parents, Svetlana Vasilyeva and Valerii Vasilyev, for their unconditional love and understanding that have always been my rock and my inspiration, as well as to my loving husband Matt for his kind encouragement and support. iv ABSTRACT This dissertation is devoted to the works of the legendary terrorist mastermind Boris Savinkov (1879-1925), who planned notorious political assassinations at the turn of the twentieth century even as he took part in the leading literary circles of his day. This work situates Savinkov in what Mikhail Bakhtin defines as a “chronotope,” a time-space module that I label “Revolutionary Apocalypse.” I compare the development of revolutionary myths of martyrdom in Revolutionary Russia for both Savinkov and his contemporary Maria Spiridonova to analyze the redefined notions of love, truth, and sacrifice among the Russian intelligentsia that turned these Russian revolutionary terrorists into cult heroes. This work posits Russian terrorism at the intersections of multiple discourses and examines it from the angle of conceptual self-representation, as both a social product and a performative act of violence. I argue that through his literary works, Savinkov tried to negotiate his personal paradoxical double identity of cold- blooded terrorist and suffering Christian martyr. He used his artistic vision and linguistic capabilities to turn himself from a “monster” into “an aesthetic phenomenon” by creating separate literary manifestations of himself. Through literary analysis of Savinkov’s texts and examination of philosophical doctrines developed by Fyodor Dostoevsky, Friedrich Nietzsche, Zinaida Gippius, and Dmitrii Merezhkovsky, I demonstrate that the product of Savinkov’s interaction with these philosophies was his own visions of Russia that took shape in his female images, reflecting his searches for Russia’s paths to immortality and salvation. This study contributes to contemporary debates on political legitimacy and v ethical issues of terrorism, while illuminating the case of Boris Savinkov as a cultural figure of Revolutionary Russia. vi TABLE OF CONTENTS ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ........................................................................................................ iii ABSTRACT .......................................................................................................................... iv INTRODUCTION .....................................................................................................................1 CHAPTER 1: TRUTH , MARTYRDOM , AND MYTHMAKING IN THE REVOLUTIONARY RUSSIA : THE CASES OF MARIA SPIRIDONOVA AND BORIS SAVINKOV ................................19 CHAPTER 2: THE AESTHETICS OF DEATH IN THE LITERARY WORKS OF BORIS SAVINKOV ...........................................................................................................76 CHAPTER 3: ENVISIONING RUSSIA VIA DOSTOEVSKY , NIETZSCHE , GIPPIUS , AND MEREZHKOVSKY : SOURCES FOR SAVINKOV ’S SYMBOLIC WOMEN ..................................126 CONCLUSION .....................................................................................................................169 BIBLIOGRAPHY .................................................................................................................178 vii INTRODUCTION Where there is singing, you can always settle down – because evil men don’t have songs. Johann Gottfried Seume “Die Gesänge” 1 Terrorism presents one of the major menacing threats for the global world. It is generally defined as a systematic use of violence in pursuit of political, ideological, or religious goals. The scope of terrorism constantly expands, including not only new international clusters, but also new domestic forms, such as “green terrorism” (radical environmentalists) and terrorism committed by radical animal activists. The word ‘terrorism’ came into use in the 18th century to describe the radical dictatorship of Maximilien Robespierre, the Reign of Terror after the French Revolution, whereas assassins date back to the 11-13th century in Iran and Syria. Terrorism is not, in any way, a natural phenomenon in the politicized world, but it is a sign of despair, a social choice that exposes dysfunctional social structures. Terrorism is never a means of creation but always a means of destruction; thus it is never the origin of political power but always a reaction to it. The nineteenth-century Irish nationalist William O’Brien claimed that sometimes “violence is the only way of ensuring a hearing for moderation,” while British writer Edward Hyams believed that terrorism plays the same role that fever does in a sick body, calling it “a manifestation of social war” (as qtd. in Robin Morgan 40-41). Interest in studying terrorism continues to grow because existing historical and political studies of a more linear nature have proven to be insufficient for encompassing 1 Citation in the original: “Wo man singt, da lass dich ruhig nieder/Böse Menschen haben keine Lieder” 1 the full scope of intellectual and cultural contexts in which a modern terrorist originates and evolves. One of the most unsettling and mesmerizing aspects of the terrorist as a social and political subject has been the ontological and hermeneutical dichotomies that accompany the terrorist’s image, regardless of the relevant time period or location on the globe. From the perspective of the majority, terrorists are killers, outlaws, and radicals, while for others, they are guerilla fighters, warriors, heroes, and martyrs. What for some is terrorism, for others is struggle for freedom or self-defense. Where does the difference between revolutionary warfare and terrorism lie? What reasoning is used to justify murder? Does the word ‘terrorist’ define a political and moral stance or social legitimacy and status? The rational foundation for terrorism often lies in principles of utilitarianism, allowing violence to serve a better end goal, whether it might be a change in political regime or greater autonomy for a state, region, or ethnic or religious group. Any terrorist act