Professor Stephanie Sandler Awarded MLA Prize for The Freest Speech in Russia

We are delighted to share that Professor Stephanie Sandler, Ernest E. Monrad Professor of Slavic Languages and Literatures, has been awarded the Modern Language Association’s Aldo and Jeanne Scaglione Prize for Studies in Slavic Languages and Literatures for her book The Freest Speech in Russia: Poetry Unbound, 1989–2022 (Princeton University Press). This biennial prize recognizes outstanding scholarly work in the study of Slavic languages and literatures, and Professor Sandler’s book was selected alongside Professor Karen Underhill’s Bruno Schulz and Galician Jewish Modernity.

The MLA selection committee praised The Freest Speech in Russia as a pathbreaking study of post-1989 Russian poetry, noting Professor Sandler’s nuanced readings, deep contextual knowledge, and illuminating account of how poets have modeled a sense of freedom through their work. They highlighted the book’s remarkable exploration of artistic expression amid the tightening authoritarianism of the 2000s and its hopeful vision of poetry’s continued role in imagining freer futures.

This honor is one of the MLA’s major annual awards and will be formally presented at the association’s convention in Toronto on January 9, 2026. Please click here to download a PDF of the full press release.

Please join us in congratulating Professor Sandler on this extraordinary recognition of her scholarship and contributions to the field.