July 31, 2024

A New Russian Culture?


A New Russian Culture?
Z symbol flash mob at Platinum Arena in Khabarovsk. City of Khabarovsk, Wikimedia Commons.

The Russian authorities plan to make the Russia's War on Ukraine the central theme of their cultural policy, reviving Soviet-style control over the arts. This includes strengthening creative unions, imposing ideological requirements for state-funded projects, and organizing trips to occupied Ukrainian territories.

These plans are outlined in a document developed by Sergei Novikov, head of the presidential administration's department for public projects and discovered by journalists from Dosye Tsentr (Dossier Center). Known as a "hunter of ideological enemies," Novikov compiles blacklists of artists and organizes trips to Donbas for artists seeking redemption. His main goal is to integrate Putin's war into the daily lives of Russians. Novikov describes changing Russian citizens' attitudes towards the war as an existential task.

Recent sociological research indicates a waning public interest in Russia's War on Ukraine, with films on the topic performing poorly at the box office and often replaced by fairy tales. According to Novikov's documents reviewed by the Dossier Center, the Kremlin is concerned about this trend. It plans to address this by overhauling the country's cultural management system.

Specific measures have been developed and implemented, including ideological requirements for state-funded art. By 2025, officials aim for half of the state-commissioned works to promote traditional values and support the war. The war should be a key theme and an integral part of any artistic narrative and a starting point for value-based discussions.

Officials also propose making creative unions, like the Writers' Union, central to the new cultural policy. Novikov suggests converting creative houses in Peredelkino, Abramtsevo, Repino, and Ivanovo into residences for young artists and writers who support the war. Writers are encouraged to travel to occupied Ukrainian territories to document the establishment of "peaceful life," the "liberation" of cities, and the experiences of combat units.

Novikov also feels it would be a key initiative to create a "fashionable glossy" literary magazine about the war, similar to The New Yorker. Additionally, he proposes establishing the country's main literary prize with an authoritative jury and secret voting to ensure the winner is approved by the Presidential Administration. "The task, like the Stalin Prize in its time, is to provide annual examples of the genre," Novikov writes.

You Might Also Like

Lord of War's Fandom
  • July 25, 2024

Lord of War's Fandom

Russian teenagers continue to idolize PMC Wagner’s Yevgeny Prigozhin, even after his death.
What's Your Score?
  • July 15, 2024

What's Your Score?

A Moscow university hopes to create a social score system like China's. 
Playwright and Director Sentenced
  • July 16, 2024

Playwright and Director Sentenced

The theater director and playwright have been in pre-trial detention for over a year on charges of "justifying terrorism." Now they've been sentenced.
Have Children, or Else
  • July 11, 2024

Have Children, or Else

Russian authorities are preparing bills to ban the "extremist ideology" about being child-free. 
Like this post? Get a weekly email digest + member-only deals
[INVALID]
[INVALID]

Some of our Books

Woe From Wit (bilingual)
June 20, 2017

Woe From Wit (bilingual)

One of the most famous works of Russian literature, the four-act comedy in verse Woe from Wit skewers staid, nineteenth century Russian society, and it positively teems with “winged phrases” that are essential colloquialisms for students of Russian and Russian culture.

White Magic
June 01, 2021

White Magic

The thirteen tales in this volume – all written by Russian émigrés, writers who fled their native country in the early twentieth century – contain a fair dose of magic and mysticism, of terror and the supernatural. There are Petersburg revenants, grief-stricken avengers, Lithuanian vampires, flying skeletons, murders and duels, and even a ghostly Edgar Allen Poe.

Murder and the Muse
December 12, 2016

Murder and the Muse

KGB Chief Andropov has tapped Matyushkin to solve a brazen jewel heist from Picasso’s wife at the posh Metropole Hotel. But when the case bleeds over into murder, machinations, and international intrigue, not everyone is eager to see where the clues might lead.

Life Stories
September 01, 2009

Life Stories

The Life Stories collection is a nice introduction to contemporary Russian fiction: many of the 19 authors featured here have won major Russian literary prizes and/or become bestsellers. These are life-affirming stories of love, family, hope, rebirth, mystery and imagination, masterfully translated by some of the best Russian-English translators working today. The selections reassert the power of Russian literature to affect readers of all cultures in profound and lasting ways. Best of all, 100% of the profits from the sale of this book are going to benefit Russian hospice—not-for-profit care for fellow human beings who are nearing the end of their own life stories.

The Pet Hawk of the House of Abbas
October 01, 2013

The Pet Hawk of the House of Abbas

This exciting new trilogy by a Russian author – who has been compared to Orhan Pamuk and Umberto Eco – vividly recreates a lost world, yet its passions and characters are entirely relevant to the present day. Full of mystery, memorable characters, and non-stop adventure, The Pet Hawk of the House of Abbas is a must read for lovers of historical fiction and international thrillers.

 

About Us

Russian Life is a publication of a 30-year-young, award-winning publishing house that creates a bimonthly magazine, books, maps, and other products for Russophiles the world over.

Latest Posts

Our Contacts

Russian Life
73 Main Street, Suite 402
Montpelier VT 05602

802-223-4955