Article
Literature, Slavic
Janne Risum
Summary: In this article, the author examines Meyerhold's occasional casting of actresses for male parts in his career as a stage director. Meyerhold cast a woman for a male part six times, with the majority being in tragedies. These instances were done for different purposes and to suit different contexts, serving as artistic reactions to the different political systems that Meyerhold experienced and reflecting his preference for tragedy as a means of expressing social mechanisms of oppression or resistance.
RUSSIAN LITERATURE
(2023)
Article
Literature, Slavic
Mikhail Edel'shtein
Summary: This article introduces Petr Pertsov's previously unknown article "A Russian Comedy of Masks" (1911), which was written to celebrate the 75th anniversary of the premiere of Nikolai Gogol's play "The Government Inspector" and is published here for the first time. Pertsov describes Gogol's play as a Russian variation of the commedia dell'arte.
RUSSIAN LITERATURE
(2023)
Article
Literature, Slavic
Rose Whyman
Summary: K.S. Stanislavsky's System continues to be the foundation for actor training in the UK and beyond, while E. Meyerhold's Biomechanics is gaining popularity as a training method in the 21st century. This essay explores the responses to Diderot's Paradox of the Actor in Russia from the 19th century to the 1930s, questioning the significance of head and heart in acting. The development of science and theories such as reflex conditioning and neurophysiology played a role in shaping Stanislavsky and Meyerhold's approaches.
RUSSIAN LITERATURE
(2023)
Article
Literature, Slavic
Tatiana Levitskaia
Summary: Nadezhda Lukhmanova played an important role in Russian farce theatre as a translator. Her translation of the comedy "A Hero of the First Empire" brought her notoriety, but also criticism for her changes to the original play. Despite the negative reviews, she went on to translate and write numerous successful farces.
RUSSIAN LITERATURE
(2023)
Article
Literature, Slavic
Mario Caramitti
Summary: This article introduces Khlebnikov's dramaturgical texts, which are little-known, little-studied, and even less staged. It explores Khlebnikov's sustained interest in theatricality and the composition and function of the supernatural characters in his works.
RUSSIAN LITERATURE
(2023)
Article
Literature, Slavic
Gabriella Elina Imposti
Summary: This paper focuses on Khlebnikov's early drama Snezhimochka (Snowflake, 1908) and explores its connections with Russian classical literature, Symbolism, and Futurist theatre. It discusses how the motif of the Snow Maiden played a crucial role in the revival of folklore and Slavic mythology, and compares Snezhimochka with Kruchenykh's opera Victory over the Sun in terms of their treatment of language and neologization.
RUSSIAN LITERATURE
(2023)
Article
Literature, Slavic
Elena Penskaya
Summary: This article analyzes the impressions of Russian poet Andrey Bely on the play The Case, written by Aleksandr Sukhovo-Kobylin and staged by Boris Sushkevich. Bely shared his impressions in a letter to Razumnik Ivanov-Razumnik and mentioned Leonid Grossman, a specialist in Sukhovo-Kobylin's heritage. Both Bely and Grossman focus on the play's protagonist and discuss the performance of actor Mikhail Chekhov.
RUSSIAN LITERATURE
(2023)
Article
Literature, Slavic
Andrey Rossomakhin
Summary: This article examines one of the forgotten reviews of Velimir Khlebnikov's production of Zangezi performed by Vladimir Tatlin in 1923. The review was written by linguist Boris Kazansky, a member of OPOYAZ (Society for the Study of Poetic Language). The republished text of the review is accompanied by a detailed commentary, highlighting the occultist parallels to Khlebnikov's prophetic publications.
RUSSIAN LITERATURE
(2023)
Article
Literature, Slavic
Natal'ia Korshunova
Summary: At the end of the 19th century and the beginning of the 20th, ballet faced a crisis as the old classical ballet clashed with the new ballet represented by Fokine and Gorskii. Critics predicted the future development of Russian ballet, including the emergence of abstract ballet, the era of dramballet, and the independence of character dance.
RUSSIAN LITERATURE
(2023)
Article
Literature, Slavic
Olga Kuptsova, Anna Sergeeva-Kliatis
Summary: This thematic issue focuses on Russian theatre of the first third of the twentieth century, discussing the correlation and mutual influence of theatre and literature. The development of theatre attracted universal interest, involving not only theatrical figures, but also writers, artists, composers, cinematographers, lawyers and politicians. Directors found themselves at the center of these issues, marking the era of director's theatre. This thematic issue contributes to resolving the unequal degree of study on various theatres and the creativity of directors, actors, theatre artists, and composers in modern theatre studies.
RUSSIAN LITERATURE
(2023)
Article
Literature, Slavic
Kornelija Icin
Summary: This paper examines the dramatic text God May Be Around by Aleksandr Vvedenskii, which is analyzed through the lens of the medieval mystery play. The structure of the text and the main motifs of the play are explored to reveal it as a new type of eschatological mystery play, responding to the apocalyptic changes in society after the Bolshevik Revolution. The categories of time and death are interpreted in relation to the Soviet reforms of the 1920s, which brought about a sense of instability and disintegration of the world.
RUSSIAN LITERATURE
(2023)
Article
Literature, Slavic
Valeriy Zolotukhin
Summary: The article discusses the audio recording of Vsevolod Meyerhold's direction of Nikolai Gogol's The Inspector General in 1926, providing commentary and background information. This performance was highly appreciated during the 1920s Soviet theatre and considered a significant achievement by the director. The wax cylinder recording captures a dialogue between Khlestakov and Anna Andreevna from Act III, Scene 6, revealing Meyerhold's unique approach to Gogol characters' speech influenced by modern music experiments like jazz and his biomechanics principles. The article contributes to our understanding of documenting twentieth-century theatre, particularly Meyerhold productions, focusing on the Institute for Artistic Speech Research's research projects.
RUSSIAN LITERATURE
(2023)
Article
Literature, Slavic
Roman Mnich
Summary: This article analyzes the intertextuality and motifs of the tragedies Laodamia by Innokenty Annensky and Judith by Nikolai Nedobrovo. The works reflect the main trends of Russian modernism and the interpretation of Greek mythology and the Bible. The analyzed tragedies share common motifs and images, such as the siege of Bethulia and the widow meeting someone else. Annensky and Nedobrovo influenced the acmeists' intertextual poetics.
RUSSIAN LITERATURE
(2023)
Article
Literature, Slavic
Ellen Rutten
Summary: The Russian Literature editorial team has decided it is time to make some changes to their journal policies and even change the journal name. Editor-in-chief Ellen Rutten explains and provides context for these policy decisions in this editorial.
RUSSIAN LITERATURE
(2023)
Article
Literature, Slavic
Anna Sergeeva-Klyatis
Summary: From autumn 1894 to spring 1896, Vera Komissarzhevskaya developed a friendly relationship with Sergei Tatishchev, a high-ranking state dignitary, diplomat, and publicist, while performing at the Vilna Theater. Tatishchev offered to help Komissarzhevskaya secure a lucrative contract at the Alexandrinsky Imperial Theatre. Their correspondence, which lasted almost a year, reveals Komissarzhevskaya's determination to continue her theatrical career and sheds light on the complex personal history between her and Tatishchev. The article also includes letters from Komissarzhevskaya's mother, Maria Shulgina, providing a different perspective and filling in gaps in the actress's biography. Shulgina's letters are published for the first time.
RUSSIAN LITERATURE
(2023)
Article
Literature, Slavic
Irina Sirotkina
Summary: The innovative choreographer Mikhail Fokin is credited with reforming early-twentieth-century ballet theatre by introducing one-act abstract ballet and a new emotional regime. He acknowledged the inspiration he received from Isadora Duncan but distanced himself from her later. This article restates Duncan's impact on Fokin by demonstrating the influence on Chopiniana and the genre of one-act abstract ballet.
RUSSIAN LITERATURE
(2023)
Article
Literature, Slavic
Olga Kuptsova
Summary: The discussion of Meyerhold's Revisor in 1926 was a significant event in European theatre, with a wide range of public reactions. The dialogue between Alexander Slonimsky and Iulia Sazonova-Slonimskaia, representing Soviet Russia and Russia Abroad, shed light on the controversies surrounding Meyerhold's performances and foreshadowed the discussions in the 1930s. These discussions ultimately led to the dissolution of the theatre and Meyerhold's tragic demise.
RUSSIAN LITERATURE
(2023)
Article
Literature, Slavic
Marina V. Zavarkina
Summary: The article examines the publishing business and book trade of F.M. and A.G. Dostoevsky, providing insights into the publishing process of the 19th century as well as Dostoevsky's involvement in proofreading and book distribution.
NEIZVESTNYI DOSTOEVSKII-THE UNKNOWN DOSTOEVSKY
(2023)
Article
Literature, Slavic
Albina S. Bessonova
Summary: Russian writer F. M. Dostoevsky spent his childhood summers in his parents' estate in the Kashirsky district of Tula province from 1832 to 1836. These summers left a profound impression on him, particularly regarding the way of life, traditions, and character of the Russian people.
NEIZVESTNYI DOSTOEVSKII-THE UNKNOWN DOSTOEVSKY
(2023)
Article
Literature, Slavic
Larisa Grigor'evna Zhukhovitskaya
Summary: This article reconstructs the events of August 1921 that are relevant to the fate of N. S. Gumilyov by publishing a previously unknown letter to Gorky, which informs about the arrest of M. L. Lozinsky, translator and editor of Vsemirnaya Literatura Publishing House. The article traces the fate of the involved individuals and provides certain details.
RUSSKAIA LITERATURA
(2023)
