THE “STRANGE RUSSIAN” ON “REBELLIOUS LANDS”. LATIN AMERICA IN THE WORKS OF VASILY CHICHKOV (PART 2)

The article is a continuation of the study of the legacy of Vasily Mikhailovich Chichkov, a special correspondent for the Pravda in Latin America and the author of journalistic and fictional works. The second part examines the influence of the Cuban Revolution of 1959 and the Chilean Revolution of 1970–1973 on Chichkov’s views, as well as his contribution to the creation of the Soviet image of these hallmark events in the 20th century Latin American history. Based on archival and published sources, an attempt was made to compare the work of Chichkov with the process of evolution of the ideas of the highest Soviet party and state bodies and academic circles about the nature and expediency of armed struggle in Latin America. This theoretical and practical dilemma occupies a central place in Chichkov’s play “The Unfinished Dialogue”, dedicated to the policies of the Chilean Popular Unity government and its comparison with the Cuban approaches to revolutionary transformation. In creating that work, the author relied on both his personal experience of communicating with Ernesto Che Guevara and Salvador Allende, and on the already established interpretation of these figures by Soviet propaganda. Having experienced a fascination with “revolutionary romanticism” in the 1960s, he did not completely part with it at a time when the official ideological line emphasized the need for the Communist parties and other left-wing forces in Latin America to achieve participation in political life through elections and compromises. This became the reason for serious editing of the text of the play according to censorship requirements. In conclusion, it is indicated that official reports, newspaper articles and literary works of Chichkov were both typical and unique for Soviet Latin American studies, reflecting its strengths and weaknesses.