Authors

Angelos Theocharis ¹ Durham University, UK

Discussion

Until recently, Russian-speaking writers visited London and other British cities regularly, invited by cultural organisations, Russian departments of universities, book fairs and bookshops. Most writers toured around the country to give lectures, participate in literary events organised by local Russophone communities and cultural organisations. Following their departure from Britain, the authors often continued their tours to other countries, which allowed them to form a first-hand experience of various diasporic communities. During my fieldwork, I was afforded the opportunity to meet and interview thirteen famous or up-and-coming Russophone authors coming to Britain to promote their work, including: Guzel Yakhina, Eugene Vodolazkin, Vera Pavlova, the late Vladimir Sharov, Shamil Idiatullin, Alexei Ivanov, Alexei Salnikov, and Galina Yuzefovich. In this paper, I will examine the writers’ accounts of meetings with the Russian-speaking diaspora and their perspective on the role of Russian literature today as creators of the literature consumed by diasporic readers. As Mikhail Durnenkov maintained, “Writers have always been more than writers, and poets have always been more than poets. They have always been teachers of life and authorities for the people”. Taking into consideration the authoritative place of writers in Russian culture, I will endeavour to shed light on the performances of literary personalities in the context of diasporic cultural life.