Marja Sorvari appointed as Professor of Russian Literature and Culture

The war has changed the direction of research

“We are witnessing a watershed moment. It affects, and will continue to affect, everything that is happening in my field. A change of perspective is inevitable,” says Marja Sorvari, the University of Eastern Finland’s newly appointed Professor of Russian Literature and Culture.

The timing of her professorship couldn’t be more relevant. Already now, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine is reflected in what will be studied and focused on in Sorvari’s field in the future, and what the general stance towards Russian culture and literature will be like. 

“Although my own research doesn’t focus on this change, it will have an impact on the development and direction of the entire field, i.e., how Russian literature will be studied from now on.” 

With Finland closing its eastern border and the Iron Curtain descending between Russia and the West once more, the terminology used from now on must also be reconsidered.

“Among other things, we need to think about whether we’re talking about Russian literature or about Russian-language literature. With everything around us changing so fast, it’s hard to put things into words, especially when words seldom are unambiguous.” 

Conflicting emotions

In Finland, people’s attitudes towards Russian-speaking culture have always, and especially lately, been more or less conflicting. 

“And this year has sharpened attitudes even more. It’s also visible in academia. Researchers are working hard to figure out how to conduct research pertaining to Russia, when all official collaboration is completely cut off.”

Education, too, is faced with new. According to Sorvari, students currently studying Russian are surprisingly calm about the situation, and there’s been no drama in the classroom. 

“We are also waiting to see how the situation might be reflected in the next joint application round. On one hand, society is clearly aware of the value of expertise related to Russia and the Russian language, but on the other hand, Russia’s brutal image currently also has an impact on people’s enthusiasm to study the affairs of that country. We Finns are also burdened by our recent history with Russia, and this will affect future generations, too.” 

However, the university is confident that there will always be those interested in learning about the culture and language of the neighbouring country, and in becoming an expert on them.

Literature is at a turning point, too

Sorvari’s recent research has dealt with Russian-language literature by female authors, as well as with multilingual and multicultural Russian literature, and the translation and reception of Russian-language literature in Finland. 

“My research on multilingual literature focuses especially on works by authors who’ve emigrated to Finland from Russia or the former Soviet Union, and their descriptions of mobility and cultural encounters.”

With regard to translated literature, Sorvari is particularly interested in the political, cultural and ideological aspects of translation that shape translated literature and the image it conveys of the source culture.

“It will be interesting to see what kind of literature gets translated in the near future, and what kind of topics it deals with. This moment in time will certainly be a watershed in literature, too. Translated literature has been affected by geopolitics also before.” 

For example, Russian literature was translated into Finnish in exceptionally high quantities right after 1944. There wasn’t much demand for Russian-language literature after the wars, but diplomatic relations had an impact on the matter.

“The Soviet Union still influenced us, and plenty of literature was translated into Finnish in order to foster cultural relations.” 

Literature reflects societal phenomena

Although the market for contemporary Russian literature in Finland is relatively small, Russian classics continue to be translated into Finnish steadily despite changes in politics. New translations come out, as do new editions.

“And yes, we seem to have a need to understand our neighbours also through literature. Like in Finnish literature, a recent trend in Russian literature, too, has been to address history through personal accounts. Now, narratives of war also give voice to women and children.” 

A good example of this is the Nobel Laureate Svetlana Alexievich’s The Unwomanly Face of War, which deals with the fates of women and girls who took part in World War II.

“Now, there’s a whole new interest in the book, as it brings out the voices of individuals from amidst the war.” 

A couple a weeks ago, the University of Eastern Finland and the Finland-Russia Society organised a joint literature and language seminar, which brought together people interested in the Russian language, literature and the current situation. According to Sorvari, the message of the seminar was loud and clear:

“Russia and its language do not belong to Putin alone.”

MARJA SORVARI

• Professor of Russian Literature and Culture, University of Eastern Finland, 1 November 2022–
• Title of Docent in Russian Literature and Culture, University of Tampere, 2010
• Doctor of Philosophy, University of Tampere, 2004
• Licentiate of Philosophy, University of Tampere, 2000
• Master of Arts, University of Tampere 1997

KEY ROLES

• Associate Professor of Russian Language and Culture, University of Eastern Finland, 2018–2022
• University Lecturer in Russian, University of Eastern Finland, 2010–2018.
• Professor of Russian Language and Culture (fixed term), University of Tampere, 2012–2013.
• Postdoctoral Researcher, University of Tampere, 2005–2013

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