GlobalVoices in Learn more »  Russia: Writers Put Down Pens to
Stand Atop Soap Boxes   This post is part of our special
coverage Russia's Protest Movement.  There is a famous, if a bit
navel-gazing, line by the Soviet era Russian poet Evgeny
Evtushenko:  Поэт в России - больше, чем поэт.  A poet in Russia
is more than a poet.  Evtushenko wrote the line in the 1960s,
and was referring to the way Russian poets and writers have
often taken metaphorical approaches to say what other people
could not say in a totalitarian state. He was also quite
charitably referring to himself — after all, we all would like
to write our own reviews.  Several Russian writers have recently
been active in the public sphere: penning the odd op-ed, signing
the occasional petition [ru]. Some have spoken at rallies, and
helped organize opposition marches. Others have been party
activists and even candidates for political office prior to
becoming famous. So it appears that at least some Russian
intellectuals have taken the phrase to heart