Boris Pasternak's 1956 novel Doctor Zhivago tells the story of a Russian doctor living at the time of the 1917 Russian Revolution, which led to the establishment of the Soviet Union. Because the book dealt with hardships people faced after the revolution, publishers in the Soviet Union refused to release it, calling it anti-Soviet. Pasternak's solution was to have the book smuggled out of the Soviet Union and published in Europe. Though Soviet authorities tried to prevent it, the book was published in Italy in 1957 and was immediately well-received. In 1958, it was translated into English and went on to become one of the most popular novels of the 1950s.

What is the main idea of the passage?

A. Boris Pasternak couldn't get his book Doctor Zhivago published in the Soviet Union, so he had the book smuggled out of the country.

B. Doctor Zhivago showed the problems that Russians faced following the Russian Revolution, so it was considered anti-Soviet.

Question

Kaia Christensen

History

25 July, 02:49

Boris Pasternak's 1956 novel Doctor Zhivago tells the story of a Russian doctor living at the time of the 1917 Russian Revolution, which led to the establishment of the Soviet Union. Because the book dealt with hardships people faced after the revolution, publishers in the Soviet Union refused to release it, calling it anti-Soviet. Pasternak's solution was to have the book smuggled out of the Soviet Union and published in Europe. Though Soviet authorities tried to prevent it, the book was published in Italy in 1957 and was immediately well-received. In 1958, it was translated into English and went on to become one of the most popular novels of the 1950s.

What is the main idea of the passage?

A. Boris Pasternak couldn't get his book Doctor Zhivago published in the Soviet Union, so he had the book smuggled out of the country.

B. Doctor Zhivago showed the problems that Russians faced following the Russian Revolution, so it was considered anti-Soviet.

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Answers (1)

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Kenyon Calhoun · Answer 1

The correct answer is A

As it is true that the book dealt with hardships people faced after the revolution, publishers in the Soviet Union refused to release it, calling it anti-Soviet. Fiercely proud of his work, Pasternak took the extremely risky step of having it smuggled out of the Soviet Union to be published first, in Italy and later in 1958 it was translated into English. Moreover, and dozens of other languages in 1958, and Pasternak was nominated for the Nobel Prize in Literature. In fact, the U. S. Central Intelligence Agency believed that awarding a major prize to Pasternak was a way to undermine and discredit the soviet regime and to embarrass it in the eyes of the world.