Irène Némirovsky's Russian Influences

This book explores the influence of Tolstoy, Dostoevsky, and Chekhov on Russian-bornFrench language writer Irène Némirovsky. It considers the complexity ofeach of these relationships and the different modes in which they appear;demonstrating how, by skillfully integrating reading and writing, reception andcreation, Némirovsky engaged with Russian literature within her own work.Through detailed analysis of the intersections between novels, short stories andarchival sources, the book assesses to what degree Tolstoy, Dostoevsky andChekhov influenced Némirovsky, how this influence affected her work, and towhat effects. To this aim the book articulates the notion of creative influence, amethod that, in conversation with theories of influence, intertextuality, andreception aesthetics, seeks to reflect a "meeting of artistic minds" that includesaffective, ethical, and creative encounters between writers, readers, andresearchers.