"In its sure grasp of a huge subject and in its speculative boldness, Professor Clark's study represents a major breakthrough. It sends one back to the original texts with a whole host of new questions... And it also helps us to understand the place of the official' writer in that peculiar mixture of ideology, collective pressure, and inspiration which is the Soviet literary process." --Times Literary Supplement "The Soviet Novel has had an enormous impact on the way Stalinist culture is studied in a range of disciplines (literature scholarship, history, cultural studies, even anthropology and political science)." --Slavic Review "Those readers who have come to realise that history is a branch of mythology will find Clark's book a stimulating and rewarding account of Soviet mythopoesis." --American Historical Review "It is fresh, original, cogently argued, challenging, provocative: don't miss it! ... All along the way there are countless nuggets of insight and wit ... a truly seminal book." --Russian Review" "Clark's academic study, ... is wide ranging and balanced."--Morning Star, 26 March 2001
