The First British-Soviet Round Table of Writers of 1984: preparation, implementation, results

• Published in: Исторический журнал: научные исследования no. 3; pp. 183 - 197
• Main Author: Kapustina, Mariia
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: 01.03.2021
• ISSN: 2454-0609; 2454-0609
• DOI: 10.7256/2454-0609.2021.3.36070

On September 4 - 6, 1984, Moscow hosted the first round-table meeting of British and Soviet writers, which was substantiated by the emergent thawing in foreign policy relations between the countries. The goal of this article is to examine the process of organizing and hosting the writers' conference, as well as give assessment to its contribution to the development of Anglo-Soviet cultural cooperation during the Cold War. The research methodology is founded on the concept of cultural diplomacy, as well as the principle of historicism and systematicity, which allowed analyzing the available archival materials, publications, and reminiscences of the participants. Having examined the Great Britain-U.S.S.R. Association, the author gives special attention to the perception of this event by the British side. The article traces the transformation of attitude of the British authors towards their Soviet colleagues and the Soviet literary process overall. The round table participants expressed different opinion on the role of the writer and the degree of their social responsibility, as well as on moralization in the novel. In the course of discussion, the Soviet side often turned to the topic of peacekeeping, while the British side defended the autonomy of the writer and the right to social criticism. The conclusion is made that despite the divergence of opinions, both British and Soviet writers found the discussion productive, and positively assessed the results of the conference. Thanks to the efforts of organizers and the objective "tiredness" from using cultural events for propaganda purposes, the first British-Soviet Round Table of Writers has fulfilled its mission, becoming an important platform for intercommunication.