The Bitter Air of Exile

This compelling volume explores the complex lives and creative achievements of Russian writers exiled during a turbulent half-century following the Bolshevik Revolution. From renowned figures like Ivan Bunin and Dmitry Merezhkovsky to emerging voices such as Nina Berberova and Boris Poplavsky, the book illuminates the struggles and triumphs of literary figures forced to navigate their craft far from home. Set against the backdrop of stringent Soviet censorship and Western indifference, The Bitter Air of Exile details how these authors sustained a flourishing émigré literary culture—complete with journals, publishing houses, and intellectual discourse—despite limited readership and pervasive hostility. Through anecdotes of writers like Vladimir Nabokov and their tenuous reception in Western literary circles, the work vividly portrays the isolation and resilience that defined émigré creativity. The collection further examines how émigré literature, often censored or dismissed in both Soviet and Western spheres, remains a vital but underappreciated component of 20th-century Russian literary heritage. It highlights how themes of individuality, mysticism, and surrealism found expression in exile, challenging the orthodoxies of Soviet culture. By featuring both celebrated and obscure writers, and spanning early émigré efforts through mid-century Cold War realities, the book makes a compelling case for reevaluating the global importance of Russian literature in exile. With its incisive critique of cultural prejudice and call to broaden the literary canon, The Bitter Air of Exile is an essential resource for understanding the richness and complexity of Russian literary traditions outside the U.S.S.R. This title is part of UC Press's Voices Revived program, which commemorates University of California Press’s mission to seek out and cultivate the brightest minds and give them voice, reach, and impact. Drawing on a backlist dating to 1893, Voices Revived makes high-quality, peer-reviewed scholarship accessible once again using print-on-demand technology. This title was originally published in 1977.