[46] Fitzpatrick, Commissariat , p. 304; P. M. Kerzhentsev, Revoliutsiia i teatr (Moscow, 1918), p. 12; and Literaturnaia entsiklopediia .
[47] On Trainin's background see "Vpered," in Bol'shaia sovetskaia entsiklopediia (Moscow, 1926–1947); and protocols of the national Proletkult soviet, TsGALI f. 1230, op. 1, d. 138, ll. 20–21.
[48] Delegate list for the 1921 national congress, TsGALI f. 1230, op. 1, d. 144, l. 128.
[49] "Lichnaia anketa," 1922, TsGALI f. 1230, op. 1, d. 118, ll. 5–6.
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tuals still exerted a problematic influence. Lebedev-Polianskii used the journal Proletarian Culture to shape the form and content of workers' writing, bemoaning the state of proletarian literature in numerous articles and reviews. He accused aspiring writers from the lower classes of lacking style, skill, and evidence of "real" class consciousness; however, he never seemed to doubt his own ability to chart the proper course for workers' poetry and prose.[50] Platon Kerzhentsev gave graphic instructions on how workers should organize their creative circles to emphasize proletarian collectivism.[51] In his job on the Proletkult central committee Bogdanov censured a division of proletarian education started by trade unionists in the Petrograd Proletkult. He argued that the division, which sponsored courses in mechanics and foreign languages, was not really pursuing proletarian culture at all.[52] Through their Proletkult offices intellectuals could articulate their own visions of proletarian culture, even though it sometimes meant telling workers what was best for them.
These influential leaders were joined by countless other artists and experts who worked as advisers and teachers in cultural sections and art studios. Although Proletkult rules permitted nonworkers in such posts, they were supposed to be limited to technical assistance and placed under the strict control of proletarian collectives. Staff members performed a variety of tasks, from occasional guest lectures to the management of cultural workshops.
Despite its abrasive anti-intellectual rhetoric, the Proletkult was in a strong position to attract a well-trained techni-
[50] P. I. Lebedev-Polianskii [V. Polianskii, pseud.], "Motivy rabochei poezii," Proletarskaia kul'tura , no. 3 (1918), pp. 1–12; and idem, "Poeziia sovetskoi provintsii," Proletarskaia kul'tura , no. 7/8 (1919), pp. 43–57.
[51] See P. M. Kerzhentsev [V. Kerzhentsev, pseud.], "'Proletkul't'—organizatsiia proletarskoi samodeiatel'nosti," Proletarskaia kul'tura , no. 1 (1918), pp. 7–8; and idem, "Organizatsiia literaturnogo tvorchestva," Proletarskaia kul'tura , no. 5 (1918), pp. 23–26.