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.

Seven Days in April (on “The Bishop” by A. Chekhov)

In February of 1902 Anton Chekhov wrote in a letter to his editor that if the censor cut or changed even one word of his short story “The Bishop,” Chekhov would not authorize its publication (Brown 12). Such a bold authorial demand suggests that multifaceted significance to every detail underlies a seemingly simple account of […]

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