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Slavic Languages and Literature

Librarian for Slavic Languages and Literature

Diana Greene
Librarian for Slavic Studies
New York University
Bobst Library, Lower Level 1
70 Washington Square South
New York, NY 10012
Phone: (212) 998-2504
E-mail: diana.greene@nyu.edu

NYU Links

Slavic Studies at NYU Other institutions offering study abroad programs:

Highlights of the Bobst Slavic Collection, by Format:

  • Current subscriptions to Slavic Periodicals at Bobst
  • Slavic Video and DVD Collection in the Avery Fisher Center
  • Slavic Microfilm Collection
  • Specialized Collections:
    • Russian Archive Sound Recordings
      (Avery Fisher Center, DK246.R87)
      An audio archive on Soviet history, covering events and politics from 1917 through 1991, drawn from Soviet and Russian sources, the NPR archives, archives of the BBC, and individual donors. Includes eyewitness accounts of historical events, contemporary radio reports, and speeches by important politicians, as well as commentary about them. Also includes readings by some of the most noted Russian writers and poets of the 20th century.
    • Early Russian Cinema: Films Before the Revolution
      A video anthology of silent films from Russia before the 1917 Revolution (Avery Fisher Center, VCA 2950-2959)
      1. Beginnings /Drankov (1908)
        » A fish factory in Astrakhan.
        » Princess Tarakanova.
        » Sten'ka Razin.
        » Romance with Double-Bass.
      2. Folklore and legend / (1908-1912)
        » Drama in a Gypsy camp.
        » Brigand brothers (based on Pushkin’s Brat’ia razboiniki)
        » A 16th Century Russian wedding.
        » Rusalka (based on Pushkin)
      3. Starewicz's fantasies / (1911-1915)
        » The dragonfly and the ant.
        » Christmas Eve (based on Gogol’s “Noch’ pered Rozhdestvom”)
        » The lily of Belgium.
      4. Provincial variations / (1912-13)
        » The Wedding day.
        » The Merchant Bashkirov's daughter.
      5. Chardynin's Pushkin / (1910-1913)
        » The Queen of spades = Pikovaia dama
        » The house in Kolomna = Domik v Kolomne.
      6. Class distinctions / (1912-1914)
        » Peasants' lot = Krestianshaia dolia.
        » Silent witnesses = Nemye svideteli.
      7. Evgenii Bauer / (1913-1915)
        » Child of the big city = Ditia bolshogo gorod.
        » 1002nd ruse.= Tysiacha vtoraia khitrost
        » Grezy.= Daydreams.
      8. Iakov Protazanov / (1912-1916)
        » Departure of a great old man = Ukhod velikogo startsa.
        » Queen of spades = Pikovaia dama
      9. High society / (1916-1919)
        » Antosha ruined by a corset = Antoshu korset pogubil
        » Life for a life = Zhizn’ za zhizn’.
        » Funeral of Vera Kholodnaia.
      10. The End of an era (1917)
        » Revolutionary = Revoliutsioner.
        » For luck = Za schastem/K schastiu.
        » Behind the screen = Kulisy ekrana.
    • Russian Women's Poetry of the Silver Age [PDF]
  • Collection Development Policy for Slavic Studies

Related Subject Guides

Research Assistance

Internet Links

Professional Associations

  • AAASS: American Association for the Advancement of Slavic Studies
  • AATSEEL: American Association for Teachers of Slavic and East European Languages
    Includes Slavic dissertation abstracts and dissertations in progress
  • AWSS: Association for Women in Slavic Studies
  • IREX
  • Obshezhitie: Cyrillic and Glagolitic manuscripts and early printed books
  • SEEFA: Slavic and East European Folklore Association

Slavic Reference Sites/Megasites

Libraries with Strong Slavic Collections

* requires Russian keyboard. Russian keyboards available in the General, Humanities, and Social Science reference center on the first floor of Bobst Library (Ref1).

Slavic Archives

Czech Resources

Russian Resources

Note: to read Cyrillic texts, you will need KOI8 and 1251 fonts. If these are not already installed, view complete instructions.

Slavic News Sources

Finding Books on Slavic Languages and Literature in BobCat

  • To find books in BobCat by a particular author, search Author=
    Author=Mickiewicz, Adam
  • To find books about a particular author, search Subject Heading (LCSH)=
    Subject Heading (LCSH)=Pavlova, Karolina
  • If a book-length bibliography about the author exists, it can be found most easily through a subject keyword search Subject Heading (LCSH)=author and Subject Heading (LCSH)=bibliography
    Subject Heading (LCSH)=Bulgakov and Subject Heading (LCSH)=bibliography
  • To find books on literary subjects when author and title are unknown, do a subject search in BobCat (Subject Heading (LCSH)=). To find the appropriate subject heading, consult the Library of Congress Subject Headings, a four-volume set which can be found in all three reference areas.

A subject heading consists of a main heading and one or more subheadings, often including an additional geographic or period subheading. Some examples include:

Main headings:

Czech literature, Underground literature, Russian language, Polish poetry, Authors, Russia

Subheadings:

History and criticism,Bibliography, Bio-Bibliography, Women authors

Period subheadings:

19th century, 18th century, to 1700

Geographic subheadings:

Russia, Soviet Union,Russia (Federation), Czechoslovak Republic, Czechoslovakia, Czech Republic

Examples:

Subject Heading (LCSH)= Czech fiction--20th century--History and criticism
Subject Heading (LCSH)=Russian language--Dialects--Syntax
Subject Heading (LCSH)=Underground literature--Soviet Union

Bear in mind that many Slavic place names have changed during this century and it is worth checking all forms. For example:

Intellectual life -- Russia
Intellectual life -- Soviet Union
Intellectual life -- Russia (Federation)

BobCat follows the Library of Congress system for transliterating Cyrillic alphabets into Latin letters:

http://www.indiana.edu/~libslav/slavcatman/sltrans.html

A paper copy of the Russian transliteration table is available at the reference desk on the first floor of Bobst. Personal names, however, follow widespread usage, as in Dostoyevsky (instead of Dostoevskii) and Tchaikovsky (instead of Chaikovskii).

Underground or emigre literature can be found under the following subject headings:

Subject Heading (LCSH)=Underground literature (Country)
Subject Heading (LCSH)=Czech (Polish, Russian) literature Foreign countries (or a specific country)
Subject Heading (LCSH)=Authors, Czech (Polish, Russian) Biography Exile
Subject Heading (LCSH)=Exiles' writings, Czech (Polish, Russian)

Catalogs and Research Guides

  • Introduction to Slavic Information Resources (University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign)
    http://door.library.uiuc.edu/spx/class/toc.htm
    The best online guide for doing research in Slavic studies
  • Croucher, Murlin. Slavic Studies: A Guide to Bibliographies, Encyclopedias, and Handbooks. Wilmington: Scholarly Resources, 1993.
    Bobst REF1 Z2483 .S554 1993
  • Cyrillic Union Catalog. Washington, D.C.: Library of Congress, 1963.
    Bobst Microform MP6
    Lists holdings as of 1956 for the Library of Congress and many other US libraries for Slavic books. Access by author, title, and subject. Often the only place to locate out of print Slavic books.
  • A Guide to Scholarly Resources on the Russian Empire and the Soviet Union in the New York Metropolitan Area. Armonk, N.Y.: Sharpe, 1990.
    Bobst REF1 Z2491 .G86 1990
    Many unknown or specialized New York City Slavic collections.
  • Zalewski, Wojciech. Introduction to Reference Works [computer file], 1996.
    http://www-sul.stanford.edu/depts/hasrg/slavic/3refint.html
    A very thorough guide to Slavic reference works.

Literary Encyclopedias, Handbooks and Bio-Bibliographies

East European

  • Harold Segel. The Columbia Guide to the Literatures of Eastern Europe since 1945. New York : Columbia University Press, c2003.
    Bobst REF1 Z2483 .S444 2003
  • Reader's Encyclopedia of Eastern European Literature. N.Y.: Harper Collins, 1993.
    Bobst REF1 PN849 .E9 R38

Polish

  • E.J. Czerwinski. Dictionary of Polish Literature. Westport, Conn. : Greenwood Press, 1994.
    Bobst REF1 PG7007 .D5 1994
  • Literatura polska: przewodnik encyklopedyczny. Warsaw: Panstwowe Wydawn, 1984.
    Bobst REF1 PG7007 .L5 1984

Russian

  • Dictionary of Russian Women Writers. Westport: Greenwood, 1994.
    Bobst REF1 PG2997 .D53 1994
  • Entsiklopedicheskii slovar'. St. Petersburg: Brockhaus, 1890-1907.
    Bobst AE55 .E6 1890 and Bobst REF1 AE55.E6 1990 (reprint)
    Excellent for 19th century Russian authors and subjects.
  • Handbook of Russian Literature. New Haven: Yale University Press, 1985.
    Bobst REF1 PG2940 .H29 1985
    Articles on literary genres and movements as well as on Russian writers.
  • Kratkaia literaturnaia entsiklopediia. Moscow: Sovetskaia entsiklopediia, 1962-1978. 9 v.
    Bobst REF1 PN41 .K7
    For the Soviet view on Soviet writers.
  • The Modern Encyclopedia of East Slavic, Baltic, and Eurasian Literatures. Gulf Breeze, FL: Academic International Press, 1977-89. Vols. 1-3 have title: Modern Encyclopedia of Russian and Soviet literature
    Bobst REF1 PG2940 .M63 1977
  • Russkie pisateli 1800-1917: biograficheskii slovar'. Moscow: "Sovetskaia entsiklopediia," 1989-
    Bobst REF1 PG2991.3 .R87 1989
    Includes many writers banned under the Soviet regime. Includes archival locations for writers' papers.

Russian Emigre and Dissident Literature

  • Agenosov, V. V. Literatura russkogo zarubezhia Moskva : Terra sport, 1998.
    Bobst REF1 PG3515 .A34 1998
  • Bulgakov, Valentin. Slovar' russkikh zarubezhnykh pisatelei. New York: Norman Ross, 1993.
    Bobst Offsite PG3515 .B85 1993
  • Foster, Ludmila. Bibliography of Russian emigre literature, 1918-1968. Boston: G.K. Hall, 1970. 2 v.
    Bobst REF1 Z2503 .F6
  • Literaturnaia entsiklopediia russkogo zarubezhnia, 1918-1940. Moskva: ROSSPEN, 1997-
    Bobst REF1 PG3515 .L59 1997
  • Stevanovic, Bosiljka, Wertsman, Vladimir. Free Voices in Russian Literature 1950s-1980s. New York: Russica Publishers, 1987.
    Bobst REF1 PG3094 .S73 1987
    Biobibliographic guide to dissident Russian writers published abroad.
  • Woll, Josephine. Soviet Dissident Literature: A Critical Guide. Boston: G.K. Hall, 1983.
    Bobst Z2511 .U5 W64 1983
    Selective bibliography of Soviet literary and political samizdat appearing in the West before 1982.

Literary Histories

Czech

  • Novak, Arne. Czech Literature. Ann Arbor: Michigan Slavic, 1976.
    Bobst PG5001 .N6313

Polish

  • Milosz, Czeslaw. The History of Polish Literature. New York: Macmillan, 1969.
    Bobst PG7012 .M48
    Excellent history of Polish literature up to 1965.

Russian

  • Mirsky, D.S. A History of Russian Literature. NY: Vintage, 1949.
    Bobst REF1 PG2951 .M53 1949
    The standard history of Russian literature up to Chekhov.
  • Slonin, Marc, Soviet Russian Literature: Writers and Problems 1917-1977. New York: Oxford University Press, 1964.
    Bobst PG3022 .S54
    Excellent study of Soviet literature.

Indexes to Identify Book and Journal Articles

Specialized Indexes

Russian and Soviet journal articles to mid 20th century.

  • Istoriia russkoi literatury XVIII veka: Bibliografichekii ukazatel'. Ed. P.N. Berkov. Leningrad: Akademiia nauk, 1968. To 1965
    Bobst REF1 Z2502 .S76
  • Istoriia russkoi literatury XIX veka: Bibliograficheskii ukazatel'. Ed. K.D. Muratova. Leningrad: Akademiia nauk, 1962. To 1959
    Bobst REF1 Z2503 .A49
  • Istoriia russkoi literatury kontsa XIX-nachala XX veka: Bibliograficheskii ukazatel'. Ed. K.D. Muratova. Leningrad: Akademiia nauk, 1963. To 1962
    Bobst REF1 Z2503 .A47

Translations

  • Proffer, Carl. Nineteenth-Century Russian Literature in English: A Bibliography of Criticism and Translations. Ann Arbor: Ardis, 1990.
    Bobst REF1 Z2503 .P76 1990

Slavic Linguistics

  • De Bray, R. G. A. Guide to the Slavonic Languages. London: Dent, 1951.
    Bobst REF1 PG53 .D4
    Introduction to the comparative study of Slavic languages.
  • Schenker, Alexander and E. Stankiewicz. The Slavic Literary Languages. Columbus, Ohio: Slavica, 1980.
    Bobst REF1 PG45 .S56
    Introduction to the histories of Slavic literary languages.
  • Unbegaun, Boris. A Bibliographical Guide to the Russian Language. Oxford : Clarendon Press, 1953.
    Bobst REF1 Z2505 .U5
    Selected bibliography of books and articles about the Russian language.

Dissertations

  • Dissertation Abstracts
    Electronic Access: http://library.nyu.edu/collections/databases.html
  • Dossick, Jesse. Doctoral Research on Russia and the Soviet Union. New York: NYU Press, 1960.
    Bobst Z2491 .D6
    Dissertations on Slavic topics written in the U.S., Canada, and Great Britain up to 1959.
  • Dossick, Jesse. Doctoral Research on Russia and the Soviet Union, 1960-75. New York: Garland, 1976.
    Bobst Z2491 .D62
    Continued (1977-present) with annual updates in the winter edition (no. 4) of Slavic Review. Includes dissertations on the Former Soviet Union and Eastern Europe.
  • Wielewinski, Bernard. Doctoral Dissertations and Masters Theses Regarding Polish Subjects 1900-1985: An Annotated Bibliography. Boulder: East European Monographs, 1988.
    New School Reference Z2526 .W54 1988
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