Troublesome Words

Simon Franklin is Emeritus Professor of Slavonic Studies at the University of Cambridge. He is the author of The Russian Graphosphere, 1450–1850 (2019) and co-editor of The New Cambridge History of Russian Literature (2024).

Given its technical subject, it’s hard to imagine a more seductive presentation, accessible at multiple levels to readers fascinated by all manner of aspects of Russian culture and politics. - Simon Dixon, Sir Bernard Pares Professor of Russian History, University College LondonWritten with Simon Franklin’s sublime combination of wit and deep learning, Troublesome Words follows the contested development of the Russian language as a site of meaning from the seventeenth century to today. Its vivid examples, lively writing, and brilliant visual analysis make it rewarding for any reader. - Valerie A. Kivelson, Arthur F. Thurnau Professor of History, University of MichiganTroublesome Words is an engaging, erudite and witty exploration of the origins of the Russian language. Simon Franklin sets out in an accessible way how Russian speakers have made sense of the world throughout Russia’s turbulent and often violent history. He maps out the religious, political, societal and cultural forces that have shaped today’s Russian language, the uses to which it is put by Russia’s political leaders, and how “non-normative” use of language is used to challenge authority. Highly recommended. - Laurie Bristow, President of Hughes Hall, University of Cambridge, and former UK ambassador to RussiaSimon Franklin investigates the codification of the Russian language as it accommodates culture from the late seventeenth century to the present. With deep insight and delightful humour, Franklin reveals the problematics of norm building amidst competing authoritative voices – sociopolitical, educational, literary, demotic – all vying to regulate cultivated Russian in an ever-changing world. - Michael S. Flier, Oleksandr Potebnja Professor of Ukrainian Philology, Emeritus, Harvard University