Lecture ‘Culture vs. the state, the state vs. culture. A talk with Viktor Yerofeyev on today’s Russia and Russian culture’ (Gent, 13 februari)

Viktor Yerofeev
Geschatte leestijd: < 1 minuut


Since the start of the invasion of Ukraine, censorship in Russia has tightened, not only on the press, but also on culture. Artists critical of the war and the Russian state are branded ‘foreign agents’. Publishers, bookshops and libraries are considering no longer publishing, selling or lending the books of such foreign agents. Critical media and cultural channels have left the country and are increasingly hampered in their attempts to inform the homeland through popular platforms such as YouTube.

Much, but not all, of the responsibility for this development lies with the man who was unexpectedly thrust into the presidency at the end of 1999 and who has since been steadily consolidating his own power base (and that of his closest associates) and the cultural and, by extension, general lack of freedom in Russia. This man is described in the latest novel by former Soviet dissident writer Viktor Yerofeyev as ‘The Great Gopnik’.

Yerofeyev, whose novels include the infamous “Russian Beauty” (1990) and “The Good Stalin” (2004), began work on his “horror comedy” before the war, but did not publish it until October 2024.

On 13 February, the writer will be in Ghent to talk about the role of culture and literature in contemporary Russia.

Everyone is welcome, but registration is obligatory. Everyone is also invited to submit questions for the author. These questions can then be addressed during the discussion.

For more information and registration >>

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