the slavic scene

volume 30, spring 2019

Photo by Maksym Harbar lsa.umich.edu/slavic table of contents

Letter From The Chair 3 Highlights 4–5 Faculty Focus 6–7 Graduate Focus 8

Undergraduate Focus 9 In the Classroom 10 Staying Connected 11

2 Department of Slavic Languages and Literatures letter from the chair

Dear friends, Winter term kept our by Eugene Bondarenko, Cultures of Memory in Central department busy. Thanks to but was also open to the and Eastern Europe after the dedicated work of our general public. In April, we 1989, and, jointly with the team of faculty, lecturers, had a fortunate occasion to Moscow School of Social and graduate students and staff, celebrate the publication of Economic Sciences and the our enrollment figures were a new book by our Professor European University at St. slightly higher than the Emerita Assya Humesky. Petersburg, we are planning previous year, defeating the a new graduate program in overall negative trend in the Responding to the growing Russian culture for summer study of foreign languages. interest of our students and 2020. We remain one of the very faculty in film, we invited Igor few departments nationally to Gulin, the book review editor We congratulate Professor offer continuously five Slavic of the Moscow Kommersant Benjamin Paloff on his 2018 languages. And this year we Weekend newspaper, to share Prize for Best Book in Literary Mikhail Krutikov had 17 students graduating his research on the Soviet Scholarship Lost in the Shadow with degrees in Russian, cinema of the so-called of the Word: Space, Time, Polish, Czech and Bosnian/ “stagnation” period at our and Freedom in Interwar Croatian/Serbian. departmental colloquium in Eastern Europe awarded by February. the American Association of Our Ukrainian program keeps Teachers of Slavic and East growing, and this Winter Over the past few years, European Languages. My own term we held a series of we have been making a book, Der Nister’s Soviet Years: events focusing on ’s concerted effort to promote Writer as Witness to past and present. In March, our graduate program and the People, has just come out Professor Vitaly Chernetsky to expand diversity among in May. As I prepare for my from the University of Kansas our graduate students. research leave from gave a talk on the language This year the number of September 2019 through politics in contemporary applications to our Ph. D. May 2020, I look forward to Ukrainian cinema as part of program grew exponentially, returning to my position as the CREES lecture series, and and we are now preparing chair next summer. discussed the fascinating to welcome a new cohort of new novel Felix Austria by five graduate students, two the young Ukrainian author of whom are coming from Sophia Andrukhovych at our Nazarbayev University in departmental colloquium. Astana, Kazakhstan. We keep March 31 was the day of working on developing our the presidential elections in ties with peer institutions Ukraine, and we invited two abroad, such as the University of our alumni to share their of Regensburg in experience of working in and the Russian Academy Ukraine and to reflect on the for National Economy and situation in that country in Public Administration. the aftermath of that event. Professor Marek Nekula The panel was integrated into from Regensburg will the mini-course, Cultures of teach a graduate seminar Ukraine, which was taught titled Performing Memory:

Department of Slavic Languages and Literatures 3 highlights Which Revolution?: Ukraine Five Years Later By Mikhail Krutikov, Chair

People of Ukraine have and Jessica Zychowicz, who University of Alberta. She points of his campaign? elected an unusual but have worked in Ukraine was recently a U.S. Fulbright What was the situation of apparently very popular man and studied the country, Scholar based at -Mohyla women, ethnic minorities, as their new president. to share their expertise University. Her monograph, LGBT people in Ukrainian Volodymir Zelensky is a with our students and the Superfluous Women: society? Are there deep popular television personality general public. Mark Dillen Feminism, Art, and Revolution political and cultural divisions best known for his series (BA (cum laude) in Russian in 21st Century Ukraine is among different regions of Servant of the People where and East European Studies) forthcoming at University of the country? Understandably, he plays an ordinary had a distinguished career Toronto Press. some questions from students school teacher who gets in the U.S. Foreign Service, addressed parallels between unexpectedly elected as managing media and cultural The panel took place on April American and Ukrainian Ukraine’s president. Few relations for U.S. embassies 4, four days after the first political cultures, but some people would have guessed in Rome, , Moscow, round of the elections, when were quite unexpected, that exactly the same would Sofia, and Belgrade, as well it had become clear that demonstrating the broad happen with the actor as as for the USAID Mission in Zelensky was a likely winner. international diversity of U-M with his character, and yet it Kabul and for a White House The panel was integrated students — such as, would has happened. In the second initiative, Power Africa. Most into the mini-course Ukraine be willing to take round of the elections, recently, he was a Fulbright Cultures of Ukraine taught part in the grandiose Chinese Zelensky defeated the Scholar in Ukraine, teaching by Eugene Bondarenko and Belt and Road initiative, and incumbent Petro Poroshenko a course on U.S. news media made open to the general could China help resolve the taking over 70% of the vote. to graduate students at the public. The conversation conflict in Donbas? It was We certainly had not been Ukrainian Catholic University touched upon many different a very memorable event able to predict this result, yet in Lviv. Jessica Zychowicz (Ph. matters in contemporary which brought, for two hours, we could rightly anticipate D. in Slavic Languages and life and politics in Ukraine. Ukraine live to Ann Arbor. that the elections would Literatures) is a Postdoctoral How important are the generate a great deal of Fellow in the Contemporary issues of religion, language, suspense and excitement. Ukraine Studies Program and defense against the So, we decided to invite two at the Canadian Institute Russian aggression, which of our alumni, Mark Dillen of Ukrainian Studies at Poroshenko made the key

Mark Dillen and Jessica Zychowicz answer questions during their panel discussion with Mikhail Krutikov

4 Department of Slavic Languages and Literatures Reflections on my Love of Languages and Literatures: A Ukrainian Literary Evening with Professor Assya Humesky By Ruth Shamraj, MA, Russian and East European Studies

Assya Humesky, photos by Matt Grossman On April 17, 2019, the began teaching Ukrainian being an “enemy of the deportees to Austria that Department of Slavic language and literature people.” He was sentenced to Assya was on, bringing her Languages and Literatures courses in 1969. be executed and the family sister too. held a Ukrainian Literary never heard from him again. Evening featuring Professor Born in , Ukraine, Assya worked for a time as Emerita Dr. Assya Humesky. Assya grew up speaking Assya and her mother (Tatiana a housemaid, but was later Assya was on the faculty from both Ukrainian and Russian, Kardinalowska) and sister sent to work in a labor camp 1953 to 1998. Although today “which was typical for the (Mirtala) were exiled from near Graz, Austria, where Professor Humesky is best Ukrainian intelligentsia.” In Ukraine for 10 years and they made airplane parts for known for teaching Ukrainian the United States in graduate moved to the Russian town of Treiber. There she learned language and literature, early school, Assya studied Kalinin. There, Assya studied to converse in French with in her career she laid a solid linguistics with Roman German in school, learning university students who were foundation for Russian studies Jakobson and Ukrainian how to spell and write, but deported from Lyon, France, within the Department, language and literature not to speak it. to do forced labor. teaching many of the Russian with Dmytro Chyzhevsky language and literature (A History of Ukrainian Her family secretly returned Convinced that the advancing courses. Literature, 1975), and Church to Ukraine 5 years later, Soviets would send them to Slavonic with Horace Lunt. settling in Vinnytsia, where Siberia for working for the Professor Humesky is Her Ph.D. dissertation was a Assya attended high school. enemy, Assya, Tatiana, and a renowned scholar of comparison of the neologisms Hitler invaded and occupied Mirtala escaped from Trieber, Ukrainian language and of the Russian poets Vladimir Ukraine in 1941 when ending up in a Displaced literature. She authored Majakovsky and Igor Assya was 16 years old. Persons (DP) camp in Aversa, Modern Ukrainian (1980), Severyanin. She earned her She interpreted Ukrainian Italy. Assya began learning a widely used book on Ph.D. from Harvard in 1955. into German in the Eier und English from an English- Ukrainian grammar, and Geflügel Kontor (Office of Russian dictionary given to published numerous articles Assya shared poignant Eggs and Poultry), which her by an Italian POW who on Ukrainian literature (see moments from her life to requisitioned farm products had been stationed in her her Selected Works [Vybrani show how languages, words, from Ukrainian peasants. The hometown, Kharkiv. He had filolohichni pratsi, 2017]). She and pronunciation have Nazis deported thousands salvaged the dictionary from also coauthored two Russian influenced her. Her father of young Ukrainians, mostly a pile of books the Nazis had language textbooks: Modern Serhiy Pylypenko, a writer, girls, to work in factories and thrown into the street to burn Russian I (1964) and II (1965). “was my first teacher.” He farms. The same fate also and he gave it to Assya when From 1953 to 1969, she taught her to read Ukrainian. befell Assya. Tatiana, who was they met. Members of the Ann taught only Russian language In 1933, when Assya was afraid she would never see Arbor Michigan Ukrainian and literature courses. She 9 years old, her father was her daughter again, boarded community helped organize arrested and charged with the train of this event.

Department of Slavic Languages and Literatures 5 faculty focus

Benjamin Paloff awarded 2018 AATSEEL Prize for Best Book in Literary Scholarship

Associate Professor Benjamin Czech literature. Looking literary traditions, exhaustive Paloff was awarded the 2018 closely at shared tropes of research into the various Prize for Best Book in Literary homelessness, orphanhood, local scholarly traditions, Scholarship by the American naivety, metamorphosis, and a thorough knowledge Association of Teachers of immaturity, and doubling of modern philosophy Slavic and East European in Bruno Schultz, Andrei and literary theory – Paloff Languages (AATSEEL) for his Platonov, Osip Mandelstam, brilliantly reveals a poetics of book, Lost in the Shadow of Czeslaw Milosz, Nikolai metaphysical unfreedom in the Word: Space, Time, and Zabolotsky, Karel Capek, Eastern European modernist Freedom in Interwar Eastern Witold Gombrowicz, literature. His subtle argument Europe (Northwestern and others, Paloff sees a is a crucial contribution University Press, 2016). specifically Eastern European that will, without a doubt, modernism, often associated resonate with scholars and “In this brilliant, wide-ranging, with Kafka, in which the readers.” - AATSEEL.org The cover of Benjamin Paloff’s and deeply original work, promise of freedom in time book Lost in the Shadow Benjamin Paloff analyzes the and space, paradoxically, is of the Word theme of intermediacy in equally desired and feared. the works and lives of some Utilizing the skills of the of the greatest writers of best comparativists - fluency modern Polish, Russian, and in several languages and

2019-20 Frankel Institute Fellow – Mikhail Krutikov This fall, the Frankel Institute of the linguistic, literary, Congratulations Ewa for Advanced Judaic Studies historical, political, and social Malachowska-Pasek on will bring together a group significance of the language being selected as one of four of Yiddish scholars, poets, and the varying cultures it has Collegiate Lecturers for the translators, language engendered and continues to Ann Arbor campus. This is teachers, and cultural leaders animate. a well-deserved distinction to discuss and research which recognizes Ewa’s around the theme of “Yiddish Among the esteemed scholars outstanding teaching. Matters.” invited to be a Frankel Fellow Gratulacje, Ewa! include Professor Mikhail The University of Michigan Krutikov. His field of research has emerged as one of the includes his book titled Urban world’s leading centers for Space in Jewish Literature(s). Yiddish studies, so it is fitting that the Frankel Institute will Provided by the Frankel be a site for fresh explorations Institute for Advanced Judaic Studies

6 Department of Slavic Languages and Literatures Der Nister’s Soviet Years: From Symbolist Roots to Social Realism By Mikhal Krutikov, Professor, Russian and Judaic Studies

My first encounter with the Der Nister’s Soviet Years misfortunes. While Der Nister legacy of the enigmatic Soviet focuses on the second was writing an epic saga Yiddish author Der Nister half of Der Nister’s of his generation, he was (“The Recluse”, the penname dramatic writing career arrested for anti-government of Pinhas Kahanovich (1884– after his return to Soviet activities and died tragically 1950)) was back in 1990, Ukraine from emigration from a botched surgery when I was asked to help with in Germany in 1926. It in the . As I try to cataloguing his papers at follows Der Nister’s painful argue, Der Nister’s work is the Russian State Archive for but ultimately successful important to understandings Literature and Arts in Moscow. literary transformation of Soviet literature, the Since then I kept returning to from his symbolist roots to Russian Revolution, and the his work, publishing articles, social realism under severe catastrophic demise of the giving talks, and preparing ideological pressure from Jewish community the Russian translation of his Soviet critics and authorities. under Stalin. magisterial novel The Family The last chapter reveals how Mashber for publication. A few profoundly Der Nister was years ago, I decided to put all affected by the destruction Right Photo these materials together and of Jewish life during World The cover of Mikhail Krutikov’s turn them into a monograph. War II and his own personal book Der Nisters Soviet Years

The Poor Rhymes of Hooligans: The Anarchist Aesthetics of OBERIU and Pussy Riot By Ania Aizman, Assistant Professor and Michigan Society Fellow

My new article, “The Poor canon of nonconformism and artistic mastery, or advocating Rhymes of Hooligans: The dissent – from Aristotle, to utopian paradigms and Anarchist Aesthetics of Jesus, to the Soviet dissidents. transcendent knowledge, OBERIU and Pussy Riot” can But she singled out an the Oberiuty sought to be found in the January 2019 obscure early Soviet absurdist, suspend the search for issue of the Russian Review. Alexander Vvedensky, whose absolutes and to cultivate It is part of a book project “poor rhyme” aesthetic she spontaneity. The final portion exploring how Russian compared at length to the of this essay contextualizes artists, writers, and thinkers anarchist style of Pussy Riot. Tolokonnikova’s interpretation engaged with anarchist ideas Her extended discussion and appropriation of and practices. The article of Vvedensky inspires this Vvedensky in the rediscovery abstract reads as follows: In paper’s analysis. Contrary to and reception of the OBERIU August 2012, having been recent scholarship that has by leftist artists, writers, and found guilty of “hooliganism suggested that Vvedensky philosophers. motivated by religious hatred,” and his literary circle, OBERIU, Nadezhda Tolokonnikova cultivated reactionary, of Pussy Riot delivered a conservative politics, I argue closing statement in which that they draw from anarchist she argued that her group’s (i.e. leftist) principles. Instead performances are part of a of seeking to communicate

Department of Slavic Languages and Literatures 7 graduate focus

Postdoctoral Research Fellow By Alena Aniskiewicz, Ph.D. Student

I am very happy to have nation’s past. In referencing a (Undergraduate Research accepted a position as a Romantic nationalism born of Opportunity Program) Postdoctoral Research Fellow statelessness, the Polish artists project on hip-hop as a at the University of Michigan I study offer a nationally- voice of displacement and Institute for the Humanities specific performance of community around the world. (2019-2020). At the Institute, hip-hop’s conventional I look forward to mentoring I will continue work begun critical, anti-establishment a team of undergraduate on my dissertation, “Cultural stance, unique here in its researchers in a collaborative Remix: Polish Hip-Hop and affirmation of a traditional and cross-cultural study the Sampling of Heritage.” national discourse. As I revise of the genre as a record of The project analyzes Polish the project for publication immigrant experiences and hip-hop’s engagement with as a book manuscript, I global population flows. In the texts and traditions welcome the opportunity to Winter 2020, I will offer a of Polish Romantic poets. discuss my research with the course on “Voicing History Considering how the interdisciplinary cohort of and Community in Global nineteenth-century poet Institute Fellows. Hip-Hop,” which will explore Adam Mickiewicz becomes similar topics of how hip- refigured as a forefather Related to “Cultural Remix” hop offers artists and fan of Polish rap, I argue that and in concert with the communities a language with hip-hop offers a space for Institute’s 2019-2020 theme which to articulate their pasts Polish artists to engage and of migration and immigration, and visions for the future. critique the narratives of their I will also lead a UROP

Rackham Predoctoral Fellow Opposite Page From Left to Right Congratulations to Haley BCS Minors Nejra Malanovic and Laurila who will be a Rackham Allison Radman with Marija Rosic; Predoctoral Fellow for the Czech Minor Michael McGrath with 2019-20 academic year. Ewa Pasek; Michael Makin with The Rackham Predoctoral Russian Majors Mikayla Easely and Fellowship is one of the Amelia Fueka; Polish Minors Michael most prestigious awards Lichomski and Izabella Puchalski with Piotr Westwalewicz; Michael granted by the Rackham Makin with Russian Minors Jason Graduate School. Doctoral Dean and Eleanor Zinn candidates who expect to graduate within six years since beginning their degrees are eligible to apply. Awards are based on the strength and quality of dissertation abstracts, publications and presentations, and recommendations.

8 Department of Slavic Languages and Literatures undergraduate focus

Critical Language Scholarships Awardees by Aleks Marciniak, Ph.D. Student

Rachael Merritt ( top left) know, and appreciating, first and Dominque Johnson (top hand, the cultural diversity right) - rising juniors - enrolled that we learn so much about in the same Russian 101 class in Russian class.” - Rachael in the Fall of 2017. Now, they Merritt share another experience: both secured highly “With the Critical Congratulations, Graduates! competitive Critical Language Language Scholarship, I Scholarships to study in will be experiencing a fully Russia this summer. The immersive Russian language Critical Language Scholarship program this summer. I will be program (CLS), funded by studying Russian at the KORA the U.S. Department of Russian Language Center in State, will allow Rachael and Vladimir, Russia. Classroom Dominque to study Russian study will be about four in an immersive environment hours a day, five days a week. amongst other dedicated I will also be participating in American students. Below, various cultural activities to they share their thoughts gain a breadth of experience about their accomplishments with Russian culture. While and hopes for the program. in Russia, I will be living with a Russian host family that “This summer, I am beyond will provide conversational excited to be traveling to practice every day. I am Russia for the very first time very excited about having with the CLS program. I will the opportunity to explore be living with a host family important Russian historical and studying in Nizhny sites and learn more about Novgorod for eight weeks. I the history of Vladimir, Russia. am looking forward to trying Overall, I am thrilled to be authentic Russian сметана able to learn more about a (real sour cream), putting to different culture and make use all the Russian idioms I new friends along the way.” - Dominque Johnson Department of Slavic Languages and Literatures 9 in the classroom

Reexamining Modern Russia By Christopher Fort, Ph.D. Student

Over the last half decade on how non-Russian writers our reading of up-and- That film examines the Americans who follow the articulate their current coming Dagestani author current war as a theater in news have discovered that struggles in view of Russia’s Alisa Ganieva’s The Mountain which the participants are not the space of the former Soviet history of colonialism, and the Wall (2014), a novel combatants on the battlefield Union is populated by more Russification, and socialism. which portrays the Caucasus but actors who, through than just Russians. From the The course begins with an in- as a dialogic dystopia in broadcast media and the Ukrainian, Azerbaijani, and depth look at how the Soviet which disputes over history, internet, create and maintain Georgian oligarchs, with Union constructed itself memory, and authenticity faraway audiences. whom Trump makes friends, as an anti-imperial empire, are unresolvable. We then to the Chechen strongman intending to use affirmative turn to the Russian Far East, With this course, I hope to Ramzan Kadyrov, whose action and other tools to reading Chukchi author round out students’ view of missing cat HBO’s Jon Oliver compensate non-Russians Yuri Rytkheiu’s take on the Russia and show them that, found, to Russia’s continuing for their oppression under transformation of his people while many of the people we war in Ukraine, it seems like the Romanov Empire. We and their spiritual traditions examine in the course may every week the American discuss how the contradiction under Russian imperial and be far from the halls of power news media finds itself between these noble ideals Soviet rule in his The Chukchi in Moscow, their activities on explaining the post-Soviet and their pitiful realization Bible (2011). From there, the periphery often transform world’s heterogeneity to the led, in part, to the collapse we go south to Central Asia politics at the center. This American public. of the in the and examine contemporary will be both my first and my late 1980s. We then take our Uzbek writer Hamid Ismailov’s last solo-taught course as This shift of focus in popular knowledge of this history to Marquezian epic The Railroad a graduate student in the media and in the field of analyze current issues in four (2006), a novel centered department, but I plan to Russian studies itself from locales of the former Soviet around a fictional Uzbek make my materials accessible Russians to non-Russians Union, encapsulated in four town in which accidents for future teachers in the prompted my decision to units.We retain a discussion and mistakes undermine all department who may want to diversify the curriculum for of the Chechen wars from utopian dreams. Finally, we take up and expand our department’s course previous versions of the address the war in Ukraine upon them. “Russia Today.” In my version course, but we push that through Sergey Loznitsa’s Below Photo of the course, I focus attention discussion further through recent film Donbass (2018). Christopher Fort in his course “Russia Today”

10 Department of Slavic Languages and Literatures staying connected Intersecting Science and Language By Yimeng Zhao, 2018, BS Biochemistry (Honors) & Russian

As a graduate of the Looking back at my time in University of Michigan in the Slavic Department at biochemistry and Russian, the University of Michigan, I have always entertained I had the privilege to work the possibility of using my with faculty mentors who degrees simultaneously helped develop my interests instead of living two separate before I had even learned academic lives. Once I learned the Cyrillic alphabet and of the Fulbright U.S. Student supported me on the path Program as an avenue I could that ultimately led me to use to combine my love for the Fulbright. Initially, my medical science research interest in Russian literature with my Russian studies, I sparked in a survey course my applied in hope to return to sophomore year and caught St. Petersburg where I had fire in 20th century Russian studied the year prior. Now, Modernism. The tinder—the it is my pleasure to share Silver Age poet Alexander that throughout the 2019- Blok. While I could parse 2020 academic year, I will thematic naturalism from a be completing a Fulbright translation of Leo Tolstoy’s Research Fellowship in War and Peace, poetry was Russia in order to study HIV/ different. Upon hearing my MDR-TB co-infection at the professor dramatically recite St. Petersburg Institute of Blok’s “Night, street, lamp, Phthisiopulmonology. drugstore...” in its original language, I understood. The During the nine-month grant color of the piece could only period, I will be working be captured in its original under the mentorship of tongue. Dr. Zinaida Zagdyn to study spiritual independence under In this way the Fulbright the rehabilitation of HIV- Two summer intensive the communist regime. allows me to take steps positive patients afflicted with courses, two months During nights of confocal to pursue my dream of multidrug-resistant strains studying abroad, and one imaging, I analyzed data becoming a physician of tuberculosis, in addition FLAS fellowship later, I found while intermittently revisiting scientist without rendering to the socioeconomic and myself in a graduate level Mikhail Bulgakov’s Master my language studies cultural factors preventing Russian class my senior and Margarita which draws professionally obsolete, and early diagnosis and treatment. year and realized that after parallels to the author’s own for that I am eternally grateful. This fellowship offers the graduation I could not career under suffocating I would like to thank those valuable opportunity not only simply walk away from what Soviet censorship. I often look at the Slavic department for to use my Russian proficiency had become an intellectual to these readings and the mentoring me tirelessly and in a professional setting, but jewel of my education. In tragic legacies of their authors introducing me to the world also to apply myself in work university, at the side of to inform my grasp of human of Russian language and on the intersection of two the fencing strip between suffering and persistence. literature. critical epidemics. rounds of competition, I In the lines of Blok I have sat with Boris Pasternak’s known despondency, and Above Photo Doctor Zhivago and read from Bulgakov, I have learned Yimeng Zhao at graduation of an attempt to maintain obstinate resolve. in 2018

Department of Slavic Languages and Literatures 11 www.lsa.umich.edu/slavic

The Department of Slavic Languages & Literatures 3040 Modern Lang. Bldg. University of Michigan 812 E. Washington Street Ann Arbor, MI 48109-1275 (734) 764-5355 Chair and Editor: Mikhail Krutikov Assistant Editor & Layout: Michele Dimond Jennifer Lucas The Regents of the University of Michigan Jordan B. Acker Michael J. Behm Mark J. Bernstein Paul W. Brown Shauna Ryder Diggs Denise Ilitch Ron Weiser Katherine E. White

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