This anthology illustrates the evolution of Russian women's writing over the 20th century. It wasn't until the 1900s that women authors finally made a notable breakthrough on the Russian literary scene. Despite a brilliant start further development of women's writing in Russia was crudely interrupted by Soviet censorship and only resumed after the downfall of the USSR. Whereas critics unanimously recognise the greatness of such literary stars as Anna Akhmatova and Marina Tsvetayeva, opinions differ about other writers such as Nadezhda Teffi and Lydia Ginzburg who reached wide readerships only in the 1990s, when most of the formerly banned books were published.
Mid-century, women were almost invisible in Russian literature, but world-famous authors like Ludmila Ulitskaya, Galina Scherbakova, and Svetlana Alexiyevich were still writing. Latterly women writers such as Olga Slavnikova, Irina Muravyova, and Margarita Khemlin increasingly dominated publishing programmes.
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