Jews and Ukrainians in Russia's Literary Borderlands
Eastern European literature studies have typically focused on a single language, culture, or nationality. Glaser demonstrates how writers working in Russian, Ukrainian, and Yiddish during much of the nineteenth century and the early part of the twentieth century were in constant dialogue with one another in this extremely innovative book. The marketplace served as both a physical location where members of these many societies and cultures interacted with one another and a rich topic for artistic expression. It is typical to mention Gogol's influence on Russian writing, but Glaser demonstrates that he had a significant impact on Ukrainian and Yiddish literature as well.
She also demonstrates how Gogol must be understood not only in his adoptive city of St. Petersburg, but also in his native Ukraine. The physical and cultural setting on the outskirts of the Russian Empire impacted the development of Ukrainian and Yiddish literatures during this time. As diverse as these writers appear to be, an understanding of their shared relationship with Russia illuminates them even more. Glaser's work creates a significantly more complex picture of Jewish (especially Yiddish) literature in the context of Eastern European and Russian culture than historians have previously permitted.
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