Russian Literature, 1988-1994

The collapse of the Soviet Union brought about radical changes in the Russianliterary world. With the state's relinquishment of control over literary production,writers acquired freedom of expression and publication. State publishinghouses, now self-supporting enterprises, stopped printing money-losing booksand turned to foreign detective novels and erotic literature, effecting a considerableshift in popular taste. The writer, no longer a producer of ideology, has beenrecast as a struggling competitor in a free-market environment.Focusing on the current Russian literary scene, Russian Literature, 1988-1994examines these recent changes. Beginning with a general overview of the political,intellectual, and social atmosphere in the country and its effect on artisticcreativity, Shneidman surveys the period's literature. He considers the work ofsucceeding generations of prose fiction writers: the 'old guard,' the writers of theintermediate generation, and the younger authors of perestroika, whose worksfirst appeared in print after Gorbachev's ascent to power. The writing of this lastgroup is divided into three categories: novels written in the style of conventionalRussian realism; works that combine realistic prose with modernist narrativetechniques; and the body of work that constitutes Russian post-modernism. Exploring artistic and social issues in an integrated manner, the volume will beof interest not only to students of Russian literature but also to those concernedwith the culture and social life of the former Soviet Union.