Il corso fornisce un’introduzione alla letteratura russa attraverso l’analisi di un tema specifico, quello dell’esilio. Verrà esplorato il fenomeno dell’emigrazione da un punto di vista storico, e si rifletterà su concetti quali memoria, nostalgia, identità ibrida, autobiografia, viaggio, in un percorso di letture che parte dall’Ottocento per giungere al mondo contemporaneo.

The course introduces Russian Literature through the analysis of a specific theme: the exile. We will explore this theme from a historical point of view, considering concepts such as memory, nostalgia, hybrid identities, autobiography, travelogue.

Historical and Metodological Introduction: exile and self-imposed exile, the relationship between the poet and the State, waves of migration in Russian history, geographies of the Russian diaspora. Literary genres: memoir, autobiography, travelogue. 

Literature: Aleksandr Puškin, Michail Lermontov, Ivan Bunin, Vladislav Chodasevič, Viktor Šklovskij, Vladimir Nabokov, Gajto Gazdanov, Vasilij Kandinskij, Nina Berberova, Teffi, Irina Guadanini, Iosif Brodskij.

Knowledge and understanding: knowledge and ability to understand contents and problems concerning the theme of the exile within the context of Russin literature, and the more generic subject of the course, identifying key moments in the history of Russian Literature

Applying knowledge and understanding: application of knowledge to specific literary products, showing the ability to recognize the historical roots of cultural processes

Making judgements: acquisition of information in the field of Russian literature in order to reflect upon specific poems and novels; ability to formulate personal hypothesis

Communication skills: use of a clear and precise language, adopting the specific vocabulary.

Learning skills: independent studying and learning

The teaching material prepared by the lecturer in addition to recommended textbooks (such as for instance slides, lecture notes, exercises, bibliography) and communications from the lecturer specific to the course can be found inside the Moodle platform › blended.uniurb.it

Teaching

Lectures

Course books

1) Sections from Boym Svetlana, The Future of Nostalgia, Basic Books 2001; Maria Rubins, Russian Montparnasse. Transnational Writing in Interwar Paris, Palgrave 2015; Aciman, André, Letters of Transit, The New Press 2000; Boym, Svetlana, “Estrangement as a Lifestyle: Shklovsky and Brodsky”, Poetics Today vol. 17, No. 4, 1996; Bethea, David e Siggy, Frank, “Exile and Russian Literature”, in The Cambridge Companion to Twentieth-Century Russian Literature, Cambridge University Press 2011; Carpi, Guido, “La Russia fuori dalla Russia”, in Storia della letteratura russa, II, Carocci Editore 2020; Figes, Orlando, “La Russia esule”, in La danza di Nataša, Piccola Biblioteca Einaudi, 2008.

2) Berberova, Nina, Il corsivo è mio, Adelphi 1989; Chodasevic, Vladislav, Necropoli, Adelphi 1985; Nabokov, Vladimir, Parla, ricordo, Adelphi 2010; Šklovskij, Viktor, Zoo, o lettere non d’amore, Sellerio 2002; Teffi, Da Mosca al Mar Nero, Neri Pozza 2017.

3) Literary texts read in classes.

Assessment

Oral test evaluating knowledge and understanding (history of Russian literature from its origins to the Avant-garde, some authors and specific works); applied knowledge and understanding (applications to specific and complex literary cases); competences (critical and independent judgment, with reference to the discussion of the theme of exile in a European context).

Disability and Specific Learning Disorders (SLD)

Students who have registered their disability certification or SLD certification with the Inclusion and Right to Study Office can request to use conceptual maps (for keywords) during exams.

To this end, it is necessary to send the maps, two weeks before the exam date, to the course instructor, who will verify their compliance with the university guidelines and may request modifications.