Sovremennye zapiski and Its World: The Production and Reception of a Russian-language Émigré Periodical, 1920 - 1940

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This thesis will examine the operation of the émigré journal, Sovremennye zapiski (SZ), between 1920 - 1940. This thick journal is widely regarded as the most authoritative Russian-language émigré periodical published in the interwar period. SZ claims to be the representative voice for Russian culture in emigration following the October Revolution of 1917. The interpretation of SZ and the subsequent legacy of the journal has often been influenced by the narratives of exile constructed by émigrés themselves. SZ has often been examined as a mouthpiece for political and cultural groups, rather than as an entity in its own right. In analysing the published and unpublished editorial correspondence of SZ, this thesis will examine the journal's evolution from the perspective of the editorial practices and practical concerns of a commercial venture. It will examine the potential and limitations of émigré periodical publishing from the perspective of a cultural institution which interacted concretely with the formation of émigré cultural life. The editorial perspective will be contrasted with the contemporary reception of SZ to examine the extent to which the inherited understanding of SZ is embedded in a mythologization of émigré culture. It will examine the ways in which SZ functioned in émigré life, and assess the constructed legacy of the journal's development as both a model and an exception in émigré publishing.This thesis will seek to place the journal within the comparative context of other émigré periodicals of this period, using the sociology of publishing as a means of understanding cultural activity in diaspora. Through conceptualizing this wider publishing context, this thesis will examine how SZ functioned in relation to other émigré journals. This contrast will clarify the role that periodical publishing played in the structure of émigré society. SZ's place in an émigré publishing industry provides insight into the establishment of cultural institutions.