Overkill

Borenstein argues that the popular cultural products consumed in the post-perestroika era were more than just diversions; they allowed Russians to indulge their despair over economic woes and everyday threats.

Eliot Borenstein is Associate Professor and Chair of the Department of Russian & Slavic Studies at New York University. He is the author of Men without Women: Masculinity and Revolution in Russian Fiction, 1917-1929.

A remarkably good book.... Whether speaking about lowbrow literature or better made works, Borenstein is a careful reader of popular culture as 'symptom,' as a visible manifestation of social dis-ease.... This book is smart and funny.... written in exactly the right tone for its content.

Mikita Brottman, Maryland Institute College of Art:

Unflinching in the face of blood, sex, and gore, Eliot Borenstein takes readers on a fascinating tour of the dark underbelly of post-Soviet pop culture. Authoritative, engaging and painstakingly researched, Overkill unearths a hidden world of deviance and desire that, in its violent intensity, rivals the most decadent productions of capitalism.

Nancy Condee, University of Pittsburgh:

In the term 'overkill,' Eliot Borenstein deftly captures a concept that will unquestionably become an indispensable keyword for post-Soviet cultural analysis.

Helena Goscilo, University of Pittsburgh:

Focusing primarily on pulp fiction and visual fodder, Eliot Borenstein convincingly links the success of various genres to the mood of post-Soviet moral and social 'panic.' Borenstein's superb grasp on Russian and Soviet popular culture allows him to identify continuities amid dramatic changes. Overkill is savvy, original, and has appeal for a broad array of readers.

Eric Naiman, University of California, Berkeley:

Eliot Borenstein's fascinating study of excess in a time of material and spiritual scarcity raises intriguing questions about the relationship of ideology to literary form. Writing with wit, empathy, and a great familiarity with both classical Russian literature and Western mass culture, Borenstein sketches a picture of Russian culture lashing out in reaction to a shared sense of ideological impotence and embattled masculinity. Overkill conveys a visceral understanding of the cultural conditions—aesthetic impoverishment and national frustration—that facilitated the rise of Putin.