[Maxim Litvinov]

I'm just reading up on Ivy Litvinov, the wife of my namesake, Maxim Litvinov. The following is an extract from a letter she wrote in 1928 about an affair:

Kurt arrived at 3. He came straight up to me and we simply fell upon each other with delight. He thought he had never seen me looking so nice and loved my hair. And I thought him ever so much more attractive... there is something clean and compact about him that is almost irresistible. We went together to Friedels' hotel at 6.30 and found her with her friend Beatus and to my dismay an 'orgy' all fixed up for us 4.

I couldn't really say anything as they all seemed to want it, but of course what I really wanted was Kurt all to myself. They all agreed that my hair was an enormous improvement and of course Friedel found it 'a little perverse' so that was all right. We had a nice dinner and coffee together and I liked Beatus ver much. A fat man, distinctly Regency, with an eye-glass and soft white hands. Then we went upstairs to Friedel's really huge room and all undressed and I may say tho' it was rather amusing at moments (especially the eyeglass of beatus, to which he clung) I got no satisfaction out of the whole evening, tho' Kurt had me at least 4 times and at incredible length. He only had Friedel once and that made me frankly unhappy. So today I feel quite cut up in a little way. However they all said I was wonderful and beautiful and I'm glad they're glad. Kurt went home this morning early and I won't see him again. We slept together all night, in fact I went to sleep in the middle of things and woke up in astonishment to find Kurt still at it. He saw I was unhappy to see him with Friedel and came to me and whispered 'Ich liebe dich mehr' and wanted to begin all over again, but I felt limp and wretched. Orgies may be all right where one's feelings are not involved. Oh well, what's the good of grousing - it couldn't be helped, but I feel I've had too little of that kind of happiness, so terribly little that I do grudge what might have been the happiest night of my life being spoilt... for I doubt if I shall ever have a man to suit me like Kurt, and I don't know if I shall ever see him again to make up for it....

[ from Carswell, J. The Exile: A Life of Ivy Litvinov, pp. 118-119 ]

She also had a few lesbian encounters, but I'll get to them in due course.

[Mikolaj]

*shakes head*

Oh Ivy Litvinov, you are a female Judas!

he had never seen me looking so nice and loved my hair.

They all agreed that my hair was an enormous improvement and of course Friedel found it 'a little perverse' so that was all right.

Well! I'm glad she found her hair important enough to comment on twice in this letter. What a superficial tramp.

I got no satisfaction out of the whole evening, tho' Kurt had me at least 4 times and at incredible length. He only had Friedel once and that made me frankly unhappy.

Aww, poor Ivy was "unhappy" ...apperently it's ok if she has an affair, but not Friedel? What a hypocrite. Never mind her her REAL husband must feel...

[Maxim Litvinov]

Maxim had affairs too

[Mikolaj]

Koresh, is marriage still valued anymore? What's with all these affairs?

Vergogna!

Vergogna!

[Ombrageux]

Reading about the Soviet Union and the Cold War from a distant Western university, I sometimes forget the Soviets had genitalia.

[Attila The Nun]

Of course, Maxim is leaving out the the most sexually prolific of all the wives, Polina Molotov.

[Maxim Litvinov]

Please tell me, Attila. If you have any information on people Zhemchuzhina slept with I'd love to know - for work reasons.

[Mikolaj]

Yes..."work reasons"...

[Maxim Litvinov]

Hey - I've written over 2000 useful words on Ivy just in the last 2-3 hours this morning.

It's not yet 1030AM!

[Attila The Nun]

Please tell me, Attila. If you have any information on people Zhemchuzhina slept with I'd love to know - for work reasons.

Even if I was serious, I don't think I'd want to. She's not the kind of woman whose sexual life would seem anything good.

She seems like it'd be so mechanical.

[Maxim Litvinov]

I really don't see where you're getting this portrait of Zhemchuzhina as some sexless robot from - as such I can't really comment on it, except to say that it doesn't seem accurate from my knowledge.

[Attila The Nun]

I'm no expert, but I've always had the impression of her being a strict, masculine and industrious, somewhat of a model of a Bolshevik woman. Not the kind of woman who would be prolific sexually.