CFP: Decadence or Renaissance? Russian Literature since 1991, Oxford

DECADENCE OR RENAISSANCE? RUSSIAN LITERATURE SINCE 1991
A three-day international conference at St Antony’s College, Oxford University, 24-26 September 2012


Keynote speakers:
Mark Lipovetsky (University of Colorado, Boulder)
Irina Prokhorova, head of New Literary Observer
Mikhail Shishkin, novelist


What have been the main achievements in Russian prose and poetry of the past twenty years, both inside and outside the ‘motherland’? And what have been the most interesting and innovative tendencies in literature of this period?


Beyond a handful of familiar names, new Russian writers remain little-known and little-read, both within Slavic studies and among the general public. ‘Decadence or Renaissance?’ is intended to advance knowledge and understanding of Russian literature of the post-Soviet period among scholars, publishers and translators.


We especially welcome proposals for papers that map neglected aspects of Russian fiction and poetry of the last twenty years, whether individual works or writers, themes or techniques. Equally welcome are considerations of the evolution of the ‘literary process’ in the past two decades: topics may include, for example, the role of critics and publishers; the shifting status of ‘elite’ and ‘mass’ literature; and the role of the ‘thick’ literary journals, the Internet and commercial venues in the development of new writing. We also invite papers that consider how and to what extent Russian literature since 1991 has been represented in English translation.


We look forward to receiving your proposals. Abstracts of 300-400 words should be submitted to Oliver Ready and Nina Kruglikova by Friday, 18 May. Please send any enquiries about the conference to the same addresses. The language of the conference will be English, and papers should last no longer than 20 minutes.


Pending the outcome of funding applications, we hope to be able to cover the cost of speakers’ accommodation and meals, and to offer a few travel bursaries to selected postgraduate speakers.


It is hoped that the best papers to emerge from the conference will be collected in a volume of articles edited by Oliver Ready.


About the keynote speakers:
Mark Lipovetsky’s books include Russian Postmodernist Fiction: Dialogue with chaos (1999) and Paralogii: Transformatsii (post)modernistskogo diskursa v russkoi kul’ture 1920-2000 godov (2008).


Irina Prokhorova, literary critic and cultural historian (PhD), is head of the New Literary Observer (Novoe literaturnoe obozrenie) magazine and publishing house, and a laureate of the Andrei Belyi prize for literature (2006).


Mikhail Shishkin’s novels include Vzyatie Izmaila (Russian Booker Prize, 2000), Venerin volos (National Bestseller Prize, 2005), and Pis’movnik (Big Book Prize, 2011).


Conference convener: Dr Oliver Ready (Oxford)
Administrator: Nina Kruglikova (Oxford)