MACMILLAN Post-Soviet Literature and the Search for a Russian Identity (Studies in European Culture and History)

This book examines a wide range of contemporary Russian writers whose work, after the demise of Communism, became more authoritative in debates on Russia’s character, destiny, and place in the world. Unique in his in-depth analysis of both playful postmodernist authors and fanatical nationalist writers, Noordenbos pays attention to not only the acute social and political implications of contemporary Russian literature but also literary form by documenting the decline of postmodern styles, analyzing shifting metaphors for a “Russian identity crisis,” and tracing the emergence of new forms of authorial ethos. To achieve this end, the book builds on theories of postcoloniality, trauma, and conspiracy thinking, and makes these research fields productively available for post-Soviet studies. Review “Marshaling the resources of trauma theory and expanding the field’s customary Eurocentric horizons, Boris Noordenbos offers an astute and elegant appraisal of how contemporary Russian literature grapples with the legacies of the country’s tumultuous twentieth-century history. Published at a time when many in the West struggle to understand Russia’s growing assertiveness, this probing and illuminating study of the post-Soviet imaginary could hardly be more timely, welcome, and necessary.” (Stef Craps, Associate Professor of English Literature, Ghent University, Belgium) “This book offers an important contribution not merely to Slavic and literary studies: Noordenbos’ well-written, subtly argued analysis is a must read for anyone interested in cultural identity, nationalism, and trauma. How do writers ― who, in Russia, traditionally acted as nation-builders par excellence ― engage with the need to redefine Russian identity in the post-Soviet age? In asking this urgent question, the author securely unravels today’s doubt― and emotion-ridden debates about Russia’s place in the world.” (Ellen Rutten, Professor of Slavic Literatures, University of Amsterdam, The Netherlands, and author of Unattainable Bride Russia: Engendering Nation, State, and Intelligentsia in Russian Intellectual Culture) “This book studies the appeal of nationalist discourses in Russia today in the ways works of fiction discard or recycle postmodern tropes and styles. Noordenbos writes crisply and accessibly and makes excellent use of literary theory in this widely interesting and useful volume.” (Sibelan Forrester, Professor of Russian, Swarthmore College, USA) From the Back Cover This book examines a wide range of contemporary Russian writers whose work, after the demise of Communism, increasingly became more authoritative in debates on Russia’s character, destiny, and place in the world. Unique in his in-depth analysis of both playful postmodernist authors and fanatical nationalist writers, Noorbendos pays attention to not only the acute social and political implications of contemporary Russian literature but also literary form by documenting the decline of postmodern styles, analyzing shifting metaphors for a “Russian identity crisis,” and tracing the emergence of new forms of authorial ethos. To achieve this end, the book connects the fields of postcoloniality, trauma, and conspiracy thinking with post-Soviet studies, an endeavor that has been grossly overlooked until now. About the Author Boris Noordenbos is Assistant Professor in Literary Studies at the University of Amsterdam, The Netherlands.