The University of Wisconsin Press

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History / Slavic Studies / Popular Culture

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When Pigs Could Fly and Bears Could Dance A History of the Soviet Circus Miriam Neirick A Choice Outstanding Academic Book “A beautifully written, compact history of the Soviet circus.” —Janet M. Davis, author of The Circus Age: Culture and Society under the American Big Top For more than seven decades the circuses enjoyed tremendous popularity in the Soviet Union. How did the circus—an institution that dethroned figures of authority and refused any orderly narrative structure—become such a cultural mainstay in a state known for blunt and didactic messages? Miriam Neirick argues that the variety, flexibility, and indeterminacy of the modern circus accounted for its appeal not only to diverse viewers but also to the Soviet state. In a society where government-legitimating myths underwent periodic revision, the circus proved a supple medium of communication. Between 1919 and 1991, it variously displayed the triumph of the Bolshevik revolution, the beauty of the new Soviet man and woman, the vulnerability of the enemy during World War II, the prosperity of the postwar Soviet household, and the Soviet mission of international peace—all while entertaining the public with the acrobats, elephants, and clowns. With its unique ability to meet and reconcile the demands of both state and society, the Soviet circus became the unlikely darling of Soviet culture and an entertainment whose usefulness and popularity stemmed from its ambiguity. Miriam Neirick is assistant professor in the department of history at California State University, Northridge. Praise: “A well-written account of some aspects of the history of the Soviet Circus. The book is skillfully crafted.” —Canadian Slavonic Papers Media & bookseller inquiries regarding review copies, events, and interviews can be directed to the publicity department at publicity@uwpress.wisc.edu or (608) 263-0734. (If you want to examine a book for possible course use, please see our Course Books page. If you want to examine a book for possible rights licensing, please see Rights & Permissions.) Of Related Interest: The Body Soviet Propaganda, Hygiene, and the Revolutionary State Tricia Starks “The Body Soviet is the first sustained investigation of the Bolshevik government’s early policies on hygiene and health care in general.” —Louise McReynolds, author of Russia at Play: Leisure Activities at the End of the Tsarist Era

July 2012 LC: 2011043507 GV 232 pp.   6 x 9   15 b/w photos Paper $29.95 s ISBN 978-0-299-28764-1 ADD TO CART A Mellon Slavic Studies Initiative Book This book is part of a five-year initiative for publishing first books by scholars in the fields of Russian, East European, and Central Asian Studies, supported by the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation.

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