Glasnost Literature in Retrospect: Rybakov's Deti Arbata

Abstract

Written in 1966, repeatedly rejected for publication, and finally published in 1987, the novel Deti Arbata by Anatolij Rybakov (1911–1998) stands as an important representative of the glasnost period in Russian literature. While the political role of the novel, with its depiction of the Stalin era, remains undisputed, the years following its publication have seen varying degrees of interest in the novel, as well as a continuously diversified evaluation of its artistic qualities and truth value. Rather than discussing the possible justifications for the various judgments on the novel, the article traces its reception in the context of post-Soviet changes within and around Russian literature. In addition, it analyses how the gradual deactualization of the ever more distant glasnost era and even more distant Stalin times has also had an impact on the novel's status and aura. Thus, the 2004 television production of Deti Arbata not only triggered a wave of discussions about the novel's aesthetical and socio-political aspects, but also represented and resonated with several kinds of post-Soviet nostalgia.