03497nam a2200433 i 4500 ebr10905447 CaPaEBR m o d cr cn||||||||| 120608t20122012paua ob 001 0 eng|d 9780822962021 (pbk.) 9780822978022 (e-book) CaPaEBR eng rda pn CaPaEBR (OCoLC)859672262 eng mul ee----- PN6069.P7 W35 2012eb 808.8/9947 23 The walls behind the curtain : East European prison literature, 1945-1990 / Harold B. Segel. Pittsburgh : University of Pittsburgh Press, [2012] �2012 1 online resource (449 pages) : illustrations. text rdacontent computer rdamedia online resource rdacarrier Pitt series in Russian and East European studies Includes bibliographical references and index. "Because of their visibility in society and ability to shape public opinion, prominent literary figures were among the first targets of Communist repression, torture, and incarceration. Authors such as Alexsandr Solzhenitsyn famously documented the experience of internment in Soviet gulags. Little, however, has been published in the English language on the work of writers imprisoned by other countries of the Soviet bloc. For the first time, The Walls Behind the Curtain presents a collection of works from East European novelists, poets, playwrights, and essayists who wrote during or after their captivity under communism. Harold B. Segel paints a backdrop of the political culture and prison and labor camp systems of each country, detailing the onerous conditions that writers faced. Segel then offers biographical information on each writer and presents excerpts of their writing. Notable literary figures included are Vaclav Havel, Eva Kanturkova, Milan SimeCka, Adam Michnik, Milovan Djilas, Paul Goma, Tibor Dery, and Visar Zhiti, as well as many other writers. This anthology recovers many of the most important yet overlooked literary voices from the era of Communist occupation. Although translated from numerous languages, and across varied cultures, there is a distinct commonality in the experiences documented by these works. The Walls Behind the Curtain serves as a testament to the perseverance of the human spirit and a quest for individual liberty that many writers forfeited their lives for. "-- Provided by publisher. Description based on print version record. Electronic reproduction. Palo Alto, Calif. : ebrary, 2014. Available via World Wide Web. Access may be limited to ebrary affiliated libraries. Prisoners' writings, East European Translations into English. Europe, Eastern Literary collections Translations into English. Electronic books. Segel, Harold B., 1930- author. Print version: Walls behind the curtain : East European prison literature, 1945-1990. Pittsburgh : University of Pittsburgh Press, [2012] x, 436 pages ; 24 cm. Pitt series in Russian and East European studies 9780822962021 (DLC)10905447 ebrary. Series in Russian and East European studies. http://site.ebrary.com/lib/rucke/Doc?id=10905447 An electronic book accessible through the World Wide Web; click to view 67842 67842