GSAS Lecture: Tatyana Gershkovich

Date and Time

February 27, 2020
04:30PM - 06:00PM EST

Location

Plimpton Room

Who Should Teach Whom to Read Tolstoy?: Curating the 1928 Centenary

The People’s Commissariat of Enlightenment greeted the centenary of Leo Tolstoy's birth with some trepidation. In the words of one official: “An inept, politically illiterate approach to Tolstoy’s anniversary can turn into a harmful sermon on Tolstoyanism.” My talk will examine the pamphlets, bibliographies, and lecture scripts produced by the Commissariat to chaperone new readers through Tolstoy’s oeuvre. How could Tolstoy be taught, and put in service of the Soviet cause, while inoculating the reading public against his religious and philosophical ideas? What interpretive strategies were brought to bear? I use this historical episode as a lens through which to consider, more broadly, what constrains the political use of artistic works.

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Accessibility

Harvard University welcomes individuals with disabilities to participate in its programs and activities. If you would like to request accommodations or have questions about the physical access provided, please contact the Slavic Department at 617-495-4065 or slavic@fas.harvard.edu in advance of your participation or visit. Requests for Sign Language interpreters and/or CART providers should be made at least two weeks in advance, if possible. Please note that the university will make every effort to secure services, but that services are subject to availability.