80,000 лошадей, 80,000 loshadei
Author: Voinov, Vladimir Vasil'evich
Artist: Pokrovskii, Boris Vladimirovich
1925 Leningrad
80,000 Horses tells the story of the construction of a dam in the early Soviet Union. Beginning by looking at a steel factory that lacks the necessary coal for a high rate of production, and the high cost of goods in a village as a result of the slowed factory production, the story moves to a dam. The dam, ordered by Lenin, is constructed on the Volkhov River, and finishes ahead of schedule. The dam brings electricity to Leningrad, and the story concludes by turning back to the village, where goods are inexpensive and Lenin is praised. However, unlike many other books of the time that celebrate Lenin, he is now visually depicted. The book was published in 1925, a year after Lenin’s death. It serves the purpose of both celebrating Lenin as a hero of industrialization, and of celebrating industrialization itself in showing the economic benefits it brings to the average Soviet villager. It does this with a very simple color palette, and the figures themselves resemble dolls, collapsing characters into an archetype rather than highlighting the role of the individual. In addition to the timing in relation to Lenin’s death, the story is timely to show the very material impacts of the massive electrification and infrastructural projects that the Soviet Union was pursuing, demonstrating the young state’s capacity. This fits the profile of the author, Voinov, who turned from earlier works of satire to more serious depictions of Soviet achievements, prompting his promotion as a writer.
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