In 1957, UW-Madison Professor of History Michael B. Petrovich, who taught Balkan and Russian history, wrote a series of articles for the Capital Times about his experiences on a recent trip to Russia. Four of these articles exist in his biographical file at University Archives.
They are interesting reads, not only for their portrayal of Soviet daily life from an educated outsider's perspective and Petrovich's unique way with words, but also for the insights into his own thoughts and biases. Here are some highlights from each article:
In which Petrovich attempts to buy a shirt with custom folk embroidery:
"Suddenly, for the clerk and about a dozen or so bystanders, nothing seemed more important than to choose exactly the right shirt for this American. I was surrounded not by rude curiosity, but by friendly participation. Many beautiful designs were place on the counter in front of me, and my unknown friends freely voiced their expert but varied opinions about their favorite choices."
— Petrovich Has A Big Time Buying A Shirt (9/16/57)
In which Petrovich visits various religious and historical sites and has philosophical debates with his guide along the way:
"I observed that history was a rather more complicated process than this and that human motivations are often complex.
'Still,' she said to me, 'you are wrong.'
'And you are very self-confident,' I added.
She blushed — not with shame, but with pride.”
— Orthodox Church Is Shock to Petrovich (9/18/57)
In which Petrovich visits the grandparents of a student he taught at the University of California:
"These three adults lived in one small room — a common enough phenomenon here. A third of the room, just enough for a mattress on a low stand, was curtained off for the daughter. Two old couches served as beds for grandfather and grandmother. There was a kitchen table, a small writing table, a sink, a cupboard and one chair. There was no carpet on the floor. Pathetically enough, all this was shared by a black and white cat.
"Grandmother remarked, with irony, that the room looked like the first scene in Maxim Gorky’s play 'The Lower Depths.' She was right. Despite all this poverty, I was offered tea and delicious strawberries, so cordially that I could not refuse.”
— Finds Poverty, Fear In Russian Home (9/20/57)
In which Petrovich visits the Soviet Academy of Sciences:
"Especially interested was their expert on American history, Prof. Krylov. He expressed great respect for the University of Wisconsin’s professors of American history and asked what each was doing these days. As I answered going down the list of my colleagues, I could see that Krylov knew of each by reputation.
Krylov seemed especially impressed by the existence at Wisconsin of archival materials on “the history of the American working class and 'farmery,' to use his words. Though we all spoke in Russian, Krylov used this expression in English. I really think the word 'farmery' is a contribution to our language.”
— Costs High, Quality Of Good Poor (9/23/57)