The Russian Silver Age and Its Legacy
An online lecture by Dr. Galina Rylkova
Why was the Silver Age such a special time in Russian history?
In her lecture, Dr. Rylkova will describe the cultural scene in Russia prior to WWI, known as the Silver Age. What is special about it is not so much the period itself, but the ways in which it has been remembered and commemorated.
The Silver Age as a cultural concept or construct came into being in 1937, coinciding with the 20th anniversary of the Bolshevik Revolution. Dr. Rylkova will talk about its makers and undertakers. As a construct, the Silver Age was instrumental in helping Russian writers, intellectuals, and the public at large cope with the existential anxieties unleashed by the Bolshevik Revolution, Stalinist Terror, Khrushchev’s Thaw, and Gorbachev’s perestroika in 20th-century Russia.
About the Speaker
Galina Rylkova is Professor of Russian Studies at the University of Florida (Gainesville, FL). She was born in Moscow, Russia, and received her M.A. in Romance-Germanic languages and literatures from Moscow State University. She then moved to Canada where she received her Ph.D. in Slavic Languages and Literatures from the University of Toronto.
Rylkova has written more than twenty published research articles, numerous book reviews, and two books, The Archaeology of Anxiety: The Russian Silver Age and Its Legacy, published by the University of Pittsburgh Press in 2007, and Breaking Free from Death: The Art of Being a Successful Russian Writer, published by Academic Studies Press in 2020.
Rylkova’s research interests include: Psychology of Creative Personality; Narrative Medicine; Chekhov; Nabokov; Biography; and Russian Theater. She is currently working on two projects: “Chekhov as a Co-founder of Narrative Medicine,” and “Alice in Wonderland, Eugene Onegin, Ada, and Lolita as Case Studies of Vladimir Nabokov’s Transadaptations.”
Connecting with Zoom
This virtual lecture is presented live via Zoom. Registered users will be emailed a link to join this Zoom program. To get started, please download Zoom on your chosen device and explore the Frequently Asked Questions.
This program will be recorded and posted to the museum’s YouTube channel.