FREE VOICES IN THE USSR. Samizdat, Censorship, Tamizdat

This volume brings together a collection of leading scholars on samizdat, dissent, and censorship in the Soviet Union. It adds to research undertaken as part of the international project “Voci libere in URSS / Free Voices in the USSR”, coordinated by C. Pieralli and M. Sabbatini, and builds upon the findings presented at the conference held at the University of Pisa on 5–7 December 2023 in memory of Claudia Pieralli (1979–2023). The volume includes essays in English, Russian, and Italian, which actively engage with archival sources, maintaining a critical stance towards orthodox interpretations and paying particular attention to the reception of cultural expression from the Soviet Union in the West, especially in Italy. Against a shifting geo-cultural backdrop spanning the Soviet and post-Soviet period, the collection provides a diachronic analysis of the evolving relationship between literature and power. The artistic and political and significance of samizdat culture is explored in depth, and its ethical, anthropological dimensions are also considered. It is hoped that the volume will underscore the continuing relevance and vitality of this field of research.