From the influence of Soviet literary criticism on American writers to the spy fiction of the Cold War, this conference examines how the politics and culture of Russia and the Soviet Union have been represented and imagined in American literature.

Topics will include American radical periodicals; the influence of Russian literature on American writers; Dostoevsky and American literature; representations of Russia in émigré literature; US debates around literary models and ideas such as Socialist Realism; and the intellectual influence of Soviet literature on the American left.

Download the full programme here.

Registration is from 08.45. Lunch and a wine reception at 17.00 are included.

Sponsored by Eccles Centre for American Studies at the British Library

The conference is followed by an evening event Hope, Tragedy or Myth? A separate ticket is required.