Description
Book SynopsisThis book presents an array of perspectives on the vivid cultural and literary politics that marked the period immediately after the October Revolution of 1917, when Russian writers had to relocate to Berlin and Paris under harsh conditions. Divided amongst themselves and uncertain about the political and artistic directions of life in the diaspora, these writers carried on two simultaneous literary dialogues: with the emerging Soviet Union and with the dizzying world of European modernism that surrounded them in the West. The book's chapters address generational differences, literary polemics and experimentation, the heritage of pre-October Russian modernism, and the fate of individual writers and critics, offering a sweeping view of how exiles created a literary diaspora. The discussion moves beyond Russian studies to contribute to today’s broad, cross-cultural study of the creative side of political and cultural displacement.
Trade Review“The chief value of this collection of essays is that it clearly traces some of the important dynamics of the post-1917 literary emigration. It shows how émigré literature relates to Russian literature of other periods and to broader questions of identity; as well as countering the usual stereotypes, it demonstrates that émigré letters need not—should not—be studied as a thing apart. . . . [T]his is a collection of essays which opens up many lines of enquiry as it is—and provides many original answers. Prefaced with an eloquent tribute by Galin Tihanov, it stands as a fine tribute to Greta Slobin and the breadth of her scholarship.”
— Adam Fergus (University of Sheffield), Modern Language Review, Volume 111, Part 2 (April 2016)
“Framed by several critical models, including neocolonial, the book is rich in observations on the nexus between the national canon, exile and modernism....Greta Slobin’s book will play an important part in emigre studies, where a decisive shift has occurred during the last decade from describing the long neglected material and ‘filling the gaps’ to conceptualizing and contextualizing the complex network of literary discourses, solidarities and loyalties.”
— Maria Rubins, UCL SSEES, in Slavonic and East European Review, vol. 92, no. 3 (July 2014)
