I’d say he might be using hyperbole to aim his readers at what he perceives as the truth in this regard. Imitating Carlyle and so on :).
I’m still laughing at his model of the USSR though (grim grimy monotonous slum); my parents and grandparents have given me much better and more nuanced information about how it worked. Not to say that it wasn’t grim, grimy or monotonous, but...
I’d say he might be using hyperbole to aim his readers at what he perceives as the truth in this regard. Imitating Carlyle and so on :).
I’m still laughing at his model of the USSR though (grim grimy monotonous slum); my parents and grandparents have given me much better and more nuanced information about how it worked. Not to say that it wasn’t grim, grimy or monotonous, but...