Overview

The Russian intelligentsia is the historic phenomenon of an educated opposition, and it has provoked a substantial body of Russian and Western publications. This book focuses on the intelligentsia's Myth, Mission, Metamorphosis as discovered in literature, journalism, and theater. The chapters define essential elements of the myth of the intelligentsia as a distinctive social group and a spiritual formation claiming high moral standards and expectations for the self and for society. Second, contributions explore how the intelligentsia sees its mission on various historical stages as inextricably linked with Russia's (and the Soviet Union's) cultural destiny, especially its literary and other artistic creations. Finally, the volume addresses the metamorphosis of the intelligentsia over centuries, as socio-political factors shaped its persistence and its perpetual transformation.

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Reviews

“This ambitious, wide-ranging volume traces the evolution of the Russian intelligentsia as a cultural concept and historical entity from its inception in the eighteenth century to the present day. A remarkable diversity of approaches and perspectives enriches the collection, with some invaluably incisive analyses complemented by informative descriptions of incidents, developments, and sources that represent terra incognita to many readers. Alongside famous thinkers, political leaders, and publications such as the accurately titled Landmarks (Vekhi) appear lesser-known figures and writings, many of which engage in dialogue or dispute with their predecessors or, in a few eloquent cases, predict current circumstances in Russia. To the question, ‘Can anything new be said about the intelligentsia?’ this volume responds with an unequivocal ‘Yes!’” — Helena Goscilo, Professor, Department of Slavic and East European Languages and Literatures, Ohio State University “Illuminating and thought-provoking, The Russian Intelligentsia offers a fascinating journey through the intellectual heartland of Russia. This rigorous yet accessible volume explores how the intelligentsia, perpetually pressed between the hammer of the state and the anvil of the people, has shaped Russia's cultural and political landscape from the 18th century to today. As Russia faces new tormenting and catastrophic challenges, this balanced exploration provides invaluable insights into the nation's past and present, offering a critical lens for understanding its highly problematic future.”   — Mikhail Epstein, Samuel Candler Dobbs Professor Emeritus of Cultural Theory and Russian Literature, Emory University. 

Author Information

Sibelan Forrester is the Susan W. Lippincott Professor of Modern and Classical Languages and Russian at Swarthmore College. Her publications emphasize translation theory and practice, folklore, and Silver Age Russian poetry; she is editor or co-editor of Engendering Slavic Literatures (Indiana UP, 1996), Over the Wall/After the Fall: Post-Communist Cultures in an East-West Gaze (Indiana UP, 2004), Russian Silver Age Poetry: Texts and Contexts (Academic Studies Press, 2015), A Companion to Marina Tsvetaeva: Approaches to a Major Russian Poet (Brill, 2016), and Times of Mobility: Transnational Literature and Gender in Translation (Central European University Press, 2019). She has published translations of fiction, poetry, and scholarly prose from Croatian, Russian, Serbian and Ukrainian. Olga Partan is Associate Professor of Russian Studies at the College of the Holy Cross. She has authored a Russian-language memoir You were right, Filumena! (Moscow: PROZAiK, 2012) and the scholarly book Vagabonding Masks: The Italian Commedia dell'Arte in the Russian Artistic Imagination (Boston: Academic Studies Press, 2017); her Commedia dell' Arte book was also translated into Russian (St Petersburg: Academic Studies Press/, 2021).

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