Socialist Realism in Central and Eastern European Literatures under Stalin

Evgeny Dobrenko, Natalia Jonsson-Skradol

"This volume brings together articles written by experts in the literary history of Central and Eastern European literatures. Focused on the export of Socialist Realism into Europe after WWII, the authors look not so much at similarities as at the particularities of each specific national and cultural context. The introduction of the Soviet cultural model was not quite the smooth endeavour that it was intended to be; rather, it was always a work in progress, often born out of a give-and-take with the local authorities, intellectuals and interest groups. Those in charge had to negotiate the precarious terrain of local cultural and political controversies, caught between tradition and innovation in some countries, or, in others, between a sincere interest in the new concept of art and a complete refusal to accept new rules. Paradoxically, among all the different experiences of...