Russian-language literature in Transnistria (1990-2025)

Abstract

This article examines the development of Russian-language literature in Transnistria from the early 1990s to the mid-2020s. Drawing on newspapers, anthologies, and books published by local authors, it traces how literary representations of war, statehood, and identity evolved in parallel with political transformations in the region. The study argues that Transnistrian literature moved from post-Soviet fragmentation through a phase of canon formation and ideological consolidation to a more ambivalent and inwardoriented mode after 2014, culminating in indirect and displaced representations of war after 2022. Particular attention is paid to memory politics, representations of Russia, and the growing role of escapist writing as a strategy of negotiating constrained public discourse.