«“It is commonplace to acknowledge, often in vague and passing terms, the rising importance of money, capitalism, and industrialization on Russian literature of the nineteenth century. Vadim Shneyder brilliantly brings the many aspects of this complex historical, political, social, and above all, economic reality to bear with stunning clarity along with important new readings of Tolstoy, Chekhov, and especially Dostoevsky, as well as a host of less-examined writers.” —Robin Feuer Miller, author of Dostoevsky’s Unfinished Journey

“Russia’s Capitalist Realism represents a major contribution to the vibrant and growing body of scholarship on literature and economics. Russia’s inexorable move toward industrial capitalism in the mid-to-late nineteenth century brought on a clash in value systems, which became a central focus in the literature of the time. Beginning with the collapse of serfdom in mid-century, writers struggled to create a narrative and descriptive language adequate to reflect the dizzying changes taking place in the economy. To tell this story, Shneyder offers bracing new readings of money plots in familiar works by Dostoevsky, Tolstoy, Chekhov and their contemporaries. Refreshingly interdisciplinary, incisive, and highly readable, this compelling book shows literature’s enduring power to make sense of its time and place.” —Carol Apollonio, author of Dostoevsky’s Secrets: Reading Against the Grain»