The Cultural Legacy of the Russian Revolution

Available for over a year

The Russian Revolution was a time of great artistic creativity; from the brutality of Pasternak’s Doctor Zhivago, to the horror of Solzhenitsyn’s The Gulag Archipelago. The BBC’s Alexander Kan and curator Katya Rogatchevskaia take us on a tour of the Hope, Tragedy, Myths exhibition at the British Library in London to examine its cultural legacy. In Soviet Russia writers were seen as useful tools in the propaganda machine that supported the system, however since the breakup of the Union the demands on novelists has changed. Uzbek author and poet, Hamid Ismailov, considers the role of the writer in Uzbekistan. What favourite food reminds you of home? Itab Azzam and Dina Mousawi are passionate cooks who set out to preserve Syria’s cuisine in their book ‘Syria – Recipes From Home’ and by doing so have captured the experiences of women in this conflict torn region. In his exploration of what it means to be an Icelander, the author Sjon argues that his country should acknowledge the influence of the Nazi regime in the years leading up to the Second World War. Presenter: Tina Daheley Producer: Angie Nehring Photo: Propaganda poster Credit: The British Library