Fundamental work about the Soviet historical novel

Abstract. The review examines the collective work Between History and Literature: Discussions on A.N. Tolstoy’s Novel “Peter the Great” in the 1930s (Moscow: Sovpadenie, 2024. 416 p.). The publication is based on the publication of archival materials from three discussions held in the 1930s, which were attended by historians and literary scholars. During the previous decades, only specialists had access to the archival materials on the historical novel and A.N. Tolstoy’s novel Peter the Great. Thus this publication greatly facilitates the study of these valuable texts. The proceedings of the discussions are being introduced into the scholarly discourse for the first time, and they are now available not only to researchers but also to a wide range of readers, including teachers, university professors, students, and all readers interested in the historical novel genre. The transcripts of the discussions, which are quite distant from us in time, are explained in great detail in the reviewed book, including comments, articles by contemporary experts, additional articles by critics from the 1930s that were not included in the discussions, and analytical articles that explain the discussions. The book also includes a wealth of illustrative material.

Keywords: historical novel of Soviet period, discussions, literary criticism, the image of Peter the Great, A.N. Tolstoy’s Novel Peter the Great.