Serge Essenin, peasant-poet husband of I zadora Duncan is in Jail in Moscow with three other poets, and likely to stay there a long time, because he “discussed” Jews too freely while “only slightly drunk,” according to a copyright wireless despatch to THE NEW YORK TIMES today.
It happened thus, wires the Times Correspondent, “Shortly before midnight on Tuesday there was a telephone call in the Kremlin apartment of the Bolshevist poet laureate Denyst Tlyedni.
“Hallo, old top,” said a cheerio voice, “This is Essenin, and I’m here in Police Station 47 with three other fellows. We want you to tell them to let us out.”
“Well, its like this,” Essenin went on readily, “Wewere sitting in a beer saloon getting ready for the celebration, and the conversation turned on the Jews, Jews everywhere–even in literature, and so on. Then some chap at the next table butted in and there was a bitter argument, and the result was we got arrested.”
“So, not so good,” said Tlyedni.
“Not good at all,” came the unabashed reply, “when one blessed Jew can put four Russians in jail.”
Whereat Tlyendi rang off, and after a short talk with in Police CCaptain told the latter–perhaps in prudence than friendship–“I won’t back up there rascals; the law taken its course.”
“It appears that Essenin and his friends did not make anti-Semitic remarks, but criticized the position of Jews in the Soviet Government, mentioning well known names. They resisted arrest until a squad of police arrived.”
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
