In October, the Slavic Department celebrated the book release Slavic Horror Across Media: Cursed Zones, edited by Professor Agnieszka Jezyk and Chapter 2: “Post-Soviet Gothic and the Eastern European Zombie” written by Professor José Alaniz.
Book Description:
“In the Western cultural production that puts individual or collective fear at its center, East/Central Europe has been portrayed as an othered space of horror - lawless, frightening zones where anything can happen. Incorporating articles on literature, film, visual arts, video games, music videos, and music festivals, Contemporary Slavic horror across media is a pioneering edited collection, devoted to Slavic horror fiction. The volume focuses on works from the mid-20th century through the present, particularly the post-Soviet period. Assessing current trends in Czech, Polish, Russian, Slovak, Ukrainian, and East/Central European horror media, the chapters look at similarities and idiosyncrasies of the genre in its Slavic variant. The book aims to tame 'the Easterner Other' and start exorcising 'monstrous' East/Central Europe” (Manchester University Press, 2025).