The History of Russian Literature on Film - (History of World Literatures on Film) by Marina Korneeva & David Gillespie (Paperback)

About the Book

The first comprehensive history of Russian literature on film, analyzing the changing cinematic art and politics of adaptation between 1895 and the present.

Book Synopsis

Unlike most previous studies of literature and film, which tend to privilege particular authors, texts, or literary periods, David Gillespie and Marina Korneeva consider the multiple functions of filmed Russian literature as a cinematic subject in its own right-one reflecting the specific political and aesthetic priorities of different national and historical cinemas. In this first and only comprehensive study of cinema's various engagements of Russian literature focusing on the large period 1895-2015, The History of Russian Literature on Film highlights the ways these adaptations emerged from and continue to shape the social, artistic, and commercial aspects of film history.

Review Quotes

The History of Russian Literature on Film provides a highly readable and fully comprehensive overview of film adaptations of Russian literature from over a century of cinema, to the present day, in Russia, the former Soviet Union and beyond. It is the most in-depth and extensive account of its kind.
Jeremy Hicks, Professor of Russian Culture and Film, Queen Mary University of London, UK

"The sheer number of films referenced in The History of Russian Literature on Film provides evidence both of the central role such adaptations have played in the history of Russian and Soviet cinema and of the volume's ambition. This book follows the evolution of cinematic readings of the nineteenth-century classics, from Pushkin to Chekhov, and a large number of Soviet writers, providing a useful source of information for further research." --Julian Graffy, Professor Emeritus of Russian Literature and Film, University College London, UK

"This book is the first comprehensive exploration of the adaptation of Russian literature into film, offering a detailed survey of Russian films from 1908 to 2020, as well as a brief consideration of select foreign films. The History of Russian Literature on Film will be the point of departure for untold journeys that explore the transfer of the Russian written word to the visual vocabulary of film." --Frederick H. White, Professor of Russian and Integrated Studies, Utah Valley University, USA

"The History of Russian Literature on Film provides a highly readable and fully comprehensive overview of film adaptations of Russian literature from over a century of cinema, to the present day, in Russia, the former Soviet Union and beyond. It is the most in-depth and extensive account of its kind." --Jeremy Hicks, Professor of Russian Culture and Film, Queen Mary University of London, UK

"The book is, above all, an invaluable source of information for anyone studying Russian cinema." --Slavonic & East European Review

The sheer number of films referenced in The History of Russian Literature on Film provides evidence both of the central role such adaptations have played in the history of Russian and Soviet cinema and of the volume's ambition. This book follows the evolution of cinematic readings of the nineteenth-century classics, from Pushkin to Chekhov, and a large number of Soviet writers, providing a useful source of information for further research.
Julian Graffy, Professor Emeritus of Russian Literature and Film, University College London, UK

This book is the first comprehensive exploration of the adaptation of Russian literature into film, offering a detailed survey of Russian films from 1908 to 2020, as well as a brief consideration of select foreign films. The History of Russian Literature on Filmwill be the point of departure for untold journeys that explore the transfer of the Russian written word to the visual vocabulary of film.
Frederick H. White, Professor of Russian and Integrated Studies, Utah Valley University, USA

About the Author

David Gillespie is Professor of Russian at the University of Bath, UK, where he has taught since 1985.

Marina Korneeva is Associate Professor at Moscow City Pedagogical University, Russia.