“The process of four” in samizdat: Novosibirsk version

One of the most significant and well-known samizdat publications – the collection "The Process of Four" – is considered in several aspects: as inheriting the traditions of the previous samizdat collection "The White Book", as revolutionary (an array of letters in defense of the accused) for the beginning of the human rights movement in the USSR and as a unique text , which has its own, special handwritten version. The personality of this original copy creator – the scientist from Novosibirsk Academgorodok  A.I. Fet – is interpreted as playing an important role in terms of the manuscript “The Process of Four” existence, its study and interpretation. Particular attention is paid to the process of creating its copy in the late 60s, which took place not only against the background of the persecution of differently minded in Akademgorodok, where the copy of the collection was printed, but also in parallel with the work of A. I. Fet on studying, translating and printing works of famous biologists, psychologists, philosophers, also intended for samizdat. It is emphasized and substantiated that the creation of this copy of “The Process of Four” by A. I. Fet, but it is stipulated that this copy could have been partially printed by him, and the manuscript included ready-made parts (blocks) of the original text. The views of A. I. Fet on dissidence and human rights activities, characterized by unorthodoxity and originality are elucidated, numerous works from the collection of his scientific, philosophical and journalistic heritage are cited. This allows not only to take a different look at the context and circumstances of this collection typescript creation, but also to highlight some moments in the history of early samizdat in the USSR in the second half of the 1960s and its representatives’ activities.

1. Kuzovkin G. Scientifi publication «Chronicles of current events» and new opportunities for the study of samizdat. Acta samizdatica, 2015, pilot iss.: 36–45. (In Russ.).

2. Daniel A. Origins and meaning of Soviet samizdat. Antologiya samizdata. Nepodtsenzurnaya literatura v SSSR. 1950-e – 1980-e. Moscow, 2015, vol. 1, bk. 1: 17–33. (In Russ.).

3. Rusina Yu. A. Samizdat v SSSR: teksty i sud’by [Samizdat in the USSR: texts and fates]. Saint Petersburg, Aletheia; Ekaterinburg, Ural. Univ. Publ., 2019. 204 p. (In Russ.).

4. Alekseeva L. A. Istoriya inakomysliya v SSSR [History of dissent in the USSR]. Moscow, B.S.G. Press, 2022. 416 p. (In Russ.).

5. Serebryakova E. G. «The process of four» in the context of the «petition campaigns» of Soviet non-conformists of the 1960s: the formation of the category of identity «human rights activist». Vestnik Tomskogo gosudarstvennogo universiteta. Kul’turologiya i iskusstvovedeniye, 2019, 34: 73(In Russ.).

6. Savenko E. N. Svobodnoye slovo: ocherki samizdata Sibiri (1920–1990 gg.) [Free speech: essays on samizdat Siberia (1920-1990)]. Novosibirsk, GPNTB SO RAN, 2017. 480 p. (In Russ.).

7. On the «literary», «documentary» and «legal language» of records of the trial of Brodsky. Acta samizdatica, 2018, 4: 249–278. (In Russ.).

8. Morev G. Dissidenty [Dissidents]. Moscow, AST, 2017. 416 p. (In Russ.).

9. Abridged transcript of the Round Table meeting (March 3, 2014): «What is samizdat?». Acta samizdatica, 2015, 2: 10–38. (In Russ.).

10. Fet A. I. Sobranie sochinenii [Collected works]. Vol. 7. Rehoboth, 2015. 248 p. (In Russ.).

11. Bern E. Igry, v kotorye igrayut lyudi. Psikhologiya chelovecheskikh vzaimootnoshenii. Lyudi, kotorye igrayut v igry. Psikhologiya chelovecheskoi sud’by [Games that people play. Psychology of human relationships. People who play games. Psychology of human destiny]. Moscow, Progress, 1988. 400 p. (In Russ.).

12. Dobrovolsky A. The relationship of knowledge and faith. Apologetic experience of Alexei Dobrovolsky. Grani (Frankfurt am Main), 1967, 64: 194–201. (In Russ.).

13. Savenko E. N. The author preferred to remain anonymous. Gumanitarnye nauki v Sibiri, 2011, 3: 89–92. (In Russ.).

14. Fet V., Golubovsky M. A. I. Fet and his book «Instinct and Social Behavior». Mosty (Frankfurt am Main), 2009, 21: 2–10. (In Russ.).

15. Gladky A. V., Petrova L. P., Khlebopros R. G. Abraham I. Fet (1924-2007). In memory of the 90th anniversary. Progress in Physic, 2015, 11(3): 283–284.

16. Fet A. I. Sobranie sochinenii [Collected works]. Vol. 1. Rehoboth, 2015. 585 p. (In Russ.).

17. Kuznetsov I. S. Novosibirskiy Akademgorodok: «pis’mo 46-ti» [Novosibirsk Akademgorodok: «Letter of 46»]. Novosibirsk, Clio, 2007. 332 p. (In Russ.).

18. Fet A. I. Sobranie sochinenii [Collected works]. Vol. 5. Rehoboth, 2015. Vol. 5. 323 p. (In Russ.).

19. Lorenz K. Tak nazyvaemoe zlo [The so-called evil]. Moscow, Cultural Revolution, 2008. 616 p. (In Russ.).

20. Fromm E. Begstvo ot svobody [Escape from freedom]. Moscow, Progress, 1989. 272 p. (In Russ.).

21. Sakharov A. Trevoga i nadezhdy [Anxiety and hope]. Vol. 1. Moscow, Vremya, 2006. 688 p. (In Russ.).

22. Kachan M. Moi Akagemgorodok [My Academgorodok]. Pt. 1. Sacramento, Great Space, 2017. 258 p. (In Russ.).

23. Fet A. I. Sobranie sochinenii [Collected works]. Vol. 6. Rehoboth, 2015. 255 p. (In Russ.).