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Literary Criticism Russian & Former Soviet Union

The Akunin Project

The Mysteries and Histories of Russia's Bestselling Author

edited by Elena V. Baraban & Stephen M. Norris

Publisher
University of Toronto Press
Initial publish date
Feb 2021
Category
Russian & Former Soviet Union, Russia & the Former Soviet Union, 21st Century
  • eBook

    ISBN
    9781487537890
    Publish Date
    Feb 2021
    List Price
    $49.95
  • Hardback

    ISBN
    9781487508265
    Publish Date
    Feb 2021
    List Price
    $100.00
  • Paperback / softback

    ISBN
    9781487525767
    Publish Date
    Feb 2021
    List Price
    $49.95

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Description

The Akunin Project is the first book to study the fiction and popular history of Grigorii Chkhartishvili, one of the most successful writers in post-Soviet Russia. In the first two decades of the twenty-first century, Chkhartishvili published over sixty books under the pen names Anatolii Brusnikin, Anna Borisova, Akunin-Chkhartishvili, and, most commonly, Boris Akunin. His series featuring the tsarist secret policeman Erast Fandorin has sold over 15 million books in Russia alone, making Akunin one of the bestselling authors of the post-Soviet era. Combining intertextuality, allusions, pastiche, and other markers of postmodern playfulness, many of Akunin’s works have been translated into English and have also been adapted for film and television. Akunin’s public profile has been further enhanced by his active involvement in mass political protests against Vladimir Putin.

 

Despite Akunin’s international reputation as a celebrated writer, there is very little critical work on his literary output and his mysterious persona. Bringing together scholars of literature, history, and culture, The Akunin Project fills this gap by exploring the author’s bestselling adventure novels and recent histories of the Russian state. The book includes translations of five short works previously unavailable in English as well as an interview with the author.

About the authors

Elena V. Baraban is an assistant professor in the Department of German and Slavic Studies at the University of Manitoba.

Elena V. Baraban's profile page

Stephen M. Norris is the Walter E. Havighurst professor of Russian History and the Director of the Havighurst Center for Russian and Post-Soviet Studies at Miami University in Ohio.

Stephen M. Norris' profile page

Editorial Reviews

"One fascinating feature of The Akunin Project is its intention to experiment with the traditional form of an academic collected volume as well as epitomize postmodernist aesthetics both thematically and stylistically in this project."

<em>The Soviet and Post-Soviet Review</em>