Call for Papers – Decandence or Renaissance? Russian Literature since 1991

Conference venue: Oxford (UK)
Period: Sep. 24-26, 2012
Deadline for submitting abstracts: May 18, 2012

St Antony's College, Oxford University, announces a call for papers for the International Conference “Decandence or Renaissance? Russian Literature since 1991”, to be held in Oxford on September 24-26, 2012.
Beyond a handful of familiar names, new Russian writers remain little-known and little-read, both within Slavic studies and among the general public. “Decandence or Renaissance?” is intended to advance knowledge and understanding of Russian literature of the post-Soviet period among scholars, publishers and translators.
During the conference, the main achievements in Russian prose and poetry of the past twenty years, both inside and outside the 'motherland' will be discussed. Moreover, participants will analyze the most interesting and innovative tendencies in literature of this period.

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 are especially welcome.
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.
Papers can also consider how and to what extent Russian literature since 1991 has been represented in English translation.

Abstracts of 300-400 words should be submitted to oliver.ready@sant.ox.ac.uk and nina.kruglikova@gmail.com by Friday, 18 May. The language of the conference will be English, and papers should last no longer than 20 minutes.

Dr. Oliver Ready
Oxford University
e-mail: oliver.ready@sant.ox.ac.uk

Nina Kruglikova
Oxford University
e-mail: nina.kruglikova@gmail.com