Nasdrovya? Nyet!

Julian Sanchez | March 8, 2005

Continuing the Stalin-nostalgia theme: Probably the only good thing to come of the Soviet Union was sponsorship of some interesting visual art. Boing Boing points to this gallery of anti-alcohol propaganda posters.

Comments

|3.8.05 @ 8:07PM|#

I think the "socially dangerous" poster (1st column, 5th down) would look really cool on a T-shirt that I would wear when I go out drinking.

mjs|3.8.05 @ 8:49PM|#

I friend of my from high school had a shirt of one of the old Soviet propaganda posters stating (in Russian though) "Vodka is the Enemy of Production". I'm sure that's the theme in most of 'em, but I don't speak/read Russian so I can't be sure.

|3.8.05 @ 9:55PM|#

I can't read Russian, either. Some of the posters, if you click on them, have captions in English; some don't.

"Vodka is the Enemy of Production"

The one on the top left says something almost identical: "Alcohol, enemy of industry."

|3.9.05 @ 2:46AM|#

A commie turned entrepreneur sells decent reproductions of classic Soviet propaganda posters in London. He ships worldwide.

|3.9.05 @ 9:23AM|#

It's "Na zdorovye".

Soviet-era Russian animation is highly recommended.

|3.9.05 @ 10:32AM|#

I think my favorite is the first one in the third row down "profiteer is a worst enemy"
Ha!

|3.9.05 @ 10:38AM|#

Speaking of art, Shostakovich was able to write some fairly good symphonies under the repression of Stalin (with some even interpreted as clever rebukes to the communist system).

Unfortunately, even though he "flourished" (relatively - he wasn't killed) under the regime, without a doubt he would have produced a voluminous amount of work in the West.

Not to go off on a rant here, but Lenin/Stalin/communism ruined the once proud (and arguably the best in Europe) classical musical tradition of the Russians: Tchaikovsky, Rachmaninoff, Borodin, Rimsky-Korsakov, where are their successors? Prokofiev doesn't count. He did well (propoganda mostly), but was well established before Stalin.

|3.9.05 @ 12:08PM|#

Speaking of art, Shostakovich was able to write some fairly good symphonies under the repression of Stalin (with some even interpreted as clever rebukes to the communist system).

Incidentally, I am going to see Shostakovich's 4th Symphony performed this weekend. Any clever rebukes hidden in there?