Overkill

A remarkably good book... Whether speaking about lowbrow literature or better made works, Borenstein is a careful reader of popular culture as 'symptom,' as a visible manifestation of social dis-ease... This book is smart and funny ... written in exactly the right tone for its content. -Slavic and Eastern European Journal Unflinching in the face of blood, sex, and gore, Eliot Borenstein takes readers on a fascinating tour of the dark underbelly of post-Soviet pop culture. Authoritative, engaging and painstakingly researched, Overkill unearths a hidden world of deviance and desire that, in its violent intensity, rivals the most decadent productions of capitalism. -Mikita Brottman, Maryland Institute College of Art Focusing primarily on pulp fiction and visual fodder, Eliot Borenstein convincingly links the success of various genres to the mood of post-Soviet moral and social 'panic.' Borenstein's superb grasp on Russian and Soviet popular culture allows him to identify continuities amid dramatic changes. Overkill is savvy, original, and has appeal for a broad array of readers. -Helena Goscilo, University of Pittsburgh Eliot Borenstein's fascinating study of excess in a time of material and spiritual scarcity raises intriguing questions about the relationship of ideology to literary form. Writing with wit, empathy, and a great familiarity with both classical Russian literature and Western mass culture, Borenstein sketches a picture of Russian culture lashing out in reaction to a shared sense of ideological impotence and embattled masculinity. Overkill conveys a visceral understanding of the cultural conditions-aesthetic impoverishment and national frustration-that facilitated the rise of Putin. -Eric Naiman, University of California, Berkeley In the term 'overkill,' Eliot Borenstein deftly captures a concept that will unquestionably become an indispensable keyword for post-Soviet cultural analysis. -Nancy Condee, University of Pittsburgh