Russian Book in Denmark,1918–1991

Abstract

The book publishing of the Russian emigration, especially in “the provinces” of the Russian diaspora, has not been fully explored. Unlike “the capitals” Berlin, Paris and New York, they are not characterized by a noticeable number of Russian emigrants and cultural influence. However, the “provinces”, being part of the Russian diaspora, have left their small but important trace in its history in the form of books and periodicals. It is possible to get a comprehensive picture of the local Russian emigration: its image, culture, and the nature of its interaction with the “outside world”. The purpose of the article is to comprehensively reconstruct the publishing business of the Russian emigration in Denmark during the first three “waves” from 1918 to 1991. Several conclusions can be drawn from its results. Despite the modest number of publications, they showed that the “first” Russian emigration in Denmark was not fully formed. While before World War II there were mainly Russian emigrant publications, after the Second World War translated Russian-language publications prevailed. The publishing “image” of the Russian emigration in Denmark can be called official (in terms of purpose) and medical (in terms of content). The concentration of the publishing business in the capital city, characteristic of “provinces”, is confirmed. Danish Soviet scientific cooperation in the field of medical research is revealed, as well as a small surge of Danish interest in Russian culture, which is confirmed by the publication of several Russian-language art and linguistic publications. The results of the study can be used in related studies and for more comprehensive research of “provincial” publishing of the Russian emigration.