Today in 1953 in a cruel twist of fate, the brilliant composer Sergei Prokofiev died. Just a few hours later, his chief tormentor Iosip Vissarionovich Dzugashvili, the Georgian who had re-invented himself as Stalin also died. So poor Sergei didn't get even an hour's pleasure knowing he'd outlived this brutal pig.
Stalin's reach was so all-pervading that when Prokofiev's friend Shostakovich learned he had been denounced in the press, he would stand with a packed case by the lift in his apartment every night so as to minimise the disruption to his family when the NKVD came to arrest him and make him 'disappear'. That never happened due to another twist of fate that benefitted the other great composer. The man designated to be Shosti's chief interrogator told him he was too busy to interrogate him on the Friday so asked him to present himself at the police station on the following Monday. After a sleepless weekend, Shosti said his goodbyes to his wife and child and did indeed present himself at the police station but to his surprise, he discovered his chief interrogator had clearly displeased someone and had himself been arrested never to be heard of again!
Stalin's reach was so all-pervading that when Prokofiev's friend Shostakovich learned he had been denounced in the press, he would stand with a packed case by the lift in his apartment every night so as to minimise the disruption to his family when the NKVD came to arrest him and make him 'disappear'. That never happened due to another twist of fate that benefitted the other great composer. The man designated to be Shosti's chief interrogator told him he was too busy to interrogate him on the Friday so asked him to present himself at the police station on the following Monday. After a sleepless weekend, Shosti said his goodbyes to his wife and child and did indeed present himself at the police station but to his surprise, he discovered his chief interrogator had clearly displeased someone and had himself been arrested never to be heard of again!