Tightened censorship in Russia
Since the start of the invasion of Ukraine, censorship in Russia has tightened, not only on the press, but also on culture. Artists critical of the war and the Russian state are branded 'foreign agents'. Publishers, bookshops and libraries are considering no longer publishing, selling or lending the books of such foreign agents. Critical media and cultural channels have left the country and are increasingly hampered in their attempts to inform the homeland through popular platforms such as YouTube.
Much, but not all, of the responsibility for this development lies with the man who was unexpectedly thrust into the presidency at the end of 1999 and who has since been steadily consolidating his own power base (and that of his closest associates) and the cultural and, by extension, general lack of freedom in Russia. This man is described in the latest novel by former Soviet dissident writer Viktor Yerofeyev as 'The Great Gopnik'.
Yerofeyev, whose novels include the infamous "Russian Beauty" (1990) and "The Good Stalin" (2004), began work on his "horror comedy" before the war, but did not publish it until October 2024.
On 13 February, the writer will be in Ghent to talk about the role of culture and literature in contemporary Russia.
Everyone is welcome, but registration is obligatory. Everyone is also invited to submit questions for the author. These questions can then be addressed during the discussion.
About Viktor Yerofeev
Born in Moscow in 1947, Viktor Yerofeyev is a well-known Russian writer. He became known worldwide for his novel 'Russian Beauty', published in 1989 and translated into no less than 27 languages.
Yerofeyev studied literature and languages at Moscow State University and later on defended his PhD on Dostoyevsky and French existentialism. In 1979 he was expelled from the USSR Writers' Union for his involvement in the literary magazine 'Metropol', which published texts banned by the Soviet censors and distributed via samizdat.
Some of Yerofeyev’s later writings, particularly his novel 'Encyclopaedia of the Russian Soul' (1999), have caused controversy among Russian nationalists. Yerofeyev's contributions to literature have earned him numerous honours, including the Legion d'Honneur and the Ordre d’Art et Letters in France and the Kommandor Cross in Poland.
As well as from writing, Yerofeyev has worked as a radio and television critic and has taught and lectured around the world.
In March 2022, he left Russia and now lives in Germany. In April 2023, he published a collection of essays entitled 'Naked Russia', dedicated to Russia's ongoing invasion of Ukraine. In his most recent work, 'The Great Gopnik' (2024), he relates his biography to that of Vladimir Putin