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YEVNO AZEF (1869 - 1918) is one of the most depressing characters in the history of the Russian revolution and a fairly unlikely hero in a musical comedy. He was the leader of the Social Revolutionary Party's group for direct action, the largest terror organisation of his time.

In that capacity he planned and carried through several successfull assassinations, which attracted attention all over Europe. And at the same time he remained in the pay of the Russian authorities and delivered hundreds of revolutionaries into the hands of the security police.

Without bias he betrayed both the State and the Revolution, but never his own interests, and for a long time he managed to deceive both his masters. It was not until the revolutionary V. L. Burtsev finally met the former head of the police ministry A. A. Lopukhin that he was exposed. The last years of his life he spent in Berlin making a living as a stock-jobber and corset salesman.

He died there -- in a hospital bed -- on the 24 of April 1918, and he was buried two days later in the cemetary in Wilmersdorff. No headstone has ever marked his grave, and no name. Just a tablet with a number: 446. My foremost source of information has been Boris Nikolayevsky's biography from 1931 (Swedish translation in 1937).

I have also read Burtsev's own report on his investigation, and Konni Zilliacus's account of Azef's contacts with activists in Finland. Like so many other Russian revolutionaries Asef was often in Finland. In 1907 and 1908 his son Leon went to the very same school that accepted me as a pupil forty years later. The story of Asef is fantastic enough not to demand much embellishment.

Russian Roulette is, nevertheless, no documentary drama. I have not strived for historical exactness in the details, except where the details have been dramatically effective. A few of the characters have authentic names but should not be mistaken as portraits of real people. Other characters are entirely fictitious.

This, however, is not true about the two women of importance in Asef's life. His wife, Luba Mankin, was herself a revolutionary and knew nothing about her husbands double-dealing. After his exposure she left him and emigrated to the United States. His life partner during his final years was a German music hall singer. In the play she is called Hilde; I don't know her real name.

On the other hand Heddy de Hero really was her stage-name at the Aquarium, the large variety theater where the frame story of the play is set. Later, when St Petersburg had become Leningrad, the building was used as a film studio. It may still be standing now that the town has changed name once more. As to the main character, Asef remains ambiguous and enigmatic. One of his former party comrades characterized him as "a Judas who loves children".

With his chameleonic ability to adapt to the situation at hand, and with his consistent lack of morals and ideology, he seems strangely familiar in our time. I don't think he would consider himself a traitor or a swindler. During every phase of his life, and in every scene, he remains true to the truth of precisely that moment.





Related Topics: Online Gambling Blackjack Online Casinos Craps Poker Roulette Sports Betting Horse Racing Las Vegas Lottery Baccarat Keno Bingo	Russian Roulette History YEVNO AZEF (1869 - 1918) is one of the most depressing characters in the history of the Russian revolution and a fairly unlikely hero in a musical comedy. He was the leader of the Social Revolutionary Party's group for direct action, the largest terror organisation of his time. In that capacity he planned and carried through several successfull assassinations, which attracted attention all over Europe. And at the same time he remained in the pay of the Russian authorities and delivered hundreds of revolutionaries into the hands of the security police. Without bias he betrayed both the State and the Revolution, but never his own interests, and for a long time he managed to deceive both his masters. It was not until the revolutionary V. L. Burtsev finally met the former head of the police ministry A. A. Lopukhin that he was exposed. The last years of his life he spent in Berlin making a living as a stock-jobber and corset salesman. He died there -- in a hospital bed -- on the 24 of April 1918, and he was buried two days later in the cemetary in Wilmersdorff. No headstone has ever marked his grave, and no name. Just a tablet with a number: 446. My foremost source of information has been Boris Nikolayevsky's biography from 1931 (Swedish translation in 1937). I have also read Burtsev's own report on his investigation, and Konni Zilliacus's account of Azef's contacts with activists in Finland. Like so many other Russian revolutionaries Asef was often in Finland. In 1907 and 1908 his son Leon went to the very same school that accepted me as a pupil forty years later. The story of Asef is fantastic enough not to demand much embellishment. Russian Roulette is, nevertheless, no documentary drama. I have not strived for historical exactness in the details, except where the details have been dramatically effective. A few of the characters have authentic names but should not be mistaken as portraits of real people. Other characters are entirely fictitious. This, however, is not true about the two women of importance in Asef's life. His wife, Luba Mankin, was herself a revolutionary and knew nothing about her husbands double-dealing. After his exposure she left him and emigrated to the United States. His life partner during his final years was a German music hall singer. In the play she is called Hilde; I don't know her real name. On the other hand Heddy de Hero really was her stage-name at the Aquarium, the large variety theater where the frame story of the play is set. Later, when St Petersburg had become Leningrad, the building was used as a film studio. It may still be standing now that the town has changed name once more. As to the main character, Asef remains ambiguous and enigmatic. One of his former party comrades characterized him as "a Judas who loves children". With his chameleonic ability to adapt to the situation at hand, and with his consistent lack of morals and ideology, he seems strangely familiar in our time. I don't think he would consider himself a traitor or a swindler. During every phase of his life, and in every scene, he remains true to the truth of precisely that moment.
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