Understanding Moscow through Literature, History, and Film
The Moscow Book Festival, held on Red Square, 2021
17 May 2024
Fyodor Tyutchev once said that “Russia cannot be known by the mind” – but perhaps Moscow can be known through literature and historical surveys? A conversation on the popular listserve SEELANGS led to many experts volunteering some of their favorite works about the city of Moscow. This curated selection encompasses a vast array of resources, including novels, poems, historical studies, and films, offering a multifaceted exploration of the city across time.
Maria Cristina Galmarini-Kabala. The Right to be Helped: Deviance, Entitlement, and the Soviet Moral Order. DeKalb, IL: Northern Illinois University Press, 2016. 316 pp., $25.99…
Loader, Michael, Hearne, Siobhán, and Matthew Kott. Defining Latvia: Recent Explorations in History, Culture, & Politics. Central European University Press, Budapest, 2022. 364 pp., $9.99…
Gerson S Sher, From Pugwash to Putin: A Critical History of US–Soviet Scientific Cooperation. Indiana University Press, Bloomington, IN, 2019. 318 pp., $80.84 hb. ISBN-13 978-0253042613 …
Josh has been with SRAS since 2003. He holds an M.A. in Theatre and a B.A. in History from Idaho State University, where his masters thesis was written on the political economy of Soviet-era censorship organs affecting the stage. He lived in Moscow from 2003-2022, where he ran Moscow operations for SRAS. At SRAS, Josh still assists in program development and leads our internship programs. He is also the editor-in-chief for the SRAS newsletter, the SRAS Family of Sites, and Vestnik. He has previously served as Communications Director to Bellerage Alinga and has served as a consultant or translator to several businesses and organizations with interests in Russia.