Thesis Submitted for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy University of Bath Department of European Studies and Modern Languages
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University of Bath PHD The Role of Literature in Post-Soviet Russia, 1996-2008 Shelton, Joanne Award date: 2010 Awarding institution: University of Bath Link to publication Alternative formats If you require this document in an alternative format, please contact: [email protected] General rights Copyright and moral rights for the publications made accessible in the public portal are retained by the authors and/or other copyright owners and it is a condition of accessing publications that users recognise and abide by the legal requirements associated with these rights. • Users may download and print one copy of any publication from the public portal for the purpose of private study or research. • You may not further distribute the material or use it for any profit-making activity or commercial gain • You may freely distribute the URL identifying the publication in the public portal ? Take down policy If you believe that this document breaches copyright please contact us providing details, and we will remove access to the work immediately and investigate your claim. Download date: 06. Oct. 2021 The Role of Literature in Post-Soviet Russia, 1996-2008 Joanne Mary Shelton A thesis submitted for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy University of Bath Department of European Studies and Modern Languages November 2010 COPYRIGHT Attention is drawn to the fact that copyright of this thesis rests with its author. A copy of this thesis has been supplied on condition that anyone who consults it is understood to recognise that its copyright rests with the author and they must not copy it or use material from it except as permitted by law or with the consent of the author. This thesis may be made available for consultation within the University Library and may be photocopied or lent to other libraries for the purposes of consultation. 1 TABLE OF CONTENTS The Role of Literature in Post-Soviet Russia, 1996-2008 ............................................ 1 Acknowledgements ..................................................................................................... 6 Abstract ...................................................................................................................... 7 Introduction and Theoretical Framework ..................................................................... 9 The Production and Consumption of Literature ..................................................... 11 Review of Previous Literature ................................................................................ 28 How does this Research fit into Previous Scholarly Studies .................................. 59 Methodology ......................................................................................................... 61 Chapter One: The Publishing Industry ...................................................................... 64 The Soviet Publishing Legacy ............................................................................... 65 In Pursuit of Profit: the Commercial Role of Literature from the Publishers‟ Perspective ........................................................................................................... 71 From the Publisher to the Reader: The Distribution and Promotion of Literature ... 85 Retaining a Hold over Publishing? The Federal State Programmes for the Support of Publishing in Russia .......................................................................................... 90 Is the Commercialisation of Literature the „Normalisation‟ of Literature? ............... 95 The Experiences of Eksmo, Raduga and Feniks ................................................... 99 Conclusions ........................................................................................................ 110 Chapter Two: The „Thick‟ Literary Journal ............................................................... 112 The „Thick‟ Journals in the Soviet Era ................................................................. 113 The „Thick‟ Journal versus the „Glossy‟: The Commercialisation of the Literary Review ................................................................................................................ 118 Funding the Journals: Purely Commercial or Politically Motivated? ..................... 129 The „Thick‟ Journals‟ Contribution to the Discussion about Literature .................. 135 A Forum for Debate: The Changing Fortunes of Novyi mir, Znamya and Afisha .. 139 Conclusions ........................................................................................................ 159 Chapter Three: Politics and Literature ..................................................................... 161 The Soviet Image of the Leader .......................................................................... 162 2 The Post-Yeltsin Re-Politicisation of Literature .................................................... 165 How Putin Became the President of the United States and Other Stories ........... 177 Conclusions ........................................................................................................ 196 Chapter Four: The Rise of Popular Literature and the Decline of the Writer‟s Status197 Popular Literature and the Role of the Writer in the Soviet Era ............................ 198 Making a Living from Writing ............................................................................... 204 To Educate or to Entertain?................................................................................. 211 Does Popular Literature Generate Debate? ........................................................ 217 The „Celebrity‟ Writer ........................................................................................... 223 The Writer is not a God and Literature does not Hold All of the Answers............. 234 Are Akunin and Robski „Literature‟? .................................................................... 244 Conclusions ........................................................................................................ 250 Conclusion .............................................................................................................. 252 Bibliography ............................................................................................................ 257 3 TABLE OF FIGURES Figure 1: Number of publishers according to region ............................................... 72 Figure 2: Number of titles by type of publisher. ...................................................... 74 Figure 3: Total print run by type of publisher. ......................................................... 75 Figure 4: Number of titles published per year. ........................................................ 78 Figure 5: Total print run.......................................................................................... 79 Figure 6: Average print run. ................................................................................... 80 Figure 7: Publication by theme - number of titles. .................................................. 81 Figure 8: Publication by theme - number of copies. ............................................... 82 Figure 9: Average print run by theme ..................................................................... 83 Figure 10: Number of titles published across the world. ......................................... 95 Figure 11: Number of titles published in the UK and Russia .................................. 96 Figure 12: Number of titles: Eksmo, Raduga and Feniks ..................................... 102 Figure 13: Total print run: Eksmo, Raduga and Feniks. ....................................... 103 Figure 14: Number of copies: percentage in each print-run band ......................... 104 Figure 15: Number of copies: percentage in each print run band ......................... 105 Figure 16: Average print run: Eksmo, Raduga and Feniks. .................................. 106 Figure 17: Circulation of periodical publications. .................................................. 119 Figure 18: How often do you read the „thick‟ journals? ......................................... 122 Figure 19: Circulation figures of the literary journals. ........................................... 142 Figure 20: Circulation figures of the literary journals. ........................................... 143 Figure 21: Average book print run compared journal circulation figures ............... 145 Figure 22: Total number of reviews per year by publication ................................. 147 Figure 23: Number of subjects reviewed by publication per year. ........................ 149 Figure 24: Most frequently reviewed subjects by publication ................................ 150 Figure 25: Most frequently reviewed subjects: Novyi mir ...................................... 151 Figure 26: Most frequently reviewed subjects: Znamya........................................ 152 4 Figure 27: Most frequently reviewed subjects: Afisha .......................................... 153 Figure 28: Number of reviews by subject: Novyi mir. ........................................... 154 Figure 29: Number of reviews by subject: Znamya. ............................................. 155 Figure 30: Number of reviews by subject: Afisha ................................................. 155 Figure 31: Total number of reviews by sub-genre ................................................ 157 Figure 32: Percentage of respondents who claim not to read books at all ............ 205 Figure 33: