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The last ten years were decisive for Russia, not only in the political sphere, but also culturally as this period saw the rise and crystallization of Russian postmodernism. The essays, manifestos, and articles gathered here investigate various manifestations of this crucial cultural trend. Exploring Russian fiction, poetry, art, and spirituality, they provide a point of departure and a valuable guide to an area of contemporary literary-cultural studies which is currently insufficiently represented in English-language scholarship. A brief but useful "Who's Who in Russian Postmodernism" as an appendix introduces many authors who have never before appeared in a reference work of this kind and renders this book essential reading for those interested in the latest trends in Russian intellectual life.
In this book, Mikhail Epstein offers a systematic theory of modalities (possible, actual, necessary) and their impact on the philosophy and culture of modernity and postmodernity, focusing on the creative potentials of possibilistic thinking for the humanities.
Distinguished scholar offers a re-assessment of the role of the humanities and advocates their constructive potential for the society and intellectual culture of the future.
Written from a non-Western point of view, this work offers a fresh perspective on the postcommunist literary scene. The four sections of the book - literature, ideology, culture and methodology - reflect the range of postmodernism in contemporary Russia.
Literary Nonfiction. Poetry. PREDICTIONARY is about blank spaces in language and culture and their formative role in conceptual and artistic creativity. It is a dictionary of would-be words that are designed to fill gaps in language and generate new concepts and meanings. Focused on the creative potential of a neologism and a dictionary entry, this book is dedicated to both poetry and poetics. "There is a great deal of joy in this project, and playfulness that is rarely encountered in contemporary thinkers.... One of the movtives of this project is to find a language for what our systems of meaning exclude or render unimaginable." Mary Cappello, Professor of English, University of Rhode Island"
Contemporary processes of globalization have had a profound impact on cultural production and dissemination both intra- and cross-culturally. The dissemination of cultures on a global scale has led to multiple and complex effects, among them the formation of radical new modes of cultural interaction, transcultural flows, and hybridized knowledges, forms not easily understandable in terms of traditional models of discrete national or ethnic cultures/subcultures. Transcultural Experiments develops new scholarly and creative strategies out of this intersection of cultural traditions, specifically in Russia and the United States. Ellen E. Berry and Mikhail N. Epstein define and enact a transcult...
Already a cult classic in Russia, this novel takes the form of a secret KGB-sponsored study in which Professor Raisa O Gibaydulina reports on the (imagined) religious and non-religious sects that have mysteriously sprouted up in the late 1980s Soviet Union. These bizarre groups of fanatics -- among them the Pushkinians, the Steppies, and the Foodniks -- give voice to their deepest thoughts and philosophies. While the sects are at odds with one another, they all share the need to believe in something greater as they face the spiritual vacuum brought about by the imminent collapse of the Soviet Union. Pathos and humour intertwine to create an unforgettable image of the human response to spiritual emptiness that leaves readers wondering how humans will appease their spiritual yearnings in the face of monolithic materialism.
This groundbreaking work by one of the world's foremost theoreticians of Russian literature, culture, and thought gives for the first time an extensive and detailed examination of the development of Russian thought during the late Soviet period. Countering the traditional view of an intellectual wilderness under the Soviet regime, Mikhail Epstein offers a systematic account of Russian thought in the second half of the 20th century. In doing so, he provides new insights into previously ignored areas such as Russian liberalism, personalism, structuralism, neo–rationalism, and culturology. Epstein shows how Russian philosophy and culture has long been trapped in an intellectual prison of its own making as it sought to create its own utopia. However, he demonstrates that it is time to reappraise Russian philosophical thought and cultural theory, now freed from the bonds of totalitarianism. We are left with not only a new and exciting interpretation of Russian thought, but also an opportunity to rethink our own intellectual heritage.
Explores the most tormenting problems of Russian literature in provocative engagements with its major authors, from Pushkin, Gogol and Dostoevsky to Nabokov, Platonov and post-Soviet postmodernists. Focuses on the ironies and paradoxes that transform sublime ideals into their opposites and trigger the forces of evil and self-destruction.
Recent decades have been decisive for Russia not only politically but culturally as well. The end of the Cold War has enabled Russia to take part in the global rise and crystallization of postmodernism. This volume investigates the manifestations of this crucial trend in Russian fiction, poetry, art, and spirituality, demonstrating how Russian postmodernism is its own unique entity. It offers a point of departure and valuable guide to an area of contemporary literary-cultural studies insufficiently represented in English-language scholarship. This second edition includes additional essays on the topic and a new introduction examining the most recent developments.