Authorial Voice on the Short Waves: Vladimir Voinovich’s Radio Performance of Moscow 2042

• In Event: A Farewell to Communism: Audio and Visual Culture of Perestroika

Abstract

A prominent dissident writer of the 1980s, Vladimir Voinovich was forced to leave Soviet Union after multiple interrogations and attempted poisoning by KGB in 1980. In his exile he wrote a dystopian satirical novel Moscow 2042 (1986), which contains autobiographical details in the character of Kartsev, who some critics see as a surrogate for Voinovich himself. Written at the dawn of perestroika, the readings of Moscow 2042 were broadcast by Radio Liberty on short waves in 1989 at the height of reformations, recited by the author himself. The jamming of Radio Liberty was just lifted, and the Soviet listeners were given green light to openly enjoy European and American media. In this atmosphere of freedom of information, the intriguing intertwining of Voinovich’s narrating voice with the voice of his main character, Kartsev creates an audial double entendre: the distinction between the two becomes indistinguishable, through this material orality listeners are authoritatively put in the position of mere receivers and not co-creators of meaning. However, it also opens interpretation to new levels of meaning, slipping through the vocal cords of the narrator. This paper claims that the study of the narrative voice is inseparable from the study of the physical voice of the writer and allows a better understanding of the listening culture of the period that contributed to further decomposition of Soviet ideological system.

Author

• Anna Sbitneva, U of Southern California