Description
After the First Congress of Soviet Writers in 1934, folklore, like literature, became an instrument of the political propagandist. Folklorists devoted considerable efforts to attending to what purported to be a rebirth of the Russian epic tradition, producing works of pseudofolklore that as often as not featured Joseph Stalin in the hero's role. Miller's account of this curious episode in the history of popular culture and totalitarian politics, and his synopses and translations of "classic" examples of folklore for Stalin, seek to serve as a resource not only for the study of contemporary folklore but also for the political scientist.
Table of Contents
Foreword -- Preface -- 1 The Origins of Folklore for Stalin -- 2 The Noviny -- The Noviny of M. S. Kriukova -- The Noviny of P. I. Riabinin-Andreev -- The Noviny of N. V. Kigachev, E. S. Zhuravleva A. M. Pashkova, and M. K. Riabinin -- Other Noviny -- The Noviny of M. R. Golubkova -- Noviny Based on the Traditional Lament -- 3 Soviet Tales -- The Tales of I. F. Kovalev -- The Tales of G. I. Sorokovikov -- The Tales of Other Storytellers -- 4 The Fate of Pseudofolklore -- APPENDIX I Synopses ofNoviny -- APPENDIX II Synopses of Soviet Tales -- APPENDIX III Translations -- Notes -- Bibliography -- Index.
