(Hi-)Stories of the Gulag: Fiction and Reality

After decades of being concealed and downplayed, the Soviet Gulag system is gradually gaining attention. The opening of archives following the fall of the Soviet Union, new editions of testimonial literature, and new media representations have fostered an increased interest in research into the subject. Moreover, popular culture itself has embraced the Gulag. Thus, old and new representations in cultural media, as well as in academic research, all compete in narrating and interpreting the history of the Gulag. Which of these stories from and about the Gulag form our current understanding of the Soviet forced labor camps? And where can we situate them within the dichotomous field of facticity and fictitiousness?

By bringing together international researchers from historical sciences, literary and cultural studies, film studies, and musicology to analyze the validity and significance of existing Gulag narratives and discuss their impact on the public's perception, the volume contributes to a more thorough understanding of this complex subject.