Literature, Institute of

Literature, Institute of 

(full name, M. Gorky Institute of Literature), an institute opened in 1933 on the initiative of M. Gorky. First called the Workers’ Evening University of Literature, the school became the Institute of Literature of the Writers’ Union of the USSR in 1936; it operated as an evening school during 1936–39 and as an extension school during 1963–65). In 1942 it became an institution of higher learning with a five-year course of study, and in 1946 the institute was named after M. Gorky. Its function is the training and education of young writers.

The Institute of Literature has day and extension divisions, a graduate school, two-year higher courses in literature for members of the Writers’ Union of the USSR, and eight subdepart-ments. Students study the social and philological disciplines and work in creative workshop seminars (prose, poetry, dramaturgy, criticism, and literary translation). The institute’s teachers have included N. N. Aseev, K. A. Fedin, F. V. Gladkov, V. V. Ivanov, L. A. Kassil’, V. A. Kaverin, L. M. Leonov, V. A. Lugovskoi, M. K. Lukonin, K. G. Paustovskii, B. S. Romashov, I. L. Sel’vinskii, la. V. Smeliakov, V. A. Smirnov, L. S. Sobolev, A. A. Surkov, M. A. Svetlov, and N. I. Zamoshkin.

The 1972–73 student enrollment was approximately 700 (admission is based on competitive creative work and entrance examinations). There were approximately 100 teachers, including 50 members of the Writers’ Union of the USSR, 16 professors and doctors of sciences, and 41 docents and candidates of sciences.

The institute has trained more than 1,800 literary workers. About 600 of them have become members of the Writers’ Union of the USSR, including M. I. Aliger, S. P. Antonov, E. L. Asa-dov, B. A. Akhmadulina, V. N. Azhaev, G. la. Baklanov, S. A. Baruzdin, V. F. Bokov, lu. V. Bondarev, A. B. Chakovskii, V. D. Fedorov, R. G. Gamzatov, lu. P. Kazakov, M. L. Matu-sovskii, S. V. Mikhalkov, S. S. Narovchatov, S. S. Orlov, L. I. Oshanin, A. E. Rekemchuk, R. I. Rozhdestvenskii, K. M. Simonov, S. V. Smirnov, V. A. Soloukhin, V. F. Tendriakov, lu. V. Trifonov, S. A. Vasil’ev, E. A. Vinoturov, and P. N. Vo-ron’ko. Its graduates include representatives of more than 50 nationalities of the USSR and other countries.

The M. Gorky Institute of Literature publishes the academic anthology Pisatel’ i zhizn’ (The Writer and Life; since 1961), a student almanac (since 1937), and monographs and anthologies of literature.

V. F. PIMENOV and I. A. SHCHUROV