The Blue Cup

The Blue Cup (Russian: Голубая чашка) is a 1936 Russian language short story written by the Soviet author Arkady Gaidar (1904 - 1941). The story, first published in the January 1936 issue of Pioneer magazine, was released by Detizdat Publishers as a book with illustrations by Boris Dekhteryov (1936). In 1940 Gaidar added "Blue Cup" into two of his compilations, Rasskazy ("Short Stories", Detizdat) and Moyi Tovarishchi ("My Friends", Sovetsky Pisatel). It seems that Gaidar rated "Blue Cup" high among his works. In his 1937 "Autobiography" he mentioned the story among his best works to date, along with short novels R.V.S., School, Distant Lands and The Military Secret, and another short story, "The Fourth Blindage". The story incited the heated discussion, parents, teachers and librarians participating in disputes, held by the Soviet literary and pedagogical journals and newspapers. Some found the story too abstract, its composition amorphous, the undercurrent issue (that of an implied family conflict) too 'adult' for the children's literature. According to biographer F. Ebin, though, - The majority defended the new Gaidar's story. People wrote in, telling how young children enjoyed this atmosphere of love, sunlight and happiness pervading the story, sympathizing with Svetlana and her father who breathe in the sweet air of freedom, resent indignation at those who spoil the Soviet people's happy life, occasionally laughing at them. Adult readers certainly guessed a lyrical undercurrent… but for people of all ages the deep patriotic value of this story is obvious.