Reader Reception of the Soviet Summer Camp Myth

• In Event: Teen Romance versus "Gay" Propaganda: "Summer in a Pioneer Tie"

Abstract

This paper explores readers’ and fans’ mixed responses to Sil’vanova and Malisova’s "Summer in a Pioneer Tie." The author contends that for many young readers, Sil’vanova and Malisova's novel provides a unique intersection of a queer love story with traditional Soviet imagery, allowing them to carve out a niche for themselves within the predominantly homophobic mass culture of contemporary Russia.

Author

• Sidney Primm, U of Tartu (Estonia)