Sorokin's Cuisine - lecture by Professor Dirk Uffelman, Universitat Passau

Submitted by Susanna J Westen on
Monday, September 29, 2014 - 3:30pm
Allen Auditorium, Suzzallo Library

What can one expect from depictions of food consumption by an author notorious for violating aesthetic taboos, one widely described as a “cruel talent” and an “enfant terrible,” arguably the most prominent contemporary Russian writer, Vladimir Sorokin (b. 1955)? Cannibalism and coprophagia? Yes, sure, but not just that: disgust is only one facet in the wide spectre of functions food performs in Sorokin’s works, ranging from political allegory through ethical solidarity and intercultural stereotypes to fantastic incorporation. A common underpinning is the metadiscursive – or in this case, metaculinary – nature of Sorokin’s food fictions, a feature which connects the early Sorokin of late-Soviet Moscow Conceptualism with the allegedly post-conceptualist author of the 2000s.

Please be advised the lecture will contain language which some may find disturbing.

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