“A thorough, rigorous, and focused analysis of the complete oeuvre of one of the most important, yet still underrated, writers of the Soviet period. Empire of Objects not only updates Trifonov scholarship but also addresses some key, long-standing oversights and misapprehensions and makes a substantial contribution to the study of Soviet literature and culture.”—Polly Jones
“Sutcliffe’s engaging new study considers the oeuvre of Iurii Trifonov, one of the most talented writers of the late-Stalinist and Thaw-era Soviet Union, and examines his struggle at the convergence of Stalinist ‘sincerity’ and the post-Stalin call to probe the cult of personality and its amorality. An important contribution to the study of late Soviet intellectual and literary life.”—Edith Clowes, University of Virginia