Leningrad Poetry 1953–1975

The Author: Emily Lygo studied Russian at the University of Oxford, where she completed her D.Phil. in 2006. She is now Lecturer in Russian at the University of Exeter.

• Contents: Leningrad Poetry – Khrushchev Thaw – Russian Poetry – Socialist Realist Poetry – Iosif Brodsky – Dimitry Bobyshev – Viktor Sosnora – Aleksandr Kushner – Russian Literary Underground.

«Emily Lygo gives a sensitive and balanced account of the role of many Leningrad poets in disseminating liberal ideas and promoting modernist poetry [and] Lygo has identified many lacunae in our knowledge of the Thaw and its legacy.» (Dr. Alexandra Smith, Times Literary Supplement)«(T)his is an intelligent, well written study containing a useful historical overview of the period in question as well as sensitive and often highly inspired readings of key representative poems by Aleksandr Kushner, Viktor Sosnora, Dmitry Bobyshev, and Joseph Brodsky.» (Clint Walker, The Russian Review)«This book is a must-read for anyone interested in twentieth-century Russian poetry and an invaluable resource for scholars of Russian cultural history. Based on a thoughtful combination of fine poetic analysis and a thorough exploration of institutional contexts, it offers a prime example of how the study of links between literature, history, and sociology can and should enrich our understanding of culture.» (Maria Khotimsky, Slavic and East European Journal)