Witnessing Hitler's Remains: Zoe Boguslavska's Reflections on Generation's War Memory
Living among literary titans in the heart of Soviet Russia, Lena Kagan was the undisputed queen of our circle. Similar to the mesmerizing Elena in Bulgakov's "White Guard," she was the center of our collective universe. Her gift for words was more than just laudable; it was downright impressive, a testament to her incredible talent.
My dear Boris was a charismatic man with a sharp wit, but he was all surface, indifferent to the emotions of others. Yuri, however, was the deepest soul among us. I cultivated a closer bond with him than with my own father or Lena.
Lena was more than just a talented writer; she was a symbol of strength and resilience. After becoming a widow at a tender age of 19, a cult grew around her. Lena Kagan, or Rzhevskaya as she was known in literary circles, was renowned not just for her writing but also for her extraordinary war experiences.
Initially, she was the wife of Pavel Kogan, a celebrated poet, and the leader of Moscow's University poets. Tragically, they perished in the war, along with Kulchitsky, Maiorov, and others. Legendary tales spun around these young, promising poasters who never had the chance to reach their full potential. There was always a bittersweet melancholy that hung over us. Pavel Kogan's verses, such as, "I've never liked an oval, I've always drawn an angle" or "The brigantine raises its sails", became an anthem for youth.
Pavel Kogan's fiery spirit and romantic persona mystified us, despite none of us knowing him personally. Lena, his wife for a brief while, continued her life on the battlefield as an 18-year-old girl. Her initial language abilities were poor, but her youthful intelligence and unparalleled memory transformed her into an exceptional interrogator of German prisoners by the end of the war. She even interrogated witnesses to Goebbels' demise.
By 1942, Pavel Kogan had succumbed to the war, leaving little room in Lena's heart for him. Instead, she found solace in her second marriage to Izai Kraimov, a gifted writer in his own right. Kraimov, writing under the pseudonym Isaac, excelled in creating sensitive, precise, and intricate prose. His skills as a literary researcher and publicist were unparalleled, though, faced with Lena's brilliance, he often seemed to pale in comparison, even to illustrious writers like Nabokov and Boris Messerer.
Lena was an extraordinary talent. In her writings, she chronicled her war experiences in Berlin and recounted the challenges of her work as a translator. Izai, her brother Leonid Volynsky, and others made their mark in their respective fields, primarily due to their prodigious intellect and talent.
In a fascinating twist of fate, Leonid Volynsky, Lena's brother, discovered part of Rembrandt's "Saskia" while searching the rubble of Dresden in the spring of 1945. This incredible find led to the unearthing of the hidden Dresden Gallery by the Red Army.
The Kagan family's apartment, filled with intellectuals and artists, was a cornucopia of creativity and intellectual stimulation. Life during that period was a vibrant blend of physicists and poets, with the Soviet Union rapidly advancing in scientific understanding and global heights. Our time spent in that apartment felt like living Shakespeare's "Physicists and Poets" come to life.
From the Kagan family, Yuri Kagan, the youngest, stood out as he embarked on a successful career in physics, becoming a prominent scientist worldwide. His marriage to Tanya Virta, the daughter of Nikolai Virta, further cemented his high-profile status.
This unique, intellectually engaging environment of the Kagan family left a lasting impression on me, shaping my journey and guiding my aspirations. Later, I connected with a younger generation of poets, and Andrei Voznesensky came into my life. Together, we navigated the ever-evolving landscape of literary and artistic circles in post-war Soviet Russia.
- Lena Kagan, like Elena in Bulgakov's "White Guard," was the captivating center of our collective universe, her gift for words more than laudable; it was impressively downright impressive.
- Yuri, among us, was the deepest soul, and I cultivated a closer bond with him than with my own father or Lena.
- Lena was a symbol of strength and resilience, a woman who became a widow at 19 and still managed to carve a remarkable life for herself.
- Pavel Kogan's verses became an anthem for youth, his words echoing even after his tragic death during the war.
- Izai Kraimov, Lena's second husband, was gifted in creating sensitive, precise, and intricate prose, though he often seemed to pale in comparison to Lena and notable writers like Nabokov and Boris Messerer.
- Lena chronicled her war experiences and work as a translator in her writings, while her brother, Leonid Volynsky, made his mark in the world of art by discovering part of Rembrandt's "Saskia" in the rubble of Dresden.
- The Kagan family apartment was a vibrant blend of intellectuals, artists, physicists, and poets, reminiscent of Shakespeare's "Physicists and Poets" come to life.
- Yuri Kagan, the youngest from the Kagan family, embarked on a successful career in physics, becoming a prominent scientist worldwide, and further enhancing his high-profile status through his marriage to Tanya Virta, the daughter of Nikolai Virta.
