The Socialist Side of World Literature

The Socialist Side of World Literature explores Socialist Realism in English-language publications since 1935. While many studies have focused mainly on the Soviet Union and Europe, often overlooking significant figures from Asia, Africa, the Caribbean, and marginalized groups in the First and Second Worlds, this book looks at the many crucial questions that have remained unanswered, including why the emergence of Socialist Realism in Eastern Europe constituted a pivotal cultural event for Russia. What are the similarities and differences in the influence of Social(ist) Realism on the Third World, as well as on (Semi) Fourth World minorities and marginal groups in the First and Second Worlds, in both the Global North and South? In the Cold War era, how did the prominence of Soviet and Socialist Bloc ideologies reshape the global literary landscape and the development of Socialist World Literature? Yanli He examines the rise of Socialism and Socialist Realism as a gesture of claiming a new cultural identity for Russia, considering their global impact during the Cold War and their effects on underdeveloped nations, minorities, and marginal groups in the context of racism and colonialism. At its core, this book offers a comprehensive analysis of the diversity of Socialist Literature worldwide through the lens of Minor and Small Literature, exploring the multifaceted dimensions and complexities of World Literature and Socialist World Literature.

Yanli He teaches at Sichuan University, is affiliated with Brandeis University, and also serves as a Non-Resident Fellow of Hutchins Center for African & African American Research at Harvard University.