Kurt Vonnegut in the USSR

Name: Kurt Vonnegut in the USSR
Start: 2026-04-10T18:30:00-04:00
Location: 543 Indiana Avenue, Indianapolis, IN, United States, Indiana 46202

Schedule

Fri, 10 Apr, 2026 at 06:30 pm

UTC-04:00

Location

543 Indiana Avenue, Indianapolis, IN, United States, Indiana 46202 | Indianapolis, IN

𝐀𝐧 𝐄𝐯𝐞𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐒𝐚𝐫𝐚𝐡 𝐃. 𝐏𝐡𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐢𝐩𝐬
𝑨𝒖𝒕𝒉𝒐𝒓 𝒐𝒇 𝑲𝒖𝒓𝒕 𝑽𝒐𝒏𝒏𝒆𝒈𝒖𝒕 𝒊𝒏 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝑼𝑺𝑺𝑹
Why, at the height of the Cold War, was 𝐊𝐮𝐫𝐭 𝐕𝐨𝐧𝐧𝐞𝐠𝐮𝐭 freely published, and widely celebrated, in the Soviet Union?
Join us for a fascinating evening with 𝐈𝐧𝐝𝐢𝐚𝐧𝐚 𝐔𝐧𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐟𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐨𝐫 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐚𝐮𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐫 𝐒𝐚𝐫𝐚𝐡 𝐃. 𝐏𝐡𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐢𝐩𝐬, whose groundbreaking book uncovers a little-known chapter of Vonnegut’s global legacy: his unexpected popularity in the USSR during the 1970s.
Drawing on previously untouched archives, including manuscripts, letters, and FBI files, along with interviews with Soviet-era literary figures, Phillips explores:
• Why Vonnegut’s work resonated so deeply with Soviet readers
• How his writing weathered censorship under the infamous “Red Pencil”
• Whether Vonnegut knew he had achieved cult status behind the Iron Curtain
• The remarkable relationship between Vonnegut and his Russian translator, 𝐑𝐢𝐭𝐚 𝐑𝐚𝐢𝐭, whose work introduced him to generations of Soviet readers
𝐒𝐩𝐞𝐜𝐢𝐚𝐥 𝐄𝐱𝐡𝐢𝐛𝐢𝐭 𝐕𝐢𝐞𝐰𝐢𝐧𝐠
The evening will also include the opportunity to view a curated exhibit connected to 𝘒𝘶𝘳𝘵 𝘝𝘰𝘯𝘯𝘦𝘨𝘶𝘵 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘜𝘚𝘚𝘙, offering rare context and visual material that brings this extraordinary literary exchange to life.
This program sits at the intersection of 𝐡𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐲, 𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐜𝐮𝐥𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐚𝐥 𝐝𝐢𝐩𝐥𝐨𝐦𝐚𝐜𝐲, and reveals how stories can cross borders even in times of deep political division.
𝑳𝒐𝒄𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏: Kurt Vonnegut Museum and Library
𝑫𝒂𝒕𝒆 & 𝑻𝒊𝒎𝒆: Wednesday, April 1st at 6:30 PM