Episode Overview

Podcast: New Books Network – Russian and Eurasian Studies
Host: Eva Glisic
Guest: Ann Komaromi
Book Discussed: Soviet Samizdat: Imagining a New Society (Cornell UP, 2022)
Date: February 7, 2026

In this episode, Eva Glisic interviews Ann Komaromi, a professor at the University of Toronto, about her book Soviet Samizdat: Imagining a New Society. The conversation explores samizdat—informal, self-published literature and documentation that circulated unofficially in the Soviet Union after Stalin—and its role in shaping alternative histories, voices, art, and communities. Komaromi unpacks the creative, social, and political significance of samizdat, showcasing its profound impact on Soviet society and its enduring legacy today.

Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. Personal and Academic Journey to Samizdat [01:49–05:55]

• Komaromi’s Academic Background:
  Ann was drawn to Soviet underground culture during her studies at UW-Madison, under mentors like Yuri Shiglov who illuminated the richness and complexity of Soviet humor, literature, and society.
• Initial Literary Focus:
  She originally studied post-Stalin novels circulated via samizdat, noting their interweaving of high/low culture and complex emotional tones—“funny, serious, sad, and angry.”
• Research Direction:
  Delving deeper, Komaromi became fascinated by the distinct nature of samizdat as a vehicle for literary and social engagement beyond official Soviet structures.
• Fieldwork:
  Her Moscow research at organizations like Memorial exposed her to vast samizdat archives and the depth of its impact on alternative knowledge production.
• Quote:

  “It just seemed like a whole world to explore. And it ultimately took me many years just to figure out and have something to say about those novels. And the fact that those novels were circulated in Samizdat was something that interested me very much…” (Ann Komaromi, 04:32)

2. Defining Samizdat and Theoretical Frameworks [05:55–09:37]

• Definition of Samizdat:
  Samizdat ("self-publishing") was a grassroots, unofficial textual culture, distinct from print publishing: “not necessarily fixed... not necessarily disseminated very widely... copies could vary among themselves...” (B, 07:18)
• Origins:
  The term was coined by Nikolai Glazkov, parodying official Soviet publishing house names.
• Theoretical Approach:
  Komaromi employs the “extra-Gutenberg” framework (after Lief Rubenstein), viewing samizdat as a part of a broader alternative media revolution akin to the advent of printing.
• Comparative Relevance:
  Although samizdat practices predated the term and transcended the Soviet Union, the post-Stalin era provides a focused context for study.

3. Samizdat's Role in Soviet History and Destalinization [09:37–13:14]

• Khrushchev’s Secret Speech:
  The 1956 speech—intended as an internal party document—spread unofficially, providing an “official prototype” of samizdat transmission.
• Samizdat as History-making:
  Samizdat enabled society to “extend the process of destalinization,” sharing, debating, and historicizing the trauma and changes of the period.
• Contradictory Signals:
  The party sought to control historical reassessment, but samizdat pushed boundaries further than the regime intended.
• Quote:

  “Sami's thought was a way of extending that process of destalinization and the thaw and making it possible to say and hear and discuss things…that fell on either side of what the party wanted to allow…” (B, 12:28)

4. Samizdat in Marginalized Communities: Crimean Tatars & Baptists [14:31–19:30]

• Crimean Tatars:
  • Deported and forbidden to return after their wartime expulsion, they used samizdat (e.g., the bulletin Information) to assert their rights, document injustice, and cultivate national consciousness.
  • Quote:

    “[Information] helped foster a national consciousness among people and it made others aware of the tremendous injustice… perpetrated under Stalin and…still ongoing.” (B, 16:37)

• Unregistered Baptists:
  • Operating outside major cities, they utilized large underground presses to produce religious texts and bulletins, supporting dispersed communities and documenting state persecution.
  • Quote:

    “...circulating these samizdat bulletins and journals, which had...sermons and messages...but also had information about persecution...showing steadfastness...and informing people about illegal and unjust actions by the state...” (B, 18:38)

5. Samizdat and the Rebirth of Russian Futurism [20:33–26:24]

• Mayakovsky and Avant-Garde Legacy
  • Mayakovsky became a “gateway drug” for discovering avant-garde traditions. The Mayakovsky Square gatherings sparked new, subversive artistic networks.
• Mayakovka Events:
  Public poetry readings fostered a community spirit; the authorities later cracked down but not before significant underground culture took root.
• Samizdat as Cultural Engine:
  Samizdat fostered diverse avant-garde revivals—from Futurism to Suprematism—and innovation in literary and visual arts across Soviet cities.
• Notable Example:
  The Transforests group’s zines (Nomer, Transponants) stand out as both visually and formally groundbreaking, demonstrating samizdat's expressive potential.

6. Preservation and Accessibility of Samizdat Artifacts [26:24–28:12]

• Archival Access:
  Key materials are preserved in archives such as Memorial (Moscow) and the Institute for the Study of Eastern Europe (Bremen, Germany). Many have been digitized in cooperation with the University of Toronto.
• Challenges:
  Limited copies and specialist knowledge required intensive research and recovery efforts.
• Quote:

  “For me...I really wanted to do something to help make materials like that accessible…. we were able to digitize those editions...and make digital copies available through University of Toronto libraries.” (B, 27:22)

7. Samizdat & Conceptual Art [29:35–35:04]

• Samizdat as Artistic Archive:
  Conceptualist and nonconformist artists used samizdat not only to circulate ideas but to document, theorize, and create communities outside official channels.
• “Moscow Archive of New Art” (MANA):
  An important samizdat series collecting art reproductions, writings, and documentation of artistic happenings.
• Book Cover Artwork:
  Natalia Abalakova’s “Black Hole” collage, integrating Malevich’s Black Square—but here, the “black form” is the actual shape of the USSR, surrounded by snippets of both official propaganda and underground art.
• Quote:

  “…the black form at the middle is not a square. It’s the shape of the USSR as a landmass…surrounded by scraps of text and image that show official Socialist Realism news…mixed with unofficial art…this complex and…chaotic mix of cultural elements…” (B, 33:40)

8. Spaces of Samizdat Solidarity: The Ukrainian Herald [36:06–40:58]

• Concept of Samizdat Solidarity:
  Drawing on Benedict Anderson’s “imagined communities,” Komaromi analyzes how samizdat forged social and national links across Soviet space.
• Ukrainian Herald Case Study:
  Founded by Vyacheslav Chornovil in 1970, it focused on state rights abuses in Ukraine, celebrating Ukrainian identity, language, and self-expression.
• Contrast with Moscow Chronicle:
  • Instead of universal coverage, the Ukrainian Herald foregrounded the uniquely Ukrainian experience, pushing back against both Soviet repression and central Moscow-centric narratives.
• Quote:

  “If the Chronicle...in Moscow aimed to be sort of universal...the Ukrainian Herald was about Ukrainians...it featured also essays on Ukrainian culture and the struggle for Ukrainian identity…” (B, 39:06)

9. Horizontal versus Vertical Resistance and the Legacy of Samizdat [40:58–44:34]

• Horizontal Resistance:
  Challenging the vertical (state vs. dissident) narrative, Komaromi shows that samizdat built horizontal, communal, and supportive networks.
• Contemporary Resonance:
  Digital platforms (e.g. Meduza, PDFs) echo samizdat’s role in spreading alternative information—albeit with new vulnerabilities to censorship and commercial interference.
• Ambivalent Legacy:
  While the internet initially seemed liberating, today both companies and states exert new forms of control.
• Quote:

  "Anyone can publish or say anything they want…horizontal connections you're talking about…we've come to see…governments and companies have much more control...not a simple kind of...thing." (B, 42:29)

10. Current & Future Research [44:55–47:20]

• Next Project:
  Komaromi is now working on dissident memoirs and archives, collaborating to catalog published and unpublished accounts—especially those amplifying women's voices and non-Moscow narratives.
• Importance:
  These efforts aim to diversify our understanding of Soviet dissident history and may yield new digital resources via the University of Toronto libraries.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Samizdat’s Allure:

  “It just seemed like a whole world to explore.” (B, 04:32)

• On Defining Samizdat:

  “Publishing in that sense probably has to kind of be in quotation marks…” (B, 07:18)

• On Crimean Tatar Samizdat:

  “[They] started putting together information in a samizdat periodical called Information…to inform members of their community and also the wider society about their history...” (B, 15:13)

• On the Mayakovka:

  “Mayakowski was kind of like a gateway drug into that liberated view of things...” (B, 21:29)

• On Conceptual Art and Samizdat:

  “Samizdat as an archive…it was a place to collect the traces of their activity, make it visible and preserve those for the longer term, because they couldn’t do that in official ways.” (B, 31:42)

• On the Ukrainian Herald:

  “If the Chronicle…in Moscow aimed to be sort of universal…the Ukrainian Herald was about Ukrainians...” (B, 39:06)

• On Enduring Legacy:

  “…the hope of sharing information about rights violations has been…counteracted by authoritarian governments...and…social media…commercial forces…distort the ability of people to express their interests and create solidarity.” (B, 43:04)

Important Timestamps for Segments

• [01:49] Komaromi’s introduction and research journey
• [05:55] Defining samizdat and extra-Gutenberg framework
• [09:37] Samizdat in context of destalinization and the secret speech
• [14:31] Crimean Tatar and Baptist samizdat case studies
• [20:33] Russian Futurism’s revitalization through samizdat
• [26:24] Accessing and digitizing rare samizdat materials
• [29:35] Intersection of samizdat and conceptual art; book cover artwork
• [36:06] “Spaces of samizdat solidarity” and the Ukrainian Herald
• [41:52] Samizdat’s modern technological echoes and ambivalent legacy
• [44:55] Komaromi’s current research on dissident memoirs and archives

Conclusion

Ann Komaromi’s conversation with Eva Glisic offers a panoramic, nuanced, and deeply human account of Soviet samizdat. Far from being a mere instrument of protest, samizdat emerges as a vibrant textual culture—fostering historical reckoning, marginalized voices, artistic innovation, and enduring solidarities, whose echoes shape how communities resist and remember, even in the digital present.