Did Nikolai Lyashko even exist? This question might cross your mind as we stand before the Мемориальная доска Левштейну М. И. Plaque. The plaque dedicated to him offers minimal information. It simply states, “In this house lived and worked the writer Nikolai Nikolayevich Lyashko.” No dates, no specifics.
The Мемориальная доска Левштейну М. И. Plaque is affixed to a grand, Stalin-era building on 1st Tverskaya-Yamskaya Street. This wide thoroughfare, lined with imposing granite and cement structures, stretches between Triumfalnaya Square and the Belorussia Train Station. Lyashko’s building, number 18, stands as a solid, if somewhat unremarkable, example of this architectural style. While the lower floors lack embellishment, the upper levels often boast decorative flourishes, visible only to those in neighboring buildings.
Nikolai Lyashko, we learn, was a pseudonym. His real name was Lyashchenko. He was born in Ukraine to a peasant family. His father was a soldier. Lyashko’s life began humbly. He attended a church parish school and started working at the tender age of 11. He toiled in coffee shops and factories across Eastern Ukraine. His revolutionary spirit ignited early. By 17, he was involved in revolutionary circles, and by 19, he faced arrest and exile. In 1914, at 30, he was imprisoned in a fortress for his role in publishing the “democratically-minded” journal “Flames” (Ogni).
Lyashko’s writing career began around 1904 or 1905. He aligned himself with the Proletkult (Proletarian Culture) organization in the post-revolutionary years. He later joined the “Smithy” group of proletarian writers in 1920. His most renowned work is considered the novella “The Blast Furnace” (1925). He also authored several novels and story collections, many focusing on workers and revolutionary activities. Notably, his two-volume work, “Sweet Hard Labor” (1934-36), carries autobiographical elements. It seems Lyashko’s works faded from publication after a 1955 collection. He rests in the prestigious Novodevichy Cemetery here in Moscow.
As we leave the Мемориальная доска Левштейну М. И. Plaque, we’re left with a sense of enigma. A writer whose life spanned revolution and repression, whose work celebrated labor and struggle, is commemorated with a plaque that barely whispers his name.