Richard Stites

Distinguished Professor of International Studies, School of Foreign Service, Georgetown University

Serfdom, Society, and the Arts in Imperial Russia: The Pleasure and the Power (Yale University Press, 2005)

The serf-era that began in the 1860s in Russia was a substantial turning point in their cultural history. Although the middle ages persisted well into the 19th century in Russia with the perils of serfdom, we see that there were those occasional sparks of Enlightenment. Some important cultural figures during the time, as Stites describes were composer Mikhail Glinka and his ability to raise Russian music to new levels, and pianist and composer Anton Rubinstein who struggled to found a conservatory.

Stites explores the vast panorama of Russian cultural life before the emancipation of the serfs in 1861. We find in this book a vivid collage of the life of the arts and the artists of visual and performing arts in the last decades of serfdom. This fresh account of the middle of 19th century Russia will put readers in awe with its compelling narrative, wealth of information, and remarkable insight, and will quickly establish itself as the definitive study of pre-emancipation Russian culture. Stites passion is clearly seen within the pages of this historical text, and is a recommended read for all those interested in history and the cultural arts.

Richard Stites, PhD Harvard, Professor of History, came to Georgetown University in 1977 and teaches graduate and undergraduate courses in modern Russian cultural and social history.