This book is concerned with the literary development of the narrative category of space in Russian literature from Romanticism until Modernism. It consists of two parts. The theoretical introduction renders a survey of some major 20-th century theories on literary development in the tradition of Russian Formalism and Czech Structuralism. A critical discussion is given of the cultural and stylistic typologies of the soviet scholar D. Lichacev and the semiotician I. Smirnov. Furthermore, the ideas on literary space, as they were developed by two important representatives of the Moscow-Tartu School of Semiotics, Ju.Lotman and V.Toporov, are described together with the method of literary analysis they offer. The contents of the second part of the book are analyses of the structure of space in the following narrative works: Mcyri by M.Ju. Lermontov, Nevskij prospekt by N.V. Gogol, Oblomov by I.A. Goncarov, V tolpe by F. Sologub and Kotlovan by A. Platonov. The analyses are accompanied by an interpretation of the story based on the spatial details in the text. It appears that both continuity and change characterize the development of literary space. This two-fold nature of the evolutionary proces comes to the fore through recurrence of spatial archetypes in all the periods under discussion and through ambivalence of meaning as a result of the semiotization of literary space in each literary work.

This is a unique attempt to visualise space exploration¹s future through the eyes of Russian space engineers and to describe that nation¹s plans in space. Based on actual documents, rather than on guesswork, it is the first comprehensive illustrated book dedicated to the Russian vision for the future of manned spaceflight from the dawn of manned spaceflight until today. Lavishly illustrated with images of unparalleled artistic quality and technical accuracy, the book: puts the development of the Russian manned spacecraft into political and historical context; uniquely describes the future of space exploration through the eyes of Russian space engineers and planners; introduces hitherto unrevealed systems developed for the Russian space program; describes past events and future plans in the historical context of the fall and rise of the Russian space program.

This book is concerned with the literary development of the narrative category of space in Russian literature from Romanticism until Modernism. It consists of two parts. The theoretical introduction renders a survey of some major 20-th century theories on literary development in the tradition of Russian Formalism and Czech Structuralism. A critical discussion is given of the cultural and stylistic typologies of the soviet scholar D. Lichacev and the semiotician I. Smirnov. Furthermore, the ideas on literary space, as they were developed by two important representatives of the Moscow-Tartu School of Semiotics, Ju.Lotman and V.Toporov, are described together with the method of literary analysis they offer.The contents of the second part of the book are analyses of the structure of space in the following narrative works: Mcyri by M.Ju. Lermontov, Nevskij prospekt by N.V. Gogol, Oblomovby I.A. Goncarov, V tolpe by F. Sologub and Kotlovanby A. Platonov. The analyses are accompanied by an interpretation of the story based on the spatial details in the text.It appears that both continuity and change characterize the development of literary space. This two-fold nature of the evolutionary proces comes to the fore through recurrence of spatial archetypes in all the periods under discussion and through ambivalence of meaning as a result of the semiotization of literary space in each literary work.

Russia possesses one of the richest and most admired literatures of Europe, reaching back to the eleventh century. A History of Russian Literature provides a comprehensive account of Russian writing from its earliest origins in the monastic works of Kiev up to the present day, still rife with the creative experiments of post-Soviet literary life. The volume proceeds chronologically in five parts, extending from Kievan Rus' in the 11th century to the present day. The coverage strikes a balance between extensive overview and in-depth thematic focus. Parts are organized thematically in chapters, which a number of keywords that are important literary concepts that can serve as connecting motifs and 'case studies', in-depth discussions of writers, institutions, and texts that take the reader up close and personal. Visual material also underscores the interrelation of the word and image at a number of points, particularly significant in the medieval period and twentieth century. The History addresses major continuities and discontinuities in the history of Russian literature across all periods, and in particular brings out trans-historical features that contribute to the notion of a national literature. The volume's time range has the merit of identifying from the early modern period a vital set of national stereotypes and popular folklore about boundaries, space, Holy Russia, and the charismatic king that offers culturally relevant material to later writers. This volume delivers a fresh view on a series of key questions about Russia's literary history, by providing new mappings of literary history and a narrative that pursues key concepts (rather more than individual authorial careers). This holistic narrative underscores the ways in which context and text are densely woven in Russian literature, and demonstrates that the most exciting way to understand the canon and the development of tradition is through a discussion of the interrelation of major and minor figures, historical events and literary politics, literary theory and literary innovation.

This is the very first ‘inside story’ of a key part of the Soviet manned space programme, detailing the development of Soviet/Russian spacesuits. The authors, as participants in the programme, provide details of events, previously unknown in the West, including their technical development. These space suits were an important part of the many Soviet firsts in the space race – Yuri Gagarin’s flight, Valentina Tereskova, the first woman in space, the first space walk by Alexei Leonov, and the first transfer on orbit from one spacecraft to another. All previous books on Soviet manned space flights focus on the spacecraft and cosmonaut teams. This book provides a total overview of the successful Soviet/Russian development of space suits and subsequent space walks from Vostok to MIR and ISS.

From the start, the Soviet human space program had an identity crisis. Were cosmonauts heroic pilots steering their craft through the dangers of space, or were they mere passengers riding safely aboard fully automated machines? Tensions between Soviet cosmonauts and space engineers were reflected not only in the internal development of the space program but also in Soviet propaganda that wavered between praising daring heroes and flawless technologies. Soviet Space Mythologies explores the history of the Soviet human space program within a political and cultural context, giving particular attention to the two professional groups—space engineers and cosmonauts—who secretly built and publicly represented the program. Drawing on recent scholarship on memory and identity formation, this book shows how both the myths of Soviet official history and privately circulating counter-myths have served as instruments of collective memory and professional identity. These practices shaped the evolving cultural image of the space age in popular Soviet imagination. Soviet Space Mythologies provides a valuable resource for scholars and students of space history, history of technology, and Soviet (and post-Soviet) history.

Studies of Eastern European literature have largely confined themselves to a single language, culture, or nationality. In this highly original book, Glaser shows how writers working in Russian, Ukrainian, and Yiddish during much of the nineteenth century and the early part of the twentieth century were in intense conversation with one another. The marketplace was both the literal locale at which members of these different societies and cultures interacted with one another and a rich subject for representation in their art. It is commonplace to note the influence of Gogol on Russian literature, but Glaser shows him to have been a profound influence on Ukrainian and Yiddish literature as well. And she shows how Gogol must be understood not only within the context of his adopted city of St. Petersburg but also that of his native Ukraine. As Ukrainian and Yiddish literatures developed over this period, they were shaped by their geographical and cultural position on the margins of the Russian Empire. As distinctive as these writers may seem from one another, they are further illuminated by an appreciation of their common relationship to Russia. Glaser’s book paints a far more complicated portrait than scholars have traditionally allowed of Jewish (particularly Yiddish) literature in the context of Eastern European and Russian culture.