Censorship in Soviet Literature, 1917-1991 - by Herman Ermolaev (Paperback)

About the Book

In the first comprehensive picture of Soviet literary censorship, Herman Ermolaev highlights the aims of censorship and its evolution during shifts in Communist Party policy. He draws on a great variety of primary and secondary sources, including over 200 literary works; the S...

Book Synopsis

In the first comprehensive picture of Soviet literary censorship, Herman Ermolaev highlights the aims of censorship and its evolution during shifts in Communinist Party policy. He draws on a great variety of primary and secondary sources, including over 200 literary works; the Soviet government's decrees on censorship and publishing; books and articles on censorship; political and historical writings; and personal correspondences with writers, editors, and a former high-ranking Glavlit official. Censorship in Soviet Literature will interest scholars of Soviet literature, politics, history, and culture and provides an excellent reference on Soviet literary censorship.

Review Quotes

"This book is a pathbreaking attempt to trace the development and workings of Soviet literary censorship from 1917-1991. The style is witty and pungent, and the scholarship, solid and impressive." --John B. Dunlop, Stanford University

"Herman Ermolaev's new book is an excellent contribution to this [Soviet censorship] literature and will be of interest to scholars, students, and general readers." --Slavic Review

"A revealing and detailed historical overview . . ." --Choice Reviews

"A systematic history of Soviet Russian literature is still waiting to be written. However, when it does appear, Herman Emolaev's study of Soviet (Russian) censorship will be a key companion to it. He has produced a detailed overview of this complex phenomenon, added to it a range of important examples, and documented it all very capably. The result is a readable and usable guide to a very nasty business." --Allan Reid, The International Fiction Review

A revealing and detailed historical overview . . .

A systematic history of Soviet Russian literature is still waiting to be written. However, when it does appear, Herman Emolaev's study of Soviet (Russian) censorship will be a key companion to it. He has produced a detailed overview of this complex phenomenon, added to it a range of important examples, and documented it all very capably. The result is a readable and usable guide to a very nasty business.

Herman Ermolaev's new book is an excellent contribution to this [Soviet censorship] literature and will be of interest to scholars, students, and general readers.

This book is a pathbreaking attempt to trace the development and workings of Soviet literary censorship from 1917-1991. The style is witty and pungent, and the scholarship, solid and impressive.

About the Author

Herman Ermolaev is professor of Russian and Soviet literature at Princeton University. His previous books include Soviet Literary Theories, 1917-1934: The Genesis of Socialist Realism and an edited translation of Maxim Gorky's Untimely Thoughts: Essays on Revolution, Culture, and the Bolsheviks, 1917-1918.