Women in Russian literature after glasnost

"The Russian literary world was shaken by the wide-reaching reforms of the late Soviet period (1985-91) and the Soviet Union's subsequent collapse. During this period of transition there emerged a body of writing known as 'alternative literature, characterized by thematic, structural, and linguistic transgression of both Soviet-era values and the enduring Russian tradition of civic engagement and moral edification through literature. The extraordinary and sometimes bizarre work of the most significant women writers of the period, particularly Valeriia Narbikova, Liudmila Petrushevskaia and Nina Sadur, raises issues of gender and creative authority. But Adlam questions the extent to which labels like 'alternative' can be applied to such individual writers."--Jacket.