The Readers of Novyi Mir by Denis Kozlov

The Readers of Novyi Mir by Denis Kozlov

In the Thaw following Stalin's death, probing conversations about the nation's violent past took place in the literary journal Novyi mir (New World). Readers' letters reveal that discussion of the Terror was central to intellectual and political life during the USSR's last decades. Denis Kozlov shows how minds change, even in a closed society.

Writing to the papers was a surprisingly common activity in the USSRIt brought results: in the 1930s, a reader’s letter was either printed or sent, as unprintable, to the NKVD so that the author could be dealt with. After Stalin’s death, at least for readers of Novyi mir, there was no danger of the author being suppressed together with his or her letter. Given the paucity of outlets to express feelings and views, the 12,000 letters to Novyi mir that Kozlov has studied give unprecedented insight into the often confused and contradictory reactions aroused by the revelations, however guarded, of the horrors and lies of the past… Kozlov’s book becomes not just an excellent study of a Soviet journal, its readers and letter-writers and the editorial responses they received, but also of a very complex and eventually admirable man [poet Aleksandr Tvardovsky, chief editor of Novyi mir for much of the 1950s and all of the 1960s] torn between his inner knowledge and his sense of duty. -- Donald Rayfield * Literary Review *
With the opening of the archives of the journal and of its bureaucratic keepers, Kozlov gained access to tens of thousands of unpublished letters from readers as well as the records of editorial meetings and accounts of the authorities scrambling to respond to the latest controversies. This fine history reveals the society-changing power of what Kozlov calls ‘the relationship between texts and readers.’ -- Robert Legvold * Foreign Affairs *
Kozlov shows us how ordinary citizens reacted to the Thaw and how they came to regard the entire Soviet order and the legacy of the Stalinist years. Using the readers of Novyi mir’s own words, he demonstrates that a skeptical view of the Soviet past was far more widespread than most have previously believed. It was not just a few writers who were expressing dissident views; the society as a whole was changing. -- Barry Scherr, Dartmouth College
The Readers of Novyi Mir represents a major breakthrough in our knowledge and understanding of postwar Soviet literature. Drawing on a treasure-trove of letters to the most important Soviet ‘thick journal’ of the time, it offers both new information and insightful commentary on readers, writers, editors, and important controversies. Absolutely indispensable for anyone interested in a beyond-the-clichés view of this fascinating period. -- William Mills Todd III, Harvard University

Denis Kozlov is Assistant Professor of History at Dalhousie University.

SKU	Unavailable
ISBN 13	9780674072879
ISBN 10	0674072871
Title	The Readers of Novyi Mir
Author	Denis Kozlov
Condition	Unavailable
Binding Type	Hardback
Publisher	Harvard University Press
Year published	2013-06-10
Number of pages	442
Prizes	Nominated for Morris D. Forkosch Book Prize 2013, Nominated for USC Book Prize in Literary and Cultural Studies 2014, Nominated for W. Bruce Lincoln Book Prize 2014, Nominated for Reginald Zelnik Book Prize in History 2014, Nominated for Wayne S. Vucinich Book Prize 2014, Nominated for Historia Nova Prize 2014, Nominated for Herbert Baxter Adams Prize 2015
Cover note	Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary.
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