num_pages: 408
description: For decades Stalinist literature film and art was almost exclusively deemed political propaganda imposed from on high devoid of any aesthetic significance. In this book Evgeny Dobrenko suggests an entirely new socialism did not produce Socialist Realism to prettify reality; rather Socialist Realism itself produced socialism by elevating socialism to reality status giving it material form. Without art socialism could not have materialized. Bringing together the Soviet historical experience and Stalin-era artnovels films poems songs painting photography architecture and advertisingDobrenko examines Stalinisms representational strategies and demonstrates how real socialism was begotten of Socialist Realism. Socialist Realism he concludes was Stalinisms most effective sociopolitical institution. 
language: English
title: Political Economy of Socialist Realism
publisher: Yale University Press