Overview

This book offers an in-depth analysis of Alexander Solzhenitsyn's reception in the U.S., U.K., and Germany before and after 1991. Elisa Kriza explores his corpus through the paradigm of witness literature and confronts contentious subjects, such as antifeminism, anti-Semitism, and revisionism. Redefining Solzhenitsyn's work as memory culture, Kriza reveals the dynamics that transform a controversial figure into a moral icon.

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9783838206899

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Reviews

The merits of this book are several and decisive. First of all it shows a solid and comprehensive grasp of Solzhenitsyn's work in its entirety and the huge body of criticism it has fostered, from books to articles and from political statements to reviews and debates in various media. Second, the ambition of making a reception study that redefines the field and, at the same time, exemplifies it through an investigation of a vast and complex material is innovative and represents a real scholarly achievement. Third, the comparative and interdisciplinary approach is organically embedded in the chapters in their detailed readings, and documents Elisa Kriza's capacity to master a differentiated use of the vast material. -Svend-Erik Larsen, Professor of Comparative Literature, Aarhus University Revising by nature, Elisa Kriza's study re-examines selected principal tendencies of Solzhenitsyn's reception in the Anglophone and German-speaking world since the 1960s, and contextualizes his oeuvre within the framework of witness literature and representations of confinement. The main (and timely) question she posits is: Political factors notwithstanding, should Solzhenitsyn still be read in the West today -- and if yes, why and how? -Andrei Rogatchevski, Professor of Russian Literature and Culture, University of Tromso, Norway

This book shows a solid and comprehensive grasp of Solzhenitsyn's work and the huge body of criticism it has fostered. The comparative and interdisciplinary approach is organically embedded in the chapters' detailed readings and documents Kriza's capacity to master a differentiated use of vast material. -- Svend-Erik Larsen, Aarhus University Revising by nature, Elisa Kriza's study re-examines selected principal tendencies of Solzhenitsyn's reception in the Anglophone and German-speaking world since the 1960s, and contextualizes his oeuvre within the framework of witness literature and representations of confinement. The main (and timely) question she posits is: Political factors notwithstanding, should Solzhenitsyn still be read in the West today--and if yes, why and how? -- Andrei Rogatchevski, University of Tromso, Norway

Author Information

Elisa Kriza, PhD, Aarhus University, Denmark, has taught courses on dissident and emigre literature and on cultural encounters and conflicts.

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