Ann Arbor in Russian Literature:
Revisiting the Carl R. Proffer and Ardis Legacies
A Symposium at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor
September 20-21, 2013
Event Website
The University of Michigan Center for Russian, East European, and Eurasian Studies and Weiser Center for Emerging Democracies are pleased to announce a two-day symposium to commemorate the 75th anniversary of the birth of U-M Professor of Slavic Languages and Literatures Carl R. Proffer (1938-1984).
An outstanding scholar renowned for his books on Gogol and Nabokov, Proffer not only contributed tremendously to the field of Russian literature as an author, translator, editor, and publisher, but also put Ann Arbor on the map of Russian literature in perpetuity. In 1971 with his wife Ellendea, also a scholar, author, and translator, he co-founded Ardis which became the foremost Western publisher of Russian and Soviet literature, including reprints and translations of classics as well as works banned by the Soviet authorities.
Symposium presenters will reflect on Proffer's and Ardis' contributions to Russian literature and culture and Russian-American relations and on U-M's rich legacy as a center for the study of dissent in the Soviet Union and as a refuge for Soviet writers, artists, and political dissidents (including Joseph Brodsky, poet-in-residence at U-M, 1972-1981).
The program includes a workshop (September 20, 2-5 pm), tribute (September 21, 1-5:30 pm), and an exhibit of items from the University Library's Ardis archive (September 20-21, 10:30 am-12:30 pm).
For information on symposium presenters, event locations, hotels, and maps, please visit
www.ii.umich.edu/crees/events/specialevents/proffertribute
U-M sponsors: CREES; WCED; Department of Slavic Languages and Literatures; College of Literature, Science, and the Arts; Department of Comparative Literature; Institute for the Humanities; International Institute; Office of the Vice President for Research; University Library’s Slavic, East European, and Eurasian Collection and Special Collections Library; Zell Visiting Writers Series; and the Department of English. |
