Lexington Books The Myth of the Non-Russian: Iskander and Aitmatov's Magical Universe

Erika Haber's analysis of the interplay between literature and culture in the Soviet Union of the 1970s and 1980s breaks new ground not only in our understanding of this relationship, but also in our appreciation of the literary genre popularized at that time by the Colombian writer Gabriel García Márquez-magical realism. The Soviets perceived García Márquez as a Socialist, and they sanctioned his magical realism-when other writing styles were outlawed-as a natural extension of socialist realism. Haber discusses the use of magical realism in Soviet literature, focusing especially on two non-Slavic writers: Fasil Iskander, of Abkhazia, and Chingiz Aitmatov, of Kyrgyzstan. She explores how these writers used literary tools of subversion and successfully employed magical realism in rebellion against the prescription of national conformity in art. In critical readings of Iskander and Aitmatov, Haber demonstrates how these writers juxtaposed their native myth with Soviet myth, thus undermining the primary message of socialist realism by suggesting a plurality of worlds and truths. Review Haber's book will also be valuable for scholars with little or no background in Russian Studies, as the author attempts to place Russian magical realism "into a bigger picture."--Slavic and East European Journal Haber has covered the territory that forms the background to her study comprehensively. She does a wonderful job of placing both magical realism and fantastic realism in historical and cultural context and, even more impressive, of distinguishing between them. Her observations about why fantastic realism called down on itself the ire of the authorities, while magical realism was grudgingly allowed to be published in the Soviet Union, are fresh, interesting, and insightful. Her insight has important implications for our understanding of how Soviet cultural policies were shaped.--Catharine Nepomnyashchy, Columbia University About the Author Erika Haber is Associate Professor of Russian Language and Literature at Syracuse University.