Creative Union

"Tomoff deftly challenges the mythology of the martyred Soviet artist. His thoroughly researched study explores not only the institutional structures and bureaucratic processes of the Composers' Union but also the personal and professional networks within it that protected members and preserved artistic values. Tomoff ably balances high politics and personal relationships to show how Soviet composers successfully negotiated shifting ideological terrain... This study provides a much-needed corrective to the traditional interpretation of Stalinist musical life and makes an important contribution to Russian cultural and political history. It will fascinate all those interested in the complex relationship between music, society, and the wielders of political power."-Lynn M. Sargeant, Russian Review, April 2007 "Based on exhaustive archival research, Creative Union shows how Soviet musicians consolidated, exercised, and defended professional authority in the perilous, ideologically charged atmosphere of Stalin's Russia. Kiril Tomoff's impressive, highly original work provides a compelling corrective to widely held assumptions about the status of creative intellectuals in authoritarian regimes. A valuable contribution to the field of Russian-Soviet history generally, this book has particular resonance for those interested in the nature of the Stalinist system, the formation and perpetuation of the Stalinist cultural elite, the impact of World War II on Soviet cultural life, the nexus between political power and cultural authority, and the effect of officially sanctioned anti-Semitism on creative elites."-Amy Nelson, Virginia Tech, author of Music for the Revolution: Musicians and Power in Early Soviet Russia