Wakamia L.R. Locating Exiled Writers in Contemporary Russian Literature: Exiles At Home

New York: Palgrave Macmillan — 2009 — 220 p. — ISBN: 0230621856, 9780230621855."Locating Exiled Writers in Contemporary Russian Literature" is a fascinating study that significantly contributes to contemporary re-examination of Russian émigré literature.Wakamiya carefully avoids hasty compartmentalization of the subjects of her research: she gives due attention to every single author. At the same time, she is able to weave a theoretical framework which unites their work by highlighting their common underlying creative processes, rather than simplifying their connection under the artificial construct of shared émigré identity. Wakamiya's book is exciting as a historical study of late Soviet and post-Soviet Russian literature and useful as a theoretical exploration of narratives of return compared to much more well-researched narratives of exile. This is a highly professional and much needed work which will find readers not only amongst professors and students of Russian literature, but will also appeal to a broader circle of literary and cultural scholars..Introduction: The Exiles Return.
Russian Cosmopolitan.
Agency Abroad and at Home.
Authenticity, Camera, Action.
The End of Exile — The End of Return?Works Cited.