A Frozen State: Experiencing Cold in Russian History and Culture

Cold runs through Russian history and culture as an enemy, an opportunity, an adventure, and a metaphor. Drawing on the expertise of a broad range of scholars, this volume offers new insights into Russia’s sensational history.

Early modern European travelers and thinkers found Russia’s cold bewildering as something to experience and something to explain. In the nineteenth century, Russians began to reclaim the symbolism of cold, transforming it from a mark of backwardness or conservatism into a source of national pride and aesthetic beauty. It was also still feared, and cold’s potential as a punishment or hardship remained through the transition into the twentieth century. Throughout, cold was also something to be mastered and exploited through Arctic expeditions and tourism, industrial development, and the conquest of natural resources in the far north.

This volume brings together a collection of essays written by historians, art historians, and literary scholars. It integrates visual sources to enliven the historical narrative and engage readers more deeply with the Russian past. Spanning the from the sixteenth to the twenty-first century, the essays offer broad chronological and thematic coverage of the significance of the cold in Russian history and culture, appealing to readers across disciplines and interests.

Alison K. Smith is a professor of history at the University of Toronto.

Tricia Starks is a distinguished professor of history and director of the University of Arkansas Humanities Center.

Matthew P. Romaniello is a professor and chair of history at Weber State University.