To See Paris and Die

How and why did Western culture enter the Soviet Union, and what meanings did it accrue for Soviet translators, spectators, and readers? To See Paris and Die explores these questions in new and powerful ways. Brilliantly conceived and beautifully told, Gilburd's book will make a signal intervention into the fields of Soviet, Cold War, and translation studies.--Jochen Hellbeck, editor of Stalingrad: The City That Defeated the Third Reich In a brilliantly written and deeply researched narrative, Gilburd captures the tension between the Thaw's openness to cultural influences from the West--through art exhibitions; youth, peace, and film festivals; world literature; and increasing tourism--and the simultaneous need to 'translate' and render them Soviet.--David Shneer, author of Through Soviet Jewish Eyes: Photography, War, and the Holocaust A captivating, sensual portrait of late Soviet emotional life. Eleonory Gilburd describes how Soviets dreamed their way into another world, the magical, beautiful 'West.' Unfortunately, the real West turned out to be a bitter disappointment.--Kate Brown, author of Plutopia: Nuclear Families, Atomic Cities, and the Great Soviet and American Plutonium Disasters This highly original and readable work is sweeping in its breadth and depth. Gilburd covers a wide range of Western culture--literature, travelogues, art, film, music, theater--and chronicles Soviet reactions to it. Her treatment includes, among other things, the organization of cultural exchange, the distribution of books and films, and the role of Soviet authority figures in mediating the dissemination of Western works. To See Paris and Die will be of great interest not only to political scientists, historians, and specialists in the arts, but to general readers as well.--Katerina Clark, author of Moscow, the Fourth Rome: Stalinism, Cosmopolitanism, and the Evolution of Soviet Culture, 1931-1941 To See Paris and Die is a tour de force by a historian working at the top of her craft. By showing how Western culture was transmitted to and transformed by Soviet audiences, Gilburd has made an impressive contribution to our understanding not only of late-Soviet history but of European history broadly.--Stephen V. Bittner, author of The Many Lives of Khrushchev's Thaw: Experience and Memory in Moscow's Arbat