Literary museums: new discussions

Abstract

The author of the article reviews the proceedings of a scientific conference held in 2018 by the Association of Literary Museums at the Union of Museums of Russia (with the participation of the V. I. Dahl State Museum of History of Russian literature). The conference proceedings are considered as an important step made by Russian Literary museums toward defining the venues for their further development, as well as an attempt to coordinate intellectual contributions by the employees involved in practical museum work and museum researchers. The author stresses the unanimity of the proceeding’s contributors in their approach to the history of literary museums, to the determination of the specific features of their fund’s collections and the principles of their acquisition. Going beyond traditional museographic descriptions is analyzed in the discussion of methods and forms of a museum’s interpretation of the biography and work of the writer, presentation of the author’s texts by means of museum expositions and in museum educational programs. It is important to raise the question of the role of museums in the dynamics of the modern literary process and artistic culture. The author analyzes the concepts of literary heritage, both its material and intangible parts, which the contributors to the proceedings regard as a resource for further development and exploration of new formats for presentation and intercommunication with the museum audience. It is shown that overcoming the local institutional experience is a necessary stage in the development of literary museums. The Association of Literary museums can play a positive role in such development, in particular, by coordinating research.