Elif Batuman rethinks Russian literature
Life and Art from FT Weekend
00:00
Pushkin-a-Plud
The idea that you could have a colony was new in the 19th century. For it to become popular, it had to kind of get lodged into our imagination. And what better tool than the novel? You don't even need to have characters screaming on behalf of colonialism in the novel. The colonies can just be out there in the background for people like Robinson Crusoe to take advantage of and enjoy.
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