From the Cincinnati Reds to the Moscow Reds

“In an engaging and moving way, Irwin Weil reflects upon his almost ninety-year existence (including half a century as professor of Russian at Northwestern University). Indeed, the most salient feature of Weil’s memoirs is that when he talks about his personal and professional life, he speaks not only about himself but also about two generations of scholar-teachers who, like Weil, had no idea that they would fall under the sway of Mother Russia, or that they would spend their lives professing her charms. . . .In writing his recollections, Weil expresses the hope that he has affected “for the better” the lives of both Russians and Americans. As evidenced by From the Cincinnati Reds to the Moscow Reds, he has. Indeed, Weil’s examined life has been well worth living.” -- Thomas Gaiton Marullo, University of Notre Dame, The Russian Review (April 2016, Vol. 75, No. 2)

• Preface AcknowledgmentsEditor’s Note1. The Lives of Sidney and Florence WeilAncestrySidney WeilFlorence LevyJoining the ArmyAfter the WarThe Roaring TwentiesFaith and FamilyGreat DepressionBaseball PlayersThe MoveLife InsuranceRaising MoneyZionists and EducationThe Horrors of World War II and Life AfterBaseball versus AcademiaRabbi HellerJewish TraditionsDad’s Greatest PleasuresLater Years of Life2. Early Years and Education of Irwin WeilIntroductionNamesakeGrowing UpEarly School YearsVivian’s Family BackgroundMusical BackgroundAdolescent Politics and ExperiencesFirst Impressions of RussiaFlyingUniversity of CincinnatiUniversity of ChicagoExperiences with Russian History and LiteratureLife in the TheaterMarriage to VivianKulischerHarvardBrandeisNorthwestern3. Entry into the Soviet UnionGoing to the Soviet UnionA Welcome to RememberKGBLiterary EndeavorsTrip to LeningradMalyshev and AlekseevJewish Father and Son in LeningradFirsthand Learning ExperiencesAunt OlgaBack in the United StatesDays at Brandeis UniversityReturning to the Soviet Union—1963Vitya, My Roommate and AdvisorThe Search for ChukovskyMeeting ChukovskyDiscussions in Chukovsky’s HouseBialikAdditional Thoughts about Gorky4. Social and Political Reform in the Soviet UnionEvtushenkoNot Discussing PoliticsKhrushchevKennedyJudge NotOvcharenkoMarina Rafailovna Kaul and Rosalia Semyonovna GinzburgBeing CautiousAmerican Association of Teachers of Slavic and East EuropeanLanguages (AATSEEL)American Council of Teachers of Russian (ACTR)Changes in Soviet PoliticsCold War RhetoricPrejudices and PrivilegesFavorable AspectsNewsShostakovichProkofievNabokovAfanasyevChange5. Letters from the USSRTues. Sept. 6, 1960Wed. Sept. 7, 1960Thurs. Sept. 8, 1960Tues. Sept. 13, 1960Index