In the World of Pseudonyms of the Russian Abroad

Abstract

This review presents the result of an analysis of the structure and content of Pseudonyms of the Russian Abroad: Materials and Studies, published by the Novoe Literaturnoe Obozrenie publishing house. The book is an important event in Russia’s scholarly and cultural life, and can substantially enrich Russian and world literary studies that focus on the cultural heritage of Russian emigration in the 20th century. The three large sections of the book (Articles, Materials, Bibliography) demonstrate not only the syncretism and fundamental nature of the overall concept, but also various types of scholarly research, such as analysis, commentary, publishing, and bibliography. The book is of special interest to those who deal with pseudonymy issues, including pseudonyms of Russians abroad. The 19 scholarly articles of the first section uncover a number of “pseudonymous” secrets of the first two waves of Russians abroad and examine the principles of emigrant self-surrender. The second section republishes some inaccessible texts of the writers of the first wave. The third section contains three unique bibliographical archives, as well as a list of contents of four emigre journals.