Remaining Relevant after Communism by Andrew Baruch Wachtel

Remaining Relevant after Communism by Andrew Baruch Wachtel

More than any other art form, literature defined Eastern Europe as a cultural and political entity in the second half of the twentieth century. Although often persecuted by the state, East European writers formed what was frequently recognized to be a "second government," and their voices were heard and revered inside and outside the borders of their countries. This study by one of our most influential specialists on Eastern Europe considers the effects of the end of communism on such writers. According to Andrew Baruch Wachtel, the fall of the Berlin Wall and the creation of fledgling societies in Eastern Europe brought an end to the conditions that put the region's writers on a pedestal. In the euphoria that accompanied democracy and free markets, writers were liberated from the burden of grandiose political expectations. But no group is happy to lose its influence: despite recognizing that their exalted social position was related to their reputation for challenging political oppression, such writers have worked hard to retain their status, inventing a series of new strategies for this purpose. "Remaining Relevant after Communism" considers these strategies - from pulp fiction to public service - documenting what has happened on the East European scene since 1989.

"Wachtel is one of the leading specialists on Russian and East European literatureWith Remaining Relevant after Communism, he once again contributes significantly to our understanding of such literature as well as its history and reception. This is an original and pioneering study." - Jeffrey Brooks, The Johns Hopkins University"

Andrew Baruch Wachtel is the Bertha and Max Dressler Professor in the Humanities, director of the Center for International and Comparative Studies, and dean of the Graduate School at Northwestern University. He is the author or editor of numerous works, including Making a Nation, Breaking a Nation: Literature and Cultural Politics in Yugoslavia, which has been translated into Serbian, Romanian, and Slovene.

SKU	Unavailable
ISBN 13	9780226867663
ISBN 10	0226867668
Title	Remaining Relevant after Communism
Author	Andrew Baruch Wachtel
Condition	Unavailable
Publisher	The University of Chicago Press
Year published	2006-02-01
Number of pages	224
Cover note	Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary.