Russia abroad

[Wim Coudenys]

Dear Seelangers,
I would like to reply to the very positive announcement of John Glad's
'Russia Abroad'. I won't discuss the obvious merits of this book, for I am
sure it's the first overview of 'Russia abroad' in all its aspects.
Nevertheless, I had some serious doubts when I read the chapter on Belgium
(or Brussels - I don't have the book at hand). As I have been publishing on
Russians in Belgium, I was struck by the fact that Glad's small Belgian
chapter consisted almost completely of a weak and hasty summary of what my
colleague Vladimir Ronin (in 'Strana sinej pticy') and myself ('Ivan
Nazhivin v Bel'gii', - Kul'turnoe nasledie rossijskoj emigracii, 1994) have
written on the theme. Some of the things Glad writes are definitely
incorrect, and there's no reference as to his sources. I know this fact
isn't enough to put the whole book aside, but I was wondering whether Glad
had used this same approach to other chapters. I hope not, for I like the
very idea of a 'definite' history of the Russian emigration.
Sincerely,
Wim Coudenys
Dr. Wim Coudenys
Katholieke Universiteit Leuven
Dept. Oosterse en Slavische Studies
Blijde Inkomststraat 21
B-3000 Leuven
Belgium
http://onyx.arts.kuleuven.ac.be/slavic/coudenys/coudenys.htm
e-mail: wim.coudenys at arts.kuleuven.ac.be

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