Russophone Émigré Culture as Part of the World Intellectual Legacy

Session Submission Type: Panel

Brief Description

The aim of this panel is to explore the shared intellectual life of Russophone émigrés and their dynamic exchanges with Western intellectuals across Europe and the USA, through the lenses of intertextuality and exterritoriality. It critically engages with the concept of the “Russian Émigré Text” as an integral part of the global cultural hypertext. Using archival ego-documents, the panelists will demonstrate how the intellectual contributions of Russophone émigrés have shaped global thought, offering a comprehensive understanding of the complex interplay between exile, identity, and culture, while exploring the broader cultural landscape of the 1920s–1970s. They will highlight the connections between famous cultural émigré figures and Western intellectuals, including philosophers and writers such as S. Frank, L. Binswanger, E. Shor, R. Roessler, M. Aldanov, V. Yanovsky, and W.H. Auden. The panelists will examine the formation of émigré publishing networks in the interwar and postwar periods and provide a clear-eyed view of the quixotic efforts of intelligentsia to intellectually undermine the totalitarian Nazi regime. They also will explore interpersonal relationships and human values, focusing on themes of friendship, love, and mutual support. The panel will feature the “Speak Memory” genre, analyzing the profound and long-standing friendship between émigré writer V. Yanovsky and poet W. H. Auden, tracing their intellectual, spiritual, and personal interactions, including their connections with V. Nabokov and J. Brodsky. This panel will offer an overview of extraordinary intellectual and creative relationships that transcend borders, states, geographic boundaries, and time, forging a unique transnational cultural space that defies human stereotypes.

Sub Unit

• History: 1945-1990

Chair

• Marina Adamovitch, The New Review

Papers

• Mark Aldanov in 'New Russian Word' - Yukio Nakano, Doshisha U (Japan)

• E.D. Shor and the Vita Nova Publishing House - Michael Wachtel, Princeton U

• Speak Memory: V.S. Yanovsky's Links to Nabokov, Auden and Brodsky - Alexis Levitin, SUNY Plattsburgh

Discussant

• Helga Niemand