Soc. Realist Short Stories/Sketches in English?

[Russell Valentino]

While not sketches or short stories, a recent Archipelago release offers a 
different angle for considering Socialist Realism: A Dream in Polar Fog, by 
Yuri Rytkheu, tr. by Ilona Yazhbin, was published in 2005 as part of the 
Rainmaker Translation series of the International Institute of Modern Letters.

The original (Son v nachale tumana), published in the 1970s I think, was 
actually part one of two. In the second, the main character, a Canadian who has 
been adopted by the Chukcha (no jokes please), is selected as a delegate to the 
Supreme Soviet. But part one is an adventure/ethnographic novel with a Jack-
London feel. It has some very gripping scenes that undergraduates will probably 
find compelling. Also, using a book like this, and by a non-European Russian 
author, could nicely diversify one's materials.

While Archipelago says nothing about Socialist Realism in its marketing (which 
is significant), the type is recognizable in a variety of details, providing 
room for instructor expertise to shine.

Russell Valentino

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