In August 1836, Alexander Pushkin wrote a poem now popularly known simply as "Monument." In the decades following his death in January 1837, the poem "Monument" was transformed into a statue in central Moscow: the Pushkin Monument. At its dedication in 1880, the interaction between the verbal text and the visual monument established a creative dynamic that subsequent generations of artists and thinkers amplified through the use of allusion, simultaneously inviting their readers and spectators into a shared cultural history and enriching the meaning of their original creations.

The history of the Pushkin Monument reveals how allusive practice becomes more complex over time. As the population of literate Russians grew throughout the twentieth century, both writers and readers negotiated increasingly complex allusions not only to Pushkin's poem, but to its statuesque form in Moscow and the many performances that took place around it. Because of this, the story of Pushkin's Monument is also the story of cultural memory and the aesthetic problems that accompany a cultural history that grows ever longer as it moves into the future.

About the Author
Sidney Eric Dement is an assistant professor in the Department of German and Russian Studies at Binghamton University.

Reviews

"Pushkin's Monument and Allusion is a valuable cultural history rooted in extensive research animated by creative thinking. A boon to the specialist, it promises to benefit students, and to engage the general reader."

-- Olga Peters Hasty, Princeton University * Russian Review *

"Dement's monograph showcases a range of scholarly competencies, weaving traditional textual scholarship with approaches to theology, visual art, and urban design

-- Melvin Thomas, Princeton University * Slavic and East European Journal *

"Dement provides a fascinating guide to the history and cultural resonances of the Pushkin monument from its planning stages in the nineteenth century to the present day. It is well-worth reading."

-- Gary Rosenshield, University of Wisconsin * Slavic Review *



Book Information
ISBN 9781487505523
Author Sidney Eric Dement
Format Hardback
Page Count 280
Imprint University of Toronto Press
Publisher University of Toronto Press
Weight(grams) 560g
Dimensions(mm) 231mm * 152mm * 28mm