Songs for fat people : affect, emotion, and celebrity in the Russian popular song, 1900-1955 / David MacFadyen.
| Author/creator | MacFadyen, David, 1964- |
| Format | Book |
| Publication Info | Montreal ; Ithaca : McGill-Queen's University Press, ©2002. |
| Description | vii, 354 pages : portraits ; 24 cm |
| Subjects |
| Contents | Part one. In practice: Eleven famous performers, loved by tens of millions. 1. Grace under friendly fire: the Gypsy romances of Izabella Iur'eva and Tamara Tsereteli -- 2. The Romance in exile: Iurii Morfessi and Petr Leshchenko -- 3. Internal(ized) exile: the mystery of Vadim Kozin -- 4. Exit stage left: Aleksandr Vertinskii and cabaret -- 5. Affectation and buffoonery: Leonid Utesov and Odessa Jazz -- 6. Klavdiia Shul'zhenko: "Let's have a smoke, comrade!" -- 7. Mark Bernes: Hushed songs from the silver screen -- 8. Prison and prestige: The folk songs of Lidiia Ruslanova and Liudmila Zykina -- Part Two. In theory: Soviet entertainment seen from today's perspectives. 9. Time to speculate and take stock: 1 January 2000 in Russian Light Entertainment -- 10. Conclusion and unsolicited encore. |
| Abstract | This book traces the careers of early 20th century Russian singers such as Izabella Iur'eva, Tamara Tsereteli, and others who struggled to continue to perform as they fled the dangers of a Soviet society that had little patience for cafe-culture. MacFadyen follows their trail through Eastern Europe to Paris and London, then across to New York and San Francisco, and back into Russia through the smoky, emigre bars of colourful Chinese towns. He pays particular attention to the notion of "mass" songs inside the Soviet Union and explores the relationship of official and public approval. By looking at how these performers used success at home and abroad to become recording and film stars, and eventually television personalities, MacFadyen avoids the conventional dichotomies about the Eastern Block to show the complexity of Soviet culture. |
| Bibliography note | Includes bibliographical references, filmography, discography and index. |
| ISBN | 077352441X |
| ISBN | 9780773524415 |