Richard Stites

Formerly Professor of History and International Affairs Richard Stites

"This book offers a brilliant treatment of many facets of its subject, but it also ends up being, for the reader, one of the finest general histories to be found, of these crucial years in Russian history. The source material is unbelievably detailed, and clearly cited on each page. Not only that, the writing is, at many points, the boldest, clearest I've almost ever found in the Academy. The author's opinions, summaries, insights easily spill out of the historical constructions. The presence of the author's psyche (he never hides behind his quotes) means the material is contoured. The reader gets, not only huge amounts of information, but an authorial presence, as company, that is often daring, bold, insightful, revelatory. And one stylistic point made me especially happy: when Stites uses metaphors to explain history, these are revelatory, and their internal implications are followed through in the prose." -- from www.goodreads.com (Feb. 2, 2011.)

Feminism, Nihilism, and Bolshevism, 1860-1930

The Women's Liberation Movement in Russia

James Von Geldern

Russian texts of the songs are included in the book.

Tales, Poems, Songs, Movies, Plays, and Folklore, 1917-1953

Mass Culture in Soviet Russia

"This lively and often moving collection of essays is an important contribution to Western scholarship on Soviet society and culture during the Second World War.... [a] straightforward but lively description of cultural life, unhampered by excessive interpretation or cultural theory. For all those who love Russia's cultural heritage, these essays cast a welcome spotlight on some of the people and pockets of life from that tragic but compelling time." —Canadian Slavonic Papers "Enjoyable to read and accessible to the nonspecialist, Culture and Entertainment is not only an indispensable addition to any Soviet studies library but will prove valuable to anyone interested in or teaching courses on World War II, propaganda and popular culture, homefront politics, or the interacation between cultural creation and governmental power." —Journal of Modern History "This comprehensive recollection of articles goes beyond cultural history, and provides an original approach to the study of war. War, we learn, is fought on many fronts, and the cultural one should not be underestimated." —SAIS Review "... takes the reader to the heart of the patriotic struggle, to the cultural and spiritual imperatives that roused Russian resistance." —Canadian Military History "This collection... furthers knowledge of Soviet high and popular culture, and also demonstrates the extremely important role that cultural productions played in helping to maintain Soviet spirits in the midst of the Nazi onslaught." —Choice "This anthology of scholarly articles provides surprising insights into Soviet cultural propaganda during the Great Patriotic War." —War, Literature and the Arts "... the essays here provide much food for thought and constitute a valuable addition to a relatively neglected area of study." —The Slavonic Review World War II (The Great Patriotic War) had a pronounced cultural and emotional impact on the Russian people. The subjects of these essays range from the Moscow press to frontline correspondents, from entertainment brigades to amateur songs by fighting men and women, from symphonic compositions to revivals of literary classics, and from Moscow stages to folk ensembles on the battlefield—the cultural outpourings in the hearts and souls of ordinary Russians at war.

Culture and Entertainment in Wartime Russia

Offers an array of documents, short fiction, poems, songs, plays, movie scripts, and folklore to offer a look at the mass culture that was consumed by millions in Soviet Russia between 1917 and 1953. This work focuses on the entertainment genres that both shaped and reflected the social, political, and personal values of the regime and the masses.

A side of Russian life largely unknown to the West--the world of popular culture--is presented by surveying detective and science fiction, popular songs, jokes, box office movie hits, the stage, radio and television.

Entertainment and Society Since 1900

Russian Popular Culture

Alexander Rabinowitch

Sheila Fitzpatrick

Helmut Altrichter

" . . . a comprehensive look at an enigmatic era . . . " --Choice "This provocative collection of essays certainly takes some of the polish off Soviet socialism's golden age." --Journal of Interdisciplinary History "The authors and editors of this splendid volume deserve great praise. Their work moves the field of Soviet history several large steps forward." --Slavic Review Lenin's New Economic Policy of the 1920s, although a relatively free and open potential alternative to Soviet communism, was also a time of extreme tension, as Russian society and culture were rocked by the forces of resistance and change. These essays examine the social and cultural dimensions of NEP in urban and rural Russia in the years before Stalin and rapid industrialization.

Formerly Professor of History and International Affairs Richard Stites

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