Alexander Solzhenitsyn was one of the Cold War's most iconic writers. This book offers an in-depth analysis of his reception in the US, UK, and Germany before and after 1991. Elisa Kriza skillfully explores how Solzhenitsyn's work can be understood...
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Alexander Solzhenitsyn was one of the Cold War's most iconic writers. This book offers an in-depth analysis of his reception in the US, UK, and Germany before and after 1991. Elisa Kriza skillfully explores how Solzhenitsyn's work can be understood with the paradigm of witness literature and uncovers the dynamics behind the politicized reception of his writing.From the mid-1980s onwards, Solzhenitsyn's popularity dwindledwas this for ideological reasons? What about the rumors linking him with Russian nationalism? This study does not shy away from stretching beyond anti-communism and touching more contentious subjectssuch as anti-feminism, anti-Semitism, and revisionismin Solzhenitsyn's work and reception.Bringing Solzhenitsyn back from his 'critical exile' and redefining his work as memory culture, Kriza's book is a crucial scholarly intervention, unveiling the mechanism that can transform a controversial figure into a moral icon Cover -- Contents -- Foreword -- Acknowledgements -- 1. Introduction -- 1.1 The Goal and the Scope of the Study -- 1.2 Review of Research Literature on the Subject -- 1.3 Theoretical and Methodological Background of the Project -- 2. Solzhenitsyn as a Writer and a Witness -- 2.1 The Style and Genre of Solzhenitsyn's camp-related Literature -- One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich -- The First Circle -- The Gulag Archipelago -- 2.2 The Experience behind the Text: Camp Literature and Witness Literature -- 2.3 The Reception of Solzhenitsyn's Camp Literature -- 2.4 Chapter Conclusion -- 3. Solzhenitsyn's Oeuvre between Aesthetics and Politics -- 3.1 Introduction to Methods and Contextualization -- 3.2 Anti-communism: Solzhenitsyn at the Heart of the Cold War -- Solzhenitsyn's Reception during the Cold War -- Solzhenitsyn in Brandt's Germany -- Solzhenitsyn in 1970's Britain and the US -- Solzhenitsyn's Late Cold War Reception -- Solzhenitsyn's Reception upon the Collapse of European Communism -- 3.3 Solzhenitsyn in Revisionist Debates -- Introduction -- Revisionism in Solzhenitsyn's Work and Reception -- Solzhenitsyn and World War II -- Solzhenitsyn and Russian Nationalism -- Solzhenitsyn and "the Jews" -- 3.4 Political Christianity -- 3.5 Comparative Chapter Conclusion -- 4. Solzhenitsyn in History -- 4.1 Solzhenitsyn and Historiography -- 4.2 Solzhenitsyn and Memory Culture in East and West -- 4.3 Chapter Conclusion -- Conclusions -- The Ethic -- The Political -- The Aesthetic -- Concluding Thoughts -- Bibliography -- Endnotes -- Series -- Copyright
