Avant-Garde Post–: Radical Poetics after the Soviet Union

Avant-Garde Post-Soviet Russian-language poets are at the forefront of a dissident artistic movement that opposes both Putin's regime and Western liberalism. Their experimental work anchors a thriving new-left network that rejects Soviet nostalgia and Western discourse about leftist utopianism. They draw on the legacies of historical Russian and Soviet avant-gardes, Marxist art and theory, and are connected with other artists, intellectuals, and activists around the world to restore leftist political poetry to global prominence. The avant-garde is not a relic of the Soviet past, but a recurring pulse in Russophone and global literature and art.

Format: Hardback
Length: 320 pages
Publication date: 05 December 2023
Publisher: Harvard University Press

The remarkable story of seven contemporary Russian-language poets whose experimental work anchors a thriving dissident artistic movement opposed to both Putins regime and Western liberalism.

What does leftist art look like in the wake of state socialism? In recent years,Russian-language avant-garde poetry has been seeking the answers to this question. Marijeta Bozovic follows a constellation of poets at the center of a contemporary literary movement that is bringing radical art out of the Soviet shadow: Kirill Medvedev,Pavel Arseniev,Aleksandr Skidan,Dmitry Golynko,Roman Osminkin,Keti Chukhrov,and Galina Rymbu. While their formal experiments range widely,all share a commitment to explicitly political poetry. Each one,in turn,has become a hub in a growing new-left network across the former Second World.

Joined together by their work with the Saint Petersburg–based journal [Translit],this circle has staunchly resisted the Putin regime and its mobilization of Soviet nostalgia. At the same time,the poets of Avant-Garde Post– reject Western discourse about the false promises of leftist utopianism and the superiority of the liberal world. In opposing both narratives,they draw on the legacies of historical Russian and Soviet avant-gardes as well as on an international canon of Marxist art and theory. They are also intimately connected with other artists,intellectuals,and activists around the world,collectively restoring leftist political poetry to global prominence.

The avant-garde,Bozovic shows,is not a relic of the Soviet past. It is a recurrent pulse in Russophone—as well as global—literature and art. Charged by that pulse,todays new left is reimagining class-based critique. Theirs is an ongoing,defiant effort to imagine a socialist future that is at once radical and humane.

In the pages of Avant-Garde Post–,Bozovic offers a compelling portrait of these poets and their work. She traces the roots of their political engagement to the collapse of the Soviet Union,when many of them were young artists and activists. As the political landscape shifted,they began to question the dominant narratives of the post-Soviet era. They sought to reclaim the radical traditions of the past while also adapting them to the challenges of the present.

The poets of Avant-Garde Post– are not afraid to take risks. They push the boundaries of language and form,experimenting with new syntax and imagery to express their political ideas. Their work is often confrontational,challenging the status quo
quo and challenging the reader to think critically about the world around them.

Despite the challenges they face,the poets of Avant-Garde Post– are committed to their vision of a socialist future. They believe that art has the power to inspire and transform,and they use their work to challenge the dominant narratives of the present. They are part of a growing movement of artists and activists who are working to create a world that is more just and equitable.

In conclusion,Avant-Garde Post– is a powerful and important book that offers a glimpse into the world of contemporary Russian-language avant-garde poetry. Through the stories of these seven poets,Bozovic shows how art can be a tool for political resistance and social change. She offers a compelling portrait of these artists and their work,and she provides a valuable contribution to the ongoing debate about the role of art in the struggle for a socialist future.

Dimension: 235 x 156 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9780674290624