The book under review is devoted to the late shifts in language culture that took place in postperestroika
Russia. Taking into consideration the strong Russian tradition that closely links standard
language (literaturnyi iazyk) and the language of literature (iazyk literatury), and consequently
“the role of literature in establishing and maintaining the standard language” (34),
Ingunn Lunde explores debates and discussions that have taken hold in contemporary Russia,
analyzing in particular writers’ responses to them, both explicit (through interviews, for example)
and implicit (in their literary works).
