Moscow Santa Claus suddenly quoted a landmark book from the Stalin era

At a press conference at MK, Moscow Father Frost, answering readers’ questions, used a quote from Nikolai Ostrovsky’s famous novel “How the Steel Was Tempered” (1930-34). It is this phrase, as it turned out, that corresponds to the credo of the New Year’s wizard.

“We shouldn’t wait for the New Year,” said Santa Claus. “You must communicate with people throughout your entire life in such a way that it is not, as one book says, excruciatingly painful.” And step by step strive towards the intended goal. There is no need to wait and build any milestones, the main thing is to act.

Let us recall that this year the news about the return of “How the Steel Was Tempered” to the federal state educational standard – in other words, to the school curriculum – was widely discussed. According to the authors of the initiative, the novel, which has become one of the examples of the style of socialist realism, cultivates strong-willed qualities and teaches self-sacrifice. The main quote of the novel was: “Life is given to a person once, and one must live it in such a way that it does not cause excruciating pain for the years spent aimlessly.”

“We must live according to our conscience, as our heart tells us,” Father Frost emphasized once again, confirming his commitment to the same “strong-willed” ideals. – And don’t be afraid of enemies if you have them. Do it and you will achieve your goal, don’t stand still!