(Soviet) Socialist Realism

Literary/ Cultural Context Essay

Neil Cornwell (University of Bristol)

Ed. by Neil Cornwell, University of Bristol
The Literary Encyclopedia. Volume 2.2.2.00: Post-1917 Writing and Culture in Russia, Ukraine and Belarus, 1917-present.
Vol. editors: Neil Cornwell (University of Bristol), Roman Koropeckyj (University of California, Los Angeles), Andrei Rogatchevski (UiT - The Arctic University of Norway)

Domains

Literature Topic

Dates

Date of occurrence 1932-1991

Places

Russia (Location)

Resources

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What was (or even is) Socialist Realism? A literary theory, an artistic method, or a cultural philosophy? What was its impact on the culture of the Soviet Union and Eastern Europe – particularly in the Cold War period? Such answers as the present profile may provide will be very largely confined to the Soviet Union, and to the literary process there. It should be said, however, that Socialist Realism was also an important factor in the cultural development (and/or at times the lack thereof ) of the Eastern bloc from the end of the Second World War until the fall of the Berlin Wall. It also extended beyond literature – to be adopted by, be imposed upon, or used as a mechanism to control: art, architecture, the fine arts and even music (witness the tribulations in the USSR of…

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2381 words

Citation: Cornwell, Neil. "(Soviet) Socialist Realism". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 24 May 2005 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/stopics.php?rec=true&UID=1554, accessed 18 April 2024.]

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