Russia's ethnic German writer Andreas Saks as a reviewer

Andreas Saks (1903-1983), a Russian writer of German origin, was forced to move to Siberia after the beginning of the Great Patriotic War. During “the Thaw” period, he got the opportunity to come to the City of Astrakhan where he lived from 1963 to 1971. Throughout those years he took an active part in the Astrakhan Writers’ Organization. The article covers the work of this institution in reviewing literary manuscripts by aspiring writers, which accounts for its novelty. In this connection, this is the first attempt to highlight Andreas Saks’ activity as a reviewer and literary consultant. The texts of his unpublished reviews are analyzed for the first time to reflect his large experience in these capacities. Usually he reviewed the works in the genres in which he wrote himself, i.e. the story (including the humorous story), the play, and memoirs. Andreas Saks’ reviews were noted for his clear and reasoned considerations of all the significant components of literary works. What he primarily focused on in his reviews was the authenticity of the plot, events, characters and their correspondence with real life. As a reviewer, he always tried to find out if the young authors possessed or lacked abilities for literary work. If he discovered some signs of a talent, he encouraged the authors to develop it. For this purpose he never failed to substantiate his review with a “lesson” of literary mastery, though small in volume but significant for the aspiring author.