Formalists against Imperialism: The Death of Vazir-Mukhtar and Russian Orientalism

"This richly documented foray into the Soviet anti-imperial archive probes the Formalist thinkers’ spirited wrestling with Russia’s imperial legacy. A revealing look at the ideological ferment of the 1920s, this timely study prompts a reflection on where Russia’s imperial reckoning may have led, had it been allowed to flourish."

Edyta M. Bojanowska, Professor of Slavic Languages and Literatures, Yale University, and author of A World of Empires: The Russian Voyage of the Frigate Pallada

"In this beautifully written study, which takes us in turn to the 1820s, the 1920s, and the present, Anna Aydinyan shows that Yury Tynianov's lessons have been sadly lost, not only to the Putin-era Russian state and official culture, eager as they are to reclaim past imperial glories, but also to postcolonial studies in the West, which remains unaware of its predecessors. Rich in historical context and exquisite in its close readings, Formalists against Imperialism is essential reading for a wide variety of audiences, within and without Russian literary studies."

Rossen Djagalov, Assistant Professor of Russian, New York University

"This book will ultimately change the conversation around political and cultural imperialism in the nineteenth century and will contribute important ideas and threads into discussions of literary theory and history as well. Anna Aydinyan recentres conversations around Yury Tynianov that have begun to gain ground in recent years and will also illuminate genre theory and postcolonial thinking."

Angela Brintlinger, Professor of Russian Literature, Ohio State University