Alexey Remizov: between Reception and Self-Reflection (The Chosen Pages of the Scrapbook “Foreign Censorship” 1923–1931)

The subject of this study is relationship of Alexey Remizov with his readers fromthe professional literary community that draws from the materials of the author’sscrapbook Foreign Censorship — unknown artifact created in 1923–1931. The album asa product of the literary “everyday life” (“byt”) reflects the process of Remizov’s selfreflection prompted by various instances of editing and criticism of his works in theemigrant press. The author of this article explains the meaning that Remizov associatedwith censorship under the conditions of emigration and highlights the hidden plotsof Remizov’s biography connected with the publication of his censored works. Thecollection of materials in the scrapbook reveals Remizov’s rejection of the readypatterns of the literary norm and stereotypes that affected the perception of his workby editors. Analysis of the scrapbook’s documents has allowed disclose the reasonsfor imposing editorial restrictions on Remizov. The author specifically focuses on thecritical reviews selected by Remizov for his scrapbooks demonstrating the discrepancybetween Remizov’s own “horizon of expectation” and that of his critics. The article isfollowed by the publication of the hitherto unpublished archival materials, a welcomeaddition to Remizov’s biography that reveals his place in the Russian émigré literaryscene.