Metropol means many things to a Russian. It is, literally, a
"mother of cities," a capital; it is also the name of a Moscow
hotel, noted for its modernistic facade, and of Moscow's exten-
sive and architecturally splendid subway. But to a number of
Soviet writers, Metropol, a special publication, represents a
brave, last-ditch effort to promote free expression. Vassily Ak-
syonov is one of those writers. Born in 1933, the son of a famous,
persecuted author, Evgeniya Ginsberg,...