Alexander Solzhenitsyn

Cold War Icon, Gulag Author, Russian Nationalist?. A Study of the Western Reception of his Literary Writings, Historical Interpretations, and Political Ideas
1. Auflage 2014
ISBN: 978-3-8382-0690-5
Verlag: ibidem

Buch, Englisch, Band 131, 310 Seiten, GB, Format (B × H): 153 mm x 216 mm, Gewicht: 516 g

Reihe: Soviet and Post-Soviet Politics and Society

Alexander Solzhenitsyn was one of the Cold War`s most iconic writers. This book offers an in-depth analysis of his reception in the US, UK, and Germany before and after 1991. Elisa Kriza skillfully explores how Solzhenitsyn`s work can be understood with the paradigm of witness literature and uncovers the dynamics behind the politicized reception of his writing.

From the mid-1980s onwards, Solzhenitsyn`s popularity dwindled—was this for ideological reasons? What about the rumors linking him with Russian nationalism? This study does not shy away from stretching beyond anti-communism and touching more contentious subjects—such as anti-feminism, anti-Semitism, and revisionism—in Solzhenitsyn`s work and reception.

Bringing Solzhenitsyn back from his `critical exile` and redefining his work as memory culture, Kriza`s book is a crucial scholarly intervention, unveiling the mechanism that can transform a controversial figure into a moral icon.

Autoren/Hrsg.

Kriza, Elisa

Umland, Andreas

Weitere Mitwirkende

Umland, Andreas

Rogatchevski, Andrei

Fachgebiete

• Geisteswissenschaften Literaturwissenschaft Literaturkritik: Hermeneutik und Interpretation
• Geisteswissenschaften Literaturwissenschaft Slawische Literaturen Ostslawische Literatur
• Geisteswissenschaften Literaturwissenschaft Rezeption, literarische Einflüsse und Beziehungen

Inhaltsverzeichnis

Foreword, by Andrei Rogatchevski
Acknowledgements
1. Introduction
2. Solzhenitsyn as a Writer and a Witness
3. Solzhenitsyn's Oeuvre between Aesthetics and Politics
4. Solzhenitsyn in History
Conclusions
Bibliography

Über Autor(innen)

Elisa Kriza, PhD, Aarhus University, Denmark, has previously taught courses on dissident and émigré literature and on cultural encounters and conflicts. Her research focus lies on the interrelations of cultural output in international contexts