This master thesis is a case study of Aleksandr Tvardovsky, a famous Soviet poet and chief editor of the literary magazine Novyi Mir. This is a research on how Tvardovsky, who had loyally supported...Show moreThis master thesis is a case study of Aleksandr Tvardovsky, a famous Soviet poet and chief editor of the literary magazine Novyi Mir. This is a research on how Tvardovsky, who had loyally supported Stalin during his regime but later became an important actor in the destalinization, was able to come to terms with having supported Stalin’s system of terror. By analysing primary sources like his Working Notebooks, autobiographical poems and his brother’s autobiography, and by analysing his documented behaviour both during Stalin’s regime and after, this thesis will portray how Tvardovsky dealt with the aftermath of Stalin’s terror. In doing so, this research will make use of Hellbeck’s theory regarding writers’ loyalty to the regime despite state violence and the theory of the heroisation-demonisation phenomenon in mass dictatorships. This thesis aims to shed more light on how Soviet citizens adjusted during the Thaw.Show less
During the turbulent years of de-Stalinization a lot changed in the Soviet society. Tensions of the Cold War eased and the publication of contemporary foreign literature was possible again. The...Show moreDuring the turbulent years of de-Stalinization a lot changed in the Soviet society. Tensions of the Cold War eased and the publication of contemporary foreign literature was possible again. The American novel 'The Catcher in the Rye' by J.D. Salinger made quite and impression on the Soviet reader. This thesis discusses the reception of this American youth novel in Soviet Russia through letters and documents found at the Russian Archive of Literature and Art.Show less
This study focusses on the Khrushchev regime's attempt to reform domestic cooking as a part of its struggle for the communist way of life (kommunisticheskii byt) during the Khrushchev era (1956...Show moreThis study focusses on the Khrushchev regime's attempt to reform domestic cooking as a part of its struggle for the communist way of life (kommunisticheskii byt) during the Khrushchev era (1956—1964). Official Soviet publications (policy documents, cookbooks and women's magazines) are the primary sources to this study. The Khrushchev regime did indeed attempt to reform domestic cooking in order to fit it with communist ideals, such as the liberation of women and the organization of the Soviet population's nutrition according to scientific principles. It, however, also responded to the realities of Soviet daily life (e.g. the persistent shortages of foodstuffs).Show less
