Out of Russia: Two Narratives and a Conversation

Abstract

In 1998 and 2000, Laurel Richardson, a sociologist/ethnographer, and Ernest Lockridge, novelist, traveled to Russia. In “Out of Russia,” each of them writes independently about their experiences, making sense of them through cultural, social, literary, and autobiographical lenses. Then, after reading each other’s papers, they have a conversation, which is transcribed and edited. The conversation focuses on the relationship between cultural critique, writing methods and techniques, the power of the unconscious, and thinking about writing (and reading) as a kind of sacramental activity, a process through which the writer/reader connects to the self and others.