1. art and entertainment
2. theatre

PROMOTING RUSSIAN STUDIES AT UCLAN
School of Language, Literature and International Studies
Preston
2015
Semester 2
PROGRAMME
The Programme is open to all
‘When someone told him of complex multidimensional constructions, he
usually asked: “But what does it look like in a two-dimensional case?” –
and often this shocking question would help one to understand better the
essence of the problem in hand’
(From the Preface to a mathematical textbook)
The same strategy is adopted for the current programme – delivering complex ideas in an
accessible form. The Seminars are therefore aimed not only at researchers, but also at
undergraduates and general public alike.
Please note that the seminars on 11 February, 11 March, 29 April and 13 May are part of the
general LCL (Linguistics, Cultures and Literatures) Research Seminar Series run fortnightly at
the School of Language, Literature and International Studies
11 February 2015
Rosalind Marsh
Is there a place for feminism in contemporary Russia? (a personal view)
Abstract
The talk will begin with a discussion of the enthusiasm with which I and others greeted the
second wave of feminism in the West in the 1960s and 1970s, and, especially, the pioneering
works of feminist criticism of Russian literature. It will then provide a brief overview of feminist
writing and action in Russia from 1970 until the present. The conclusion will attempt to assess
the prospects for the further development of Russian feminism in the future.
Rosalind Marsh is Professor Emeritus of Russian Studies at the University of Bath. She has published
widely on Russian historical fiction and women’s writing.
Venue: Adelphi Building, Lecture Theatre 4. Time: 17.00
26 February 2015 (UCLan Activities Week)
Julia G. Krivoruchko
Foreign Influences in the Russian Language
Abstract
Ever wondered how much Russian you know? It may appear that even without opening a book
you already know a lot. Throughout its history Russian language has absorbed many influences
from both East and West, from Tahitian and Quechua to Chinese and Japanese. Its development
reflects the rich Russian history, full of encounters with foreign cultures and their tongues. This
talk will give a historical account of the development of the Russian language from its earliest
period to the present day, illustrated by recent internet discourse, songs and poetry. Special
emphasis will be given to South- and West- Slavic and Western-European influence, including
English and French.
Dr Julia G. Krivoruchko is a Research Associate at the Taylor-Schechter Genizah Research Unit of the
University of Cambridge, and a Tutor at the Faculty of Arts & Humanities, King's College London. Her
interests include the interactions between the languages of the various ethnic groups which inhabit
South-East Europe and the Mediterranean region.
Venue: Harrington Building, Auditorium 223. Time: 14.00
27 February 2015 (UCLan Activities Week)
Performing Chekhov: Student Theatre from the Regent’s University London.
Chair: Valerie Kaneko-Lucas
This one-hour-long work demonstration will address Three Sisters in performance, presenting
short scenes from the play, performed by final-year students from the BA (Hons) Acting and
Global Theatre programme at Regent’s University London. The actors – Antony Blazey, Sidney
Chong, Laura Ion, Sophie Korner, Naomi Robson and Ruslan Tash – are an international
ensemble who have worked under the direction of Kwong Loke. The scenes will be followed by a
discussion about the joys and challenges which Chekhov poses for actors and directors. This will
be chaired by Dr. Valerie Kaneko-Lucas.
Dr. Valerie Kaneko-Lucas is a Programme Director of Theatre and Performance at Regent’s University
London. She is a theatre scholar, scenographer, director, and writer, and has directed Chekhov’s The
Bear and The Evils of Tobacco at the Etcetera Theatre and The Seagull for Regent’s University London.
She is Co-Convener of the Scenography Working Group of the International Federation for Theatre
Research and Joint Honorary Secretary of the Society for Theatre Research London.
Venue: Brooks Building, Auditorium 013. Time: 13.00
11 March 2015
Susanne Marten-Finnis
The Russian Quest for a World of Art
Abstract
Only a few years ago, the centenary of the Russian Seasons in Paris refocused public interest on
the Russians negotiating their art with a Western European public.
What happened a hundred years ago?
A small group of exceedingly clever and progressive Russians arrive in Paris to challenge
conventional art forms: Ballets Russes impresario Sergei Diaghilev whose troupe revolutionized
the nature of the ballet, scenic artist Léon Bakst whose décor changed Paris haute couture and
London savoir vivre, and the young Igor Stravinsky whose music was referred to as “the most
iconic moment of European Modernism”. No other group established the Russian presence in
Western Europe so emphatically.
What was so spectacular about their art that it simply blew away traditional standards?
The proposed paper revisits the moment of their arrival in the West. It explores the integrative
approach to art originating from the St. Petersburg World of Art group (Miriskussniki), together
with its migration to Paris, its unfolding in the new environment and the negotiation strategies
of their principal agents Diaghilev, Bakst and Stravinsky.
Susanne Marten-Finnis is a Professor of Applied Linguistics at the School of Languages and Area
Studies of the University of Portsmouth. Her areas of expertise include Russian and Jewish literary
activities in Central and Eastern Europe, Russian cultural production abroad, and the study of Russia's
position between Europe and Asia. She is an honorary research associate of the Department for
Hebrew and Jewish Studies at the University College London and a fellow of the Cluster of Excellence
‘Asia and Europe in a Global Context’ at the new Institute for Advanced Studies at Heidelberg
University (Heidelberg Centre for Transcultural Studies), Germany.
Venue: Adelphi Building, Lecture Theatre 4. Time: 17.00
22 April 2015
Robert Chandler
Translating Russian Literature: “Plain Glass or Stained - to let in the Light or to
preserve the Mystery?”
Abstract
The nature of the controversies about translation has changed little over the
centuries. Sixteenth-century debates between Protestants and Catholics about translating the
Bible differ little from more recent debates between translation theorists who advocate
"domesticating” and those who advocate “foreignizing”. Should a translator be importing a
work from an alien world - or transporting a reader into that alien world? Robert Chandler will
discuss his own translations - of Sappho and Apollinaire, of Russian poetry and of novels by
Vasily Grossman and Andrey Platonov - in the light of these arguments.
Robert Chandler has won prizes for his translations both in the UK and in the USA. He is a mentor for
the British Centre of Literary Translation and he currently runs a monthly translation group at Pushkin
House, Bloomsbury.
Venue: Adelphi Building, Lecture Theatre 4. Time: 17.00
29 April 2015
Olga Tabachnikova
On Love and Morality in Russian Culture
Abstract
Classical Russian literature, profoundly steeped in ethical problematics growing from religious
roots, stayed unwaveringly obsessed and tormented by the validity of those roots in terms of
their implications for human morality. As a consequence, in contrast to Western-European
literatures, the concept of love in Russian letters has turned into a separate moral philosophy
(and quite original at that), much more so than being just a feeling, emotion or passion per se. In
other words, in Russian cultural tradition, love is above all a cultural construct. As one of the
greatest Russian writers of the 20th century, Andrei Platonov, put it, ‘Love is a measure of how
much one is endowed with a gift of life. It is, despite conventional assumptions, least of all about
sexuality’. At the same time, the existing Anglophone scholarship of love in the case study of
Russia has predominantly considered it from the gender perspective or sexuality angle rather
than treating the concept of love as an indicator of cultural values in literary-philosophical
terms. Using varied literary-philosophical material, this paper intends to redress the balance.
Dr Olga Tabachnikova is a Lecturer in Russian Studies and the Subject Leader for Russian at the
University of Central Lancashire, and a Visiting Research Fellow at the University of Bath. She has
published extensively on Russian literary and cultural history, including Russian Irrationalism from
Pushkin to Brodsky. Seven Essays in Literature and Thought (Bloomsbury Academic, 2015).
Venue: Adelphi Building, Lecture Theatre 4. Time: 17.00
13 May 2015
Dušan Radunović
Politics, Poetics, and Beyond: The Secret History of Eisenstein’s ‘Battleship
Potemkin’
Abstract
The overwhelming majority of the reception of the major Soviet film-maker and theoretician
Sergei Eisenstein revolves around an almost self-assumed corpus of issues, most of which evolve
from his master-concepts, such as dialectics and montage. Seemingly, at least, this paper sets
itself a more modest task: to raise the question of what do we really know about the production
and official reception – national and international alike – of Eisenstein’s landmark
film Battleship Potemkin? In the light of recent archival findings, this paper traces the history of
the making of Eisenstein’s 1925 chef d’oevre as well as the history of its official reception in as
divergent social settings as the early Soviet Union, Weimar Republic, Interwar Britain, and the
post-War Soviet state. In each of these political contexts, Eisenstein’s film was met with the
paradoxical mixture of success and disapproval. While the film’s craft took peer-communities by
storm, political establishments proved less enthusiastic and demanded editorial concessions. It
is in the process of this additional, politically requested re-editing of Potemkin that the second
life of Eisenstein’s film begins. As this paper shows, Eisenstein’s accommodation of various
censorship demands entailed a number of compromises that went through the heart of his
original poetics; more interestingly perhaps, Eisenstein’s own and externally imposed re-editing
of the film tell volumes about the cultural and political history of Europe in the turbulent period
of 1925–1950.
Dr Dušan Radunović is a Lecturer in Russian and the Director of Russian World Centre at the
School of Modern Languages and Cultures of Durham University. His research focuses on Russian
theory (Bakhtin, Formalism, Shpet's Circle), Russian, Soviet and post-Soviet cinemas (Bauer,
Eisenstein, Georgian Cinema) and Nationalities studies.
Venue: Adelphi Building, Lecture Theatre 4. Time: 17.00
21 May 2015
Jeremy Howard
Primal Shifts: Russian Primitivism and the Arts c. 1910
Abstract
An exploration of artwork and ideas from late Tsarist Russia that might challenge prevailing
notions of 'primitivism'. The work will be viewed through the lens of the principal literary
protagonist of early twentieth century Russian primitivism Vladimir Markov and his milieu.
Author of Faktura, The Art of Easter Island, The Chinese Flute and Negro Art (among other
essays), Markov was a Latvian painter and photographer (real name: Voldemārs Matvejs) who
spearheaded the Union of Youth group of St Petersburg artists between 1910 and 1914. The
presentation will consider the connections between Markov's ideas and the work of artists such
as Nikolay Roerich, Kuzma Petrov-Vodkin, Pavel Kuznetsov, Martiros Saryan, Pavel Filonov, Olga
Rozanova, Mikhail Larionov and Natalia Goncharova.
Dr Jeremy Howard is a Senior Lecturer at the School of Art History of the University of St Andrews. He
specialises in central and east European art, architecture and design as well as in the relationships
between art and education. He is also known as a specialist in the regional variations of Art Nouveau,
National/Transnational Styles, and Russian art.
Venue: Adelphi Building, Lecture Theatre 4. Time: 17.00 pm
For any queries please contact Olga Tabachnikova at otabachnikova@uclan.ac.uk