Writers (Classic)

For the purposes of this site, we have defined “classic” authors as those that spent most of their careers before 1953. We have chosen this date as, first, a generational marker. Many late-tsarist authors continued working after the revolution, while many late-Soviet authors are still working today. Those whose careers date before 1953 are more likely to be known abroad (the anti-communist movement in the US happed about this time which made all things from the USSR essentially toxic) and less likely to be working today (due simply to the process of aging). In preparing material for this section, we have tried to concentrate mostly on specific aspects of their works that may not be as well covered in English.

The Paradoxes of Vladimir Mayakovsky

Can a poet influence his own legacy after his death? Consider the power of an individual’s era, homeland, contemporaries, and critical reception as additional deciding factors toward establishing a legacy. With several sources of interpretation, it is inevitable for multiple legacies of a person to emerge in the wake of a singular event; it can […]

Read more
1 2 3 4 5