Dreiser's Russian Diary

"Its title notwithstanding, much of this 'diary' was penned by American-born Ruth Epperson Kennell, then living in Russia. As Dreiser's secretary (and lover), she kept notes that Dreiser reviewed and annotated at the time, and later edited....Although Kennell includes comments to please people at VOKS (the government cultural agency to whom, without telling Dreiser, she supplied a duplicate of most of her portion of the diary), much here will be interesting to scholars--particularly when read in conjunction with Dreiser's 1928 volume and with Kennell's own book on the trip. En route to Russia, Dreiser speculates that after a revolution 'the miraculous will become the real,' and, indeed, he is determined to see the 'real' Russia. At times, perhaps, the experiences become a bit too real, as Dreiser grouses about unreliable trains, mediocre food, and seemingly ever-present filth. By the end of the tour he has seen enough reality to say..., 'My one desire is to get out of here as quickly as possible and back to America.'"Riggio, Thomas P. is the author of 'Dreiser's Russian Diary' with ISBN 9780812280913 and ISBN 0812280911.