Kurt Vonnegut in the USSR

In this well-researched and entertaining book, Sarah D. Phillips shows how Kurt Vonnegut’s profound whimsy and playful postmodernism resonated with Soviet readers. Slavists will get new insights into the late Soviet reading public, and Vonnegut fans will finally learn why the author was such a fan of Rita Rait. * Eliot Borenstein, Professor of Russian and Slavic Studies, New York University, USA * Phillips’s meticulously researched, absorbing, and, frankly, luminous book tells a fascinating and timely story of Cold War cultural diplomacy that was carried out not by official government actors, but by a writer, his translator, a community of readers, editors, and a small circle of cultural figures. Now more than ever, it is important to recognize a historical precedent in which literary connections and collaborations among like-minded individuals can foster community of shared values and good will amidst a hostile and divided world. * Julia Vaingurt, Professor of Russian Literature, University of Illinois Chicago, USA * Kurt Vonnegut in the USSR deftly reframes Cold War literary diplomacy by exploring the experiences of translators, readers, and cultural intermediaries. Sarah D. Phillips combines anthropological and literary analysis in a compelling and broadly appealing study that challenges our prevailing understanding of how translated texts can reshape a nation’s cultural identity. * Frederick H. White, Professor of Russian and Integrated Studies, Utah Valley University, USA *