Soviet Hieroglyphics

Soviet Hieroglyphics is a multi-author collection that examines Russian visual culture as the Soviet Union gave way to economic and social breakdown. Its contributors, both Russian and American, cover a wide range of material, from film and advertising hoardings to banknotes, and bring a deep familiarity with their subjects.

The essays focus on a pull that runs through post-Soviet Russia: some people want to erase the old Soviet imagery and symbols, while others keep returning to those same charged images and write them into new works. Readers interested in how a culture handles its discarded icons will find the volume useful across several fields.