On October 21, Dr. Stuart Goldberg spoke at the Princeton University Slavic Department on “The Problem of Sincerity and the Poetic Device in Derzhavin and Pushkin.”  The sincere voice first emerged in Russian poetry in the most unexpected place—a panegyric ode to Catherine II.  Goldberg, in the first half of his lecture explored the brilliant strategic positioning and poetic creativity that allowed Russian poet Gavrila Derzhavin to achieve this feat and the ways in which he subsequently failed to repeat it or achieved it anew (and with different means). In the second half of his lecture, Goldberg explored the sincere intonations of the famously “protean” national poet, Alexander Pushkin.

      Goldberg’s larger project, “Sincerities and Authenticities: The Changing Face of Sincerity in Russian Poetry, 1783-2001,” explores the changing face of sincerity in Russian poetry.  Through a series of case studies, Goldberg hopes to show how, at critical junctures in the development of Russian verse, the understanding of the nature of sincerity, as well as the means by which it is written into poetry have shifted.

Goldberg is an Associate Professor in the School of Modern Languages at Georgia Tech. He teaches Russian and his expertise lie in Russian and Polish literature and culture, with a focus on Russian poetry.