Richard Greeman’s blog features a recent communication from Russian activist Alexei Gusev. Of interest is a brief update on the Victor Serge Library.

• • •

Another interesting development concerns the Victor Serge Library in Moscow. We have established contact with the State Social and Political Library (SSPL), whose representative participated in our series of seminars on “Russian Left: Past and Present” at Memorial. This Library considers itself the heir of the Marx Institute Library, built in 1920s by David Ryazanov, famous Marxologist and Communist dissident killed by Stalin. (They even hold “Ryazanov Readings” regularly). And now we are discussing with them a possibility to attach our Victor Serge Library to the SSPL as a “Victor Serge Memorial Foundation Collection.”

 If this happens, it would serve our cause, since SSPL has much bigger readers audience than the VSL in its present form, and we would be relieved of most expenses related to the Library (These constitute the biggest item of Praxis’ expenses). In that case we, of course, will continue to develop our translation and publication work, and it would also be possible to use SSPL premises for our public events.

Alexei Gusev