Remembering Stalin: Mythopoetic Elements in Memories of the Soviet Dictator

Abstract

Abstract The article analyses mythopoetical elements in a distinctly Stalinist genre of biographical writing ‐ reminiscences of rank‐and‐file citizens who supposedly had come into contact with Stalin long before he became leader of the party and the State. Fictionalisation of personal and collective memory is discussed as part of the process of constructing new identities and personal histories through utilising traditional folkloristic tropes.