Pasternak's Robespierre/Saint-Just play

[victoriavandal.livejournal.com]

Hi all - salut et fraternite! I've only just joined livejournal and this is my first posting here, so apologies if I mess this up (what's an ljcut?) - anyway, my question: I've always thought the character Pasha/Strelnikov in Pasternak's 'Dr. Zhivago' owed more to Robespierre and co. than to Lenin or Trotsky, and not just cos of the little round glasses, so I googled it and it turns out that Pasternak wrote some fragmentary verse plays about Robespierre and Saint-Just in 1917, published in a magazine in 1918 - apparently, as with Stani, they were inspired by Buchner - and they partly formed the basis for the themes in 'Zhivago'. That's all I know - is there anyone out there who can tell me any more?

Comments

[victoriavandal.livejournal.com]

Thanks for the info - I will have to chase this one up. Interesting point about the characterisation - it's funny how so many writers think Saint-Just is romantic/Bryonic and Robespierre a cold fish, when Robespierre can be positively Blakeian whilst Camus is spot on when he says Saint-Just has the cold steel style of the guillotine. I suppose it's all because of their hairstyles...
And you're right, from the character synopsis Liberius does sound like Danton.

[livviebway.livejournal.com]

Haha. Pretty hair does so much for you, doesn't it?