Instead of revising the imperial literature of previous centuries, Russia still uses the xenophobic narratives embedded there as inspiration for its wars of aggression. This is discussed in the episode "Literature" from the cycle "The Big Russian Lies". Literature was never out of politics either in the Russian Empire or in the Soviet Union. Due to political decisions, desirable authors were published and translated, undesirable ones were repressed and destroyed. Through propaganda literature, Russia discredited the Ukrainian national liberation movement to the whole world. Why is Pushkin not out of politics? Which "good" Russian writers were struggling on the Ukrainian issue, why is Russian literature not as old and not as great as they are trying to convince everyone? Why Russian literature is not great, as they are still trying to "sell" to the world, they say:
- writer Serhii Zhadan;
- literary critic Eva Thompson;
- professor of Ukrainian Studies at University College London William Blacker;
- philosopher Vakhtang Kebuladze;
- writer Andriy Kokotyukha;
- literary critic Rostyslav Semkiv;
- Nataliya Kruchuk, research associate of the Museum of Propaganda;
- Yulia Lipske, deputy director of the Museum of Propaganda.
Watch other episodes of the Big Russian Lies series:
How Russia REWRITES history in its favor | BIG RUSSIAN LIES #1
How does the Kremlin LIMITS the media? | BIG RUSSIAN LIES #5
