Review of Mikhail Berg's 'Literaturocracy' Examines Power Dynamics in Russian Literature

In his 2000 publication, 'Literaturokratiia: Problema prisvoeniia i pereraspredeleniia vlasti v literature,' Mikhail Berg examines the contest for power within Russian literature through economic metaphors. Released by NLO in Moscow, this 352-page book explores the symbolic significance of the Russian Word (Slovo) during the early revolutionary era, its appropriation by Socialist Realism, and its manipulation by samizdat and tamizdat writers during the Khrushchev thaw. A review by Irina Sandomirskaja, dated January 30, 2002, critiques Berg's comparative methods and his dependence on postmodern theory. She links the fate of Slovo to wider European crises and draws connections to works by Vladimir Sorokin and Viktor Pelevin, ultimately asserting that Berg's analysis is valuable for understanding Russian literary power dynamics.