Preserving history through dissident literature — Ann Komaromi explores Russia’s underground publishing network
March 9, 2023 by Sean McNeely – A&S News
While the world continues to watch the war in Ukraine and witnesses the exchange of bombs and gunfire, Ann Komaromi is involved in the exchange of underground journalism and literature.
While the world continues to watch the war in Ukraine and witnesses the exchange of bombs and gunfire, Ann Komaromi is involved in the exchange of underground journalism and literature.
Komaromi, an associate professor the Faculty of Arts & Science’s Department of Slavic Languages & Literatures and the director of the Centre for Comparative Literature, is fascinated with alternative publishing, underground networks and nonconformist literature and art in the Soviet Union.
That’s led to her being involved with the Nobel Peace Prize-winning human rights organization, Memorial, for more than 20 years.
Memorial was founded in Russia during the fall of the Soviet Union to collect facts about repressions and civil society activity under Joseph Stalin’s reign (1924-1953) and after.
It consisted of two separate entities. Memorial International’s purpose was documenting Soviet-era history, including crimes against humanity. The Memorial Human Rights Centre focused on the protection of human rights, especially in conflict zones in and around modern Russia.
“The historians at Memorial, some of whom were activists in the dissident period, were not well paid, it was not glamorous and they were not particularly rewarded within their society for what they were doing,” says Komaromi. “That’s why it’s important to support what they do and make sure it’s well known.”
Komaromi has been involved with Memorial International since the late 1990s, first becoming connected to the organization while working on her PhD dissertation when she was a graduate student at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
While the world continues to watch the war in Ukraine and witnesses the exchange of bombs and gunfire, Ann Komaromi is involved in the exchange of underground journalism and literature.
Komaromi, an associate professor the Faculty of Arts & Science’s Department of Slavic Languages & Literatures and the director of the Centre for Comparative Literature, is fascinated with alternative publishing, underground networks and nonconformist literature and art in the Soviet Union.
That’s led to her being involved with the Nobel Peace Prize-winning human rights organization, Memorial, for more than 20 years.
Memorial was founded in Russia during the fall of the Soviet Union to collect facts about repressions and civil society activity under Joseph Stalin’s reign (1924-1953) and after.
It consisted of two separate entities. Memorial International’s purpose was documenting Soviet-era history, including crimes against humanity. The Memorial Human Rights Centre focused on the protection of human rights, especially in conflict zones in and around modern Russia.
“The historians at Memorial, some of whom were activists in the dissident period, were not well paid, it was not glamorous and they were not particularly rewarded within their society for what they were doing,” says Komaromi. “That’s why it’s important to support what they do and make sure it’s well known.”
Komaromi has been involved with Memorial International since the late 1990s, first becoming connected to the organization while working on her PhD dissertation when she was a graduate student at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Read more
