Parthé, Givens to edit Russian journal

Parthé

T wo College faculty members from the Department of Modern Languages and Cultures have been named editors of Russian Studies in Literature, a journal of literary criticism selected and translated from Russian periodicals.

Kathleen Parthé, Mercer Brugler Distinguished Teaching Professor and director of the Russian Studies Program, and Associate Professor John Givens will choose articles that reflect the most interesting trends in current Russian literary scholarship. They also will write introductions for each issue.

Russian Studies in Literature is published quarterly and draws on Russian periodicals like Literaturnaia Gazeta (Literary Gazette), Izvestiia (News), Literaturnoe Obozrenie (Literary Review), Novyi Mir (New World), Russkaia Literatura (Russian Literature), and many others.

Givens

"This is a unique journal that takes advantage of the high quality of cultural analysis in Russia," said Parthé. "Russians have a tradition of writing in a way that appeals to a broad audience, and Russian Studies in Literature makes accessible to a greater number of people the most interesting writing appearing in Russia. It is a good way to get to know the new Russia better."

Parthé has recently completed work on a study of Russian national identity in the post-Soviet era at the invitation of James Billington, Librarian of Congress. After two conferences in Washington, Parthé made two trips with Billington to Moscow and Siberia last year to help conduct in-depth discussions with Russian leaders.

Givens has published articles in English and Russian on the works of contemporary writers Vasilii Shukshin, Valentine Rasputin, Joseph Brodsky, and Tatyana Tolstaya. His book-length study of Shukshin's fiction and cinema will be published next spring. In addition, Givens and his wife, Laura, have published their translations of Shukshin's stories. Laura Givens also is the translator for Russian Studies in Literature and is an instructor in Russian in the College's Department of Modern Languages and Cultures.