Writers and Artists of the Sixties: A Moment of Freedom during the Thaw

FEBRUARY 15, 2019

10am Hawaii – 12pm PST – 1pm MST – 2pm CST – 3pm EST

Duration: 15 mins

Presented by Meghan O’Keefe, University of Georgia

ABSTRACT

Widely recognized as a stand-out period in Soviet History, Khrushchev’s ‘Thaw’ (Mid 1950s – Mid 1960s) brought along many new and exciting changes in the arts for a country long-plagued by extreme censorship and persecution. The generation born between 1925-1945, known as the Shestidesyatniki, created art, wrote poetry and literature, and directed films, the likes of which had not been seen before in the USSR. In this presentation, I will reflect on how the creative works of the Shestidesyatniki and the legacy of said works impacted the Soviet Union, both during and after the Thaw.

GLOSSARY OF TERMS

Шестидесятники – Generation of Soviets born from 1925-1945, many of whom used the brief moment of freedom granted to them during the Thaw to publish and create bold, new works of art and literature.
Оттепель – the Thaw, a period from the Mid 1950s – Mid 1960s in which many of Stalin’s repressions were revoked by Khrushchev’s new government.
Поводок – Leash, referencing the ‘tight leash’ on which creatives were held.
XX съезд КПСС – Moment following Stalin’s death in which Khrushchev seized control
Развенчание культа личности Сталина – Deconstruction of the cult of personality surrounding Stalin, a revokement by Khrushchev many of the limits on personal freedoms and expression imposed under Stalin’s leadership.
Авторская песня – A song, most often sung while playing the guitar, in which the words were more important than the music.
Бард – One who sings and perhaps performs author’s songs. Widely seen as a romantic image of the Shestidesyatniki.
Самиздат – Self-publishing, a method that arose during the Thaw in order to distribute new pieces of literature without censorship.
Ходить по рукам – To pass from hand to hand
Возвращение к ленинским нормам – Return to Leninist norms
Перестройка – Period in the late 1980s of massive ideological, economic and political changes in the USSR. 

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