Censorship in Soviet Literature, 1917-1991 - Hardcover

This book is a pathbreaking attempt to trace the development and workings of Soviet literary censorship from 1917-1991. The style is witty and pungent, and the scholarship, solid and impressive. -- John B. Dunlop, Stanford University Herman Ermolaev's new book is an excellent contribution to this [Soviet censorship] literature and will be of interest to scholars, students, and general readers. * Slavic Review * A revealing and detailed historical overview . . . * CHOICE * A systematic history of Soviet Russian literature is still waiting to be written. However, when it does appear, Herman Emolaev's study of Soviet (Russian) censorship will be a key companion to it. He has produced a detailed overview of this complex phenomenon, added to it a range of important examples, and documented it all very capably. The result is a readable and usable guide to a very nasty business. -- Allan Reid * The International Fiction Review *

In the first comprehensive picture of Soviet literary censorship, Herman Ermolaev highlights the aims of censorship and its evolution during shifts in Communist Party policy. He draws on a great variety of primary and secondary sources, including over 200 literary works; the Soviet government's decrees on censorship and publishing; books and articles on censorship; political and historical writings; and personal correspondences with writers, editors, and a former high-ranking Glavlit official.