Konrad and Alexandra (pdf) - Rolf Gross

Vladimir reported that Tamara had not been as successful in finding herself a position in
Jordania’s government as she had expected in her youthful naïveté. She had little other
income besides what her father sent her. Because of the war the sizable royalties from the
French publisher of his novel reached him only occasionally. Deflated, Tamara gave in and
moved to Etzeri, where her mother received her and little Asmat with open arms.
"I am relieved," said Vladimir. "I now know that both will be in good hands and far away
from a possible Turkish attack on Tiflis in these final months of the war."
Alexandra, distraught by his vision of a Turkish offensive on Tbilisi, asked what he
meant by the "last months of the war?" Did he really think that the war was going to come to a
sudden end? And with uncurtailed glee in her eyes, did he believe the Russian empire would
collapse?
"Both," Vladimir said dryly, but refused to elaborate.
Food became scarce and rationed in St. Petersburg. The supply lines for the city
collapsed, the dispirited peasants neglected their fields or sold their produce on the rapidly
growing black market. Otto and Elisabeth spent long hours standing in line at the bakeries and
food stores and often all they could find were cabbage and turnips. Hunger became their daily
companion. Alexandra discovered that Otto occasionally snatched butter and cottage cheese
from the pantry. Since she did not catch him red-handed, she decided to overlook it, he was
hungry. Yet compared to the many refugees they were lucky, they had a roof over their head,
and Alexandra and Konrad brought home meat, butter, milk, and soap when once a week the
government distributed food to the physicians and the members of the Academy.
The winter of 1916-1917 turned the food shortages into famine. Naked chaos broke out
in St. Petersburg. Bands of ragged children led by deserters roamed the streets in broad
daylight searching for food or attacking and robbing people. It became dangerous to walk
alone. Shots echoed through the streets at night. The police and the army, diminished by
desertion, were powerless. Everywhere cries rose demanding the resignation of the Emperor
and his ruling clique. People left the city in droves.
One morning Vladimir arrived at the Rost’s apartment highly agitated. "Tonight is the
première of Masquerade at the Alexandrinsky Theatre, ‘the show to end all shows.’ For five
years Meyerhold has worked on a production of Lermontov’s Princess Ligovskaya. He finally
got it together, an impossible staging of an equally impossible melodrama. You have to see it
to believe what he has done. This is Fasching 1917, Russian style. The performance is sold
out, these three tickets were given to me by a friend."
Tired and exhausted from her hospital work, Alexandra protested. "Tomorrow the world
is going to come to an end and tonight the rich and powerful amuse themselves. Day and night
I patch up maimed men from the front. Don’t you have any shame left?"
"But Alexandra, you don’t understand, this is Carnival, the world will dance to the Devil’s
tune. Meyerhold, inspired by Wagner’s ghost, has staged the Götterdämmerung of Tsarist
Russia. Meyerhold is a seer, Theiresias and Cassandra in one. This is the revolutionary
theater. The production is already a legend. You absolutely must see it!"
The police were out in force. While groups of workers, carrying banners demanding
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