The Soviet City in Literature and Culture

Throughout the 20th century, Soviet cities were epicenters of political upheavals and intense artistic experimentation. They were sites of utopian urban planning, mass industrial labor, and monumental architecture. Yet, they were also spaces where the Socialist experiment became a lived, everyday reality through communal apartments, workers clubs, and public transit. This course explores the city through the century's most innovative novels, poetry, and short fiction. From avant-garde writers to non-conformist dissidents, we will trace key aesthetic currents as we examine the relationship between physical geography and cultural imaginary.