Contributors with a wide range of interests assess Mikhail Bakhtin's contribution to issues of colonialism, feminism, reception theory and theories of the body. This second edition takes advatage of new material on Bakhtin available after perestroika.

This book is a collection of essays on the most important figures associated with the Bakhtin Circle. It offers new biographical material, valuable translations of important Russian texts, a timeline and extensive bibliographical references.

A study of metafiction - fiction in which an important theme is its own fictional status - in Soviet literature. It questions previous treatments of metafiction and suggests a framework for new approaches to Soviet literary history.

The book offers a pioneering account of a wide range of cultural forms in Soviet and post-Soviet Russia. It also offers a distinctive emphasis on the complex processes underlying the reception of culture. A vital resource for university courses on Russian culture, it will be essential reading for all with an interest in the subject.