Secondhand Time: The Last of the Soviets

by Svetlana Alexievich

Did I believe in communism? I’ll be honest with you, I’m not going to lie: I believed in the possibility of life being governed fairly. And today…as I’ve already told you…I still believe in that. I’m sick of hearing about how bad life was under socialism. I’m proud of the Soviet era! It wasn’t “the good life,” but it was regular life. We had love and friendship…dresses and shoes…People hungrily listened to writers and actors, which they don’t do anymore. The stadium poets have been replaced by psychics and magicians. People believe in sorcerers, just like in Africa. Our Soviet life…you could say that it was an attempt at creating an alternative civilization. If you want to put it in dramatic terms…The power of the people! I can’t calm down about it! Where are you going to see a Metro station devoted to dairymaids, lathe operators, or engine drivers today? They’re nowhere to be seen—they’re not in the newspaper, they’re not on TV, and they’re nowhere near the Kremlin when they’re handing out medals and awards. They’re not anywhere anymore. Everywhere you look, you see our new heroes: bankers and businessmen, models and prostitutes…managers…The young can adapt, while the old die in silence behind closed doors. They die in poverty, all but forgotten.