Burying the Sun
“As gallery after gallery was emptied of its treasures, Comrade Orbeli insisted that the empty frames be replaced on the walls.
“It will make it easier to put back the pictures,” Marya said, and I could see that in her heart, however long the war took, it would not be over for Marya until the moment the pictures were safely back in their frames.
I was assigned to help in the loading and unloading of the trucks that carted the works of art to railroad cars, which pleased me because I was no longe...r cooped up in the museum—and besides, it paid more money. Riding on the trucks gave me a chance to see what was going on in the city. It looked as if a mad wizard had waved his wand over Leningrad, turning it into a shabby forest. All the important buildings were camouflaged with green netting. The Party leaders had been quick to think of themselves, for the first nets were cast over the Communist Party headquarters at Smolny. When Mama saw the net, she said, “I wish they would draw the net tight and throw the whole building and all those in it into the Neva.MoreLess
“It will make it easier to put back the pictures,” Marya said, and I could see that in her heart, however long the war took, it would not be over for Marya until the moment the pictures were safely back in their frames.
I was assigned to help in the loading and unloading of the trucks that carted the works of art to railroad cars, which pleased me because I was no longe...r cooped up in the museum—and besides, it paid more money. Riding on the trucks gave me a chance to see what was going on in the city. It looked as if a mad wizard had waved his wand over Leningrad, turning it into a shabby forest. All the important buildings were camouflaged with green netting. The Party leaders had been quick to think of themselves, for the first nets were cast over the Communist Party headquarters at Smolny. When Mama saw the net, she said, “I wish they would draw the net tight and throw the whole building and all those in it into the Neva.MoreLess
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