Ballad of Blood and Power

One of the most tragic political assassinations in Soviet history occurred on December 1, 1934-the murder of Sergei Kirov, First Secretary of the Leningrad Communist Party Organization. His death, like a bolt from the blue, shook the entire country.

A trusted friend and close confidant of Stalin, Kirov had once been a tireless enforcer of the Party line. By the late 1920s and early 1930s, however, he had risen as a beloved leader of the rapidly industrializing Soviet Russia.

Respected by Party members at all levels, Kirov's influence grew- perhaps too much for Stalin's comfort. Some of Kirov's views clashed with Stalin's, particularly regarding the harsh treatment of Party personnel. At the 1932 Party Plenum, Kirov even received more votes than Stalin in a secret ballot for the membership in the Communist Party's Central Committee.

Kirov was a powerful, charismatic speaker and a very popular figure both within the party and generally. It is no stretch to imagine that Stalin could see him as a threat to his own leadership role.

The bilingual rhymed tale presented here, was originally written in Russian and then translated into English.

It dramatizes the fateful encounter between Kirov and Stalin, set on the brink of Kirov's murder. The encounter imagines a political clash between the two, that seals Kirov's tragic fate.

While rooted in historical facts, the entire tale remains a work of fiction.

It attempts to be a reflection on power, fear and conspiracy - where absolute authority demands absolute loyalty, with those who challenge it paying the ultimate price.