In the early 20th century, many Russians were forced to flee to the West. On their journey, they passed by several countries including Latvia, Lithuania, and Estonia. The Baltic states provided a transit space and served as the border, or a corridor, between East and West: geographically, historically, and culturally. Later, since the Baltics were occupied by the Soviet Union in 1940 and 1945, they remained a representation of the West despite the Soviet influence. In the works produced by Russian writers passing by, there is a clear divide in their attitudes towards the Baltic states, in how their experiences here shaped their future. Even if these countries were only a stop in each of these outsiders’ journeys, the Baltics have still found their way to their works and are eternally stored in memory. |
The Baltic countries — Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia — have been conceived of and presented as a boundary between East and West in the Russian imagination throughout their imperial, Soviet and contemporary — independent — political realities. The idea of the Baltics as liminal space is first and foremost a dismissive and incomplete treatment of these nations’ history and tradition. Nonetheless, this concept plays a key role in the literary works of Russian authors who wrote about their experience as visitors, residents, or when they were simply passing through. Appreciation of place within these writings is variable: some authors treat it with affection, some with disdain, while others write with awe or neutrality. However, despite evaluative differences, Russian texts about the Baltic region are united in their presentation of the Baltics as borderland, a site of introspection and passage, be it external movement across physical boundaries or internal retreat into the self. |
Our program in the Baltics is an exploration of the political and cultural landscape of Latvia, Estonia and Lithuania through the lens of Russian authors. The concepts of space and politics here come together to maintain an unfinished history of the Baltics. The question of identity, location and injustice prevailed in the Baltics throughout the twentieth century as it is seen through the eyes of outsiders, in this case - Russian authors. |
Occupation, wars and censorship have influenced the Baltic transit of Russian writers. On their journey westward, these artists reflect on their common path through the Baltic states: Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania. These countries share a special quality of being a stop on the way of Russian writers to their final destination, yet they leave a lasting impression. Works of Russian literature written here (or about these places) often exhibit unique perspectives on the destinations of their authors further west. The lens through which these travelers observe the local landscape is one that provides an admittedly incomplete but nonetheless important analysis. They are outsiders zooming in on a new but seemingly familiar society. They see these cities as visitors, yet they are capable of exploring the urban details each local city is built upon. Ideas of movement, topography and space are omnipresent. With this in mind, a simple question with a complicated answer arises: are the Baltic states a part of the west for Russian authors, or are they inextricably attached to these authors’ Russian and Soviet pasts? |
As authors of this website, we assume that you, reader, be struck by the overwhelming dominance of the Russian literary perspective on the Baltics, but do not be alarmed, for these writers were our guides... Our project explores these lands through the eyes of those who are not considered native. Nevertheless, most of them were struck by a particular local nuance or detail. As you navigate this site, we ask you to consider the experience of travel and transit, the extent and impact of imprints we leave behind, and to what extent it is that we, as explorers and flaneurs, experience that which we have read about and seen. This space now, as we confine it to three specific countries, has experienced major upheavals this past century. We offer our English translations and photographs as a sign of our ongoing journey through these cities and countries seen through the eyes of an outsider. |