A.k. 47 - Selections From The Works Of Alexandra Kollontai

In this episode, Kristen R. Ghodsee reads the fourth part of Alexandra Kollontai's 1923 short story, "The Loves of Three Generations," her most controversial piece of fiction and one that caused her terrible amounts of trouble with her Bolshevik colleagues. This story is written as a letter to Kollontai from a revolutionary comrade who is having personal problems and seeks Kollontai's advice. This colleague wants to know if her own feelings of betrayal and jealousy are remnants of the bourgeois past or whether she is justified in her indignation. This story reflects Kollonta's proposal that romantic love will come second to love for work and for the collective in the new socialist society to come. Most Russian readers were horrified by this story in 1923.The key characters are:Maria Stepanovna - The grandmother (Olga's mother and a populist)Olga Sergeevna - The mother (the letter writer and a Marxist)Comrade Ryabkov (Andrei) - Olga's husband (who is 7 years younger than she)

In this episode, Kristen R. Ghodsee reads the third part of Alexandra Kollontai's 1923 short story, "The Loves of Three Generations," her most controversial piece of fiction and one that caused her terrible amounts of trouble with her Bolshevik colleagues. This story is written as a letter to Kollontai from a revolutionary comrade who is having personal problems and seeks Kollontai's advice. This colleague wants to know if her own feelings of betrayal and jealousy are remnants of the bourgeois past or whether she is justified in her indignation. This story reflects Kollonta's proposal that romantic love will come second to love for work and for the collective in the new socialist society to come. Most Russian readers were horrified by this story in 1923.The key characters are:Maria Stepanovna - The grandmother (Olga's mother and a populist)Olga Sergeevna - The mother (the letter writer and a Marxist)Comrade Ryabkov (Andrei) - Olga's husband (who is 7 years younger than she)

In this episode, Kristen R. Ghodsee reads the second part of Alexandra Kollontai's 1923 short story, "The Loves of Three Generations," her most controversial piece of fiction and one that caused her terrible amounts of trouble with her Bolshevik colleagues. This story is written as a letter to Kollontai from a revolutionary comrade who is having personal problems and seeks Kollontai's advice. This colleague wants to know if her own feelings of betrayal and jealousy are remnants of the bourgeois past or whether she is justified in her indignation. This story reflects Kollonta's proposal that romantic love will come second to love for work and for the collective in the new socialist society to come. Most Russian readers were horrified by this story in 1923.Thanks so much for listening. This podcast has no Patreon account and receives no funding. If you would like to support the work being done here, please spread the word and share with your friends and networks, and consider exploring

In this episode, Kristen R. Ghodsee reads the first part of Alexandra Kollontai's 1923 short story, "The Loves of Three Generations," her most controversial piece of fiction and one that caused her terrible amounts of trouble with her Bolshevik colleagues. This story is written as a letter to Kollontai from a revolutionary comrade who is having personal problems and seeks Kollontai's advice. This colleague wants to know if her own feelings of betrayal and jealousy are remnants of the bourgeois past or whether she is justified in her indignation. This story reflects Kollonta's proposal that romantic love will come second to love for work and for the collective in the new socialist society to come. Most Russian readers were horrified by this story in 1923.Thanks so much for listening. This podcast has no Patreon account and receives no funding. If you would like to support the work being done here, please spread the word and share with your friends and networks, and consider exploring t

In this bonus episode, Kristen Ghodsee speaks once again with Angelina Eimannsberger, a doctoral student in Comparative Literature at the University of Pennsylvania, about Alexandra Kollontai and the usefulness of her theories today, particularly with regard to popular culture. Mentioned in this episode are Reese Witherspoon's production company, Hello Sunshine, and the political economy of feminist media today. Also discussed is Kollontai's hierarchy of life priorities for what she calls the "New Woman." First should come some form of meaningful work for the collective progress of society. Second should come friendships, and only third should come love and romance. Kollontai believes that too many women put love and romance in the first place and this undermines them as individual personalities. Eimannsberger also discusses Kollontai's critical review of fiction with strong female characters, and notes that most of the writer's who crafted these characters in Kollontai's ti

In this episode, Kristen Ghodsee reads Alexandra Kollontai's short story, "Soon (In 48 years time)," written in 1922 about her imagination of the future of the Soviet Union. This is the first piece of Kollontai's fiction to appear on this podcast and it imagines a future "fir tree festival" on the 7th of January 1970 where the young people living on Commune 10 no longer know the words for "rich" and "poor." The story features a "Red Grandmother" who tells stories of the "Great Years" of the revolution and the long forgotten system called "capitalism." What is so interesting about this short story is the implicit hint that the future communards of the Soviet Union are committed environmentalists. They have special guardians of the plant kingdom and they now use reflected light rays instead of electricity. Kollontai also gives the reader a glimpse of what life on a commune is like in 1970, with everybody responsible for only two hou

Kristen R. Ghodsee reads and discusses part three of Alexandra Kollontai's 1921 essay, "Theses on Communist Morality in the Sphere of Marital Relations." This essay is a precursor to "Make Way for Winged Eros" where Kollontai develops her Marxist understanding of marriage and the family as being part of the ideological superstructure, which is determined by the base of economic relations. Kollontai argues that the demise of capitalism will usher forth new definitions of the family. She argues that the end of capitalist economic relations will mean an end to the present definition of the family, but will produce a new definition of family more suitable to a collective and more cooperative society.In this episode, Ghodsee also discusses Kollontai's problematic views on sex work and eugenics, and the challenges of reading Kollontai's 1921 essay from the vantage of 2019. In particular, Kollontai's eugenicist views must be rejected even as contemporary readers grapple with t

Kristen R. Ghodsee reads and discusses part two of Alexandra Kollontai's 1921 essay, "Theses on Communist Morality in the Sphere of Marital Relations." This essay is a precursor to "Make Way for Winged Eros" where Kollontai develops her Marxist understanding of marriage and the family as being part of the ideological superstructure, which is determined by the base of economic relations. Kollontai argues that the demise of capitalism will usher forth new definitions of the family. She argues that the end of capitalist economic relations will mean an end to the present definition of the family, but will produce a new definition of family more suitable to a collective and more cooperative society.Information about the host can be found at: www.kristenghodsee.comThanks so much for listening. This podcast has no Patreon account and receives no funding. If you would like to support the work being done here, please spread the word and share with your friends and networks, and consider explor

Kristen R. Ghodsee reads and discusses part one of Alexandra Kollontai's 1921 essay, "Theses on Communist Morality in the Sphere of Marital Relations." This essay is a precursor to "Make Way for Winged Eros" where Kollontai develops her Marxist understanding of marriage and the family as being part of the ideological superstructure, which is determined by the base of economic relations. Kollontai argues that the demise of capitalism will usher forth new definitions of the family. She argues that the end of capitalist economic relations will mean an end to the present definition of the family, but will produce a new definition of family more suitable to a collective and more cooperative society.Thanks so much for listening. This podcast has no Patreon account and receives no funding. If you would like to support the work being done here, please spread the word and share with your friends and networks, and consider exploring the following links:Buy Kristen Ghodsee's new book now: E

In this episode, Kristen Ghodsee gives some more context to Alexandra Kollontai's life by reading from the texts of two women who knew her personally: the American Louise Bryant and the Spaniard Isabel de Palencia. Based on her personal meeting with Kollontai in the early years of the revolution, Louise Bryant wrote about Kollontai in her 1918 book, Six Red Months in Russia, and in her 1923 book, Mirrors of Moscow. Isabel de Palencia knew Kollontai in Stockholm where they were both diplomats in the 1930s. Her book, Alexandra Kollontay: Ambasadress from Russia, was published in English in 1947 and is based on both Palencia's personal memories of Kollontai as well as interviews with Kollontai's friends and colleagues.From these two texts we get a sense that Kollontai deeply impressed her female comrades with her charm, charisma, beauty, and fashion sense as well as her exceptional work ethic, oratory skills, diplomatic tact, and perseverance in the face of adversity. Thanks so much for listening.

In this episode, Kristen Ghodsee discusses the title and content of Alexandra Kollontai's 1926 book, The Autobiography of a Sexually Emancipated Communist Woman, with her 17-year-old daughter. Particularly salient is the question of trolls and haters in politics, and whether having a lot of critics actually amplifies one's message.This memoir was written as Kollontai began her diplomatic career when she was 54-years-old and a veteran of the revolution. Lenin was already dead, Stalin was seizing power, and Kollontai was reflecting on the achievements of her life thus far. The initial publication of the memoir was heavily censored, particularly the passages where Kollontai speaks about her love life and her history of failed relationships with men. At the time, Kollontai was only the third woman to serve as ambassadress in the history of diplomatic service, but she was the first to do so as a divorcée who was widely known to have had multiple partners over the course of her life. The version read for

In this seventh episode of Season Two, Kristen Ghodsee reads the final section of Alexandra Kollontai's 1926 memoir: The Autobiography of a Sexually Emancipated Communist Woman.  In this portion of the memoir, Kollontai speaks about her work during and after the Civil War and the beginning of her diplomatic career in Norway. Once again, her ideas on love and sexuality fall afoul of her party comrades and she struggles against the conservatism of Russian society. This memoir was written as Kollontai began her diplomatic career when she was 54-years-old and a veteran of the revolution. Lenin was already dead, Stalin was seizing power, and Kollontai was reflecting on the achievements of her life thus far. The initial publication of the memoir was heavily censored, particularly the passages where Kollontai speaks about her love life and her history of failed relationships with men. At the time, Kollontai was only the third woman to serve as ambassadress in the history of diplomatic service, but she was the f

In this sixth episode of Season Two, Kristen Ghodsee reads Part VI of Alexandra Kollontai's 1926 memoir: The Autobiography of a Sexually Emancipated Communist Woman.  In this portion of the memoir, Kollontai speaks about her work as Commissar of Social Welfare during the early years of the Soviet regime. She again mentions the many attacks against her: the threatening letters and all of the vitriol she dealt with as the only woman in the government. This memoir was written as Kollontai began her diplomatic career when she was 54-years-old and a veteran of the revolution. Lenin was already dead, Stalin was seizing power, and Kollontai was reflecting on the achievements of her life thus far. The initial publication of the memoir was heavily censored, particularly the passages where Kollontai speaks about her love life and her history of failed relationships with men. At the time, Kollontai was only the third woman to serve as ambassadress in the history of diplomatic service, but she was the first to do so

In this fifth episode of Season Two, Kristen Ghodsee reads Part V of Alexandra Kollontai's 1926 memoir: The Autobiography of a Sexually Emancipated Communist Woman.  In this portion of the memoir, Kollontai speaks about her work in New York and her return to Russia in March 1917. She also discusses getting trolled by the newspapers in St. Petersburg and the many insults and indignities she suffered as a prominent Bolshevik woman, which attests to the fact that the masses have always despised women in positions of power.This memoir was written as Kollontai began her diplomatic career when she was 54-years-old and a veteran of the revolution. Lenin was already dead, Stalin was seizing power, and Kollontai was reflecting on the achievements of her life thus far. The initial publication of the memoir was heavily censored, particularly the passages where Kollontai speaks about her love life and her history of failed relationships with men. At the time, Kollontai was only the third woman to serve as ambassadre

In this fourth episode of Season Two, Kristen Ghodsee reads Part IV of Alexandra Kollontai's 1926 memoir: The Autobiography of a Sexually Emancipated Communist Woman.  In this portion of the memoir, Kollontai speaks about her time in exile in Western Europe, going to jail in Sweden, lecturing in America, and joining the Bolsheviks in 1915. She also has a short aside on her own love life and the joys and frustrations of being an independent woman. This memoir was written as Kollontai began her diplomatic career when she was 54-years-old and a veteran of the revolution. Lenin was already dead, Stalin was seizing power, and Kollontai was reflecting on the achievements of her life thus far. The initial publication of the memoir was heavily censored, particularly the passages where Kollontai speaks about her love life and her history of failed relationships with men. At the time, Kollontai was only the third woman to serve as ambassadress in the history of diplomatic service, but she was the first to do so as

In this third episode of Season Two, Kristen Ghodsee reads Part III of Alexandra Kollontai's 1926 memoir: The Autobiography of a Sexually Emancipated Communist Woman. This memoir was written as Kollontai began her diplomatic career when she was 54-years-old and a veteran of the revolution. Lenin was already dead, Stalin was seizing power, and Kollontai was reflecting on the achievements of her life thus far. The initial publication of the memoir was heavily censored, particularly the passages where Kollontai speaks about her love life and her history of failed relationships with men. At the time, Kollontai was only the third woman to serve as ambassadress in the history of diplomatic service, but she was the first to do so as a divorcée who was widely known to have had multiple partners over the course of her life. The version read for this podcast includes the censored passages, and Ghodsee reflects on the historical context within which the memoir was written. Thanks so much for listening. This podcast

In this second episode of Season Two, Kristen Ghodsee reads Part II of Alexandra Kollontai's 1926 memoir: The Autobiography of a Sexually Emancipated Communist Woman. This memoir was written as Kollontai began her diplomatic career when she was 54-years-old and a veteran of the revolution. Lenin was already dead, Stalin was seizing power, and Kollontai was reflecting on the achievements of her life thus far. The initial publication of the memoir was heavily censored, particularly the passages where Kollontai speaks about her love life and her history of failed relationships with men. At the time, Kollontai was only the third woman to serve as ambassadress in the history of diplomatic service, but she was the first to do so as a divorcée who was widely known to have had multiple partners over the course of her life. The version read for this podcast includes the censored passages, and Ghodsee reflects on the historical context within which the memoir was written. Thanks so much for listening. This podcast

In this first episode of Season Two, Kristen Ghodsee reads Part I of Alexandra Kollontai's 1926 memoir: The Autobiography of a Sexually Emancipated Communist Woman. This memoir was written as Kollontai began her diplomatic career when she was 54-years-old and a veteran of the revolution. Lenin was already dead, Stalin was seizing power, and Kollontai was reflecting on the achievements of her life thus far. The initial publication of the memoir was heavily censored, particularly the passages where Kollontai speaks about her love life and her history of failed relationships with men.  At the time, Kollontai was only the third woman to serve as ambassadress in the history of diplomatic service, but she was the first to do so as a divorcée who was widely known to have had multiple partners over the course of her life. The version read for this podcast includes the censored passages, and Ghodsee reflects on the historical context within which the memoir was written. Thanks so much for listening. This podcast

In this episode, Kristen R. Ghodsee's reads the fifth and final part of her selections from Alexandra Kollontai's 1909 book, The Social Basis of the Woman Question. This manuscript was written while Alexandra Kolllontai was in exile from Tsarist Russia and affiliated with the German Social Democratic party. This is a key text in the history of socialist feminism, and is seen by many as a foundational document in distinguishing the "bourgeois feminists" from the socialists. In this essay, Kollontai is clearly a social democrat and an advocate for reformist social democratic politics, although by the end of the essay she begins to display a more strident allegiance to the total transformation of society demanded by the socialists.  This is Part V of a multi episode series, and here Ghodsee discusses the problem of "free love" under capitalism. Here Ghodsee discusses the most interesting questions raised in this part of Kollontai's book: whether or not you can build a collectiv

In this episode, Kristen R. Ghodsee's reads the fourth part of her selections from Alexandra Kollontai's 1909 book, The Social Basis of the Woman Question. This manuscript was written while Alexandra Kolllontai was in exile from Tsarist Russia and affiliated with the German Social Democratic party. This is a key text in the history of socialist feminism, and is seen by many as a foundational document in distinguishing the "bourgeois feminists" from the socialists. In this essay, Kollontai is clearly a social democrat and an advocate for reformist social democratic politics, although by the end of the essay she begins to display a more strident allegiance to the total transformation of society demanded by the socialists.  This is Part IV of a multi episode series, and here Ghodsee discusses the problem of "free love" under capitalism. Basically, Kollontai argues that there can be no real "free love" unless there is a fundamental transformation in the social relations of