Russian Literature of the Soviet Period – Socio-Dynamics of the Writers' Community

Russian Literature of the Soviet Period – Socio-Dynamics of the Writers' Community


Sushchiy S.Ya.

Dr. Sci. (Philos.), Chief researcher, Federal Research Center the Southern Scientific Center, Russian Academy of Sciences, Rostov-on-Don, Russia SS7707@mail.ru

ID of the Article: 8509


The work was performed as part of the fulfillment of the State assignment of the Southern Scientific Center of the Russian Academy of Sciences, subject No. АААА-А19-119011190184-2.


For citation:

Sushchiy S.Ya. Russian Literature of the Soviet Period – Socio-Dynamics of the Writers' Community. Sotsiologicheskie issledovaniya [Sociological Studies]. 2021. No 2. P. 112-129




Abstract

The article investigates quantitative and spatial dynamics, social structure, creative specialization, national composition and gender ratio of Russian writer community of the Soviet period. The study made it possible to establish that the dynamics of the significant parameters of this creative group was determined by the constructivist activities of the Soviet government. But the development of the writing community was also influenced by the evolution of literature itself, as an element of Russian and world culture, and as a social institution associated with the systemic dynamics of twentiethcentury society. Throughout the Soviet period, the Russian writers’ community of the USSR was formed mainly by people from the intelligentsia (60–70% of debut authors in each of the decades). During the Soviet period, the writing community grew significantly and increased the number of its centers. The Russians remained its dominant national group. The second group were Jews, who accounted for 20–30% of the authors. But in the 1920–1940s writers of Jewish origin, first of all, represented Russian Soviet literature, and in the 1970–1980s. dominated the Russian literary abroad. The leading creative specializations of Russian Soviet writers were prose and poetry. The general ratio of specializations in the writing community has continuously changed over time, but the amplitude of this dynamics itself has significantly decreased in comparison with the imperial period.


Keywords
Russian literature; the Soviet period; the writing community; social dynamics; creative specializations
Content No 2, 2021