Dr. Ilya Vinitsky

Biography

Ilya Vinitsky is a Professor of Slavic Languages and Literatures at Princeton University, where he also serves as Chair of the Department. His research specializes in Russian Romanticism, Russian Realism, and the history of emotions within the context of 19th-century intellectual and spiritual thought. Vinitsky's scholarly interests extend to translation theory and cultural interpretations of literary texts. A key focus of his recent work is examining the interplay between literary texts and the cultural, historical forces that shape them, including ideology and psychology. His notable publications include a comprehensive study of the emotional biography of Vasily Zhukovsky, the father of Russian Romanticism, and an exploration of the phenomenon of anti-poetry in the Russian literary tradition. Additionally, Vinitsky has earned a Guggenheim Fellowship for his current project that investigates the trans-cultural identity of Ivan Narodny, a Russian-Estonian art critic and con-man. He has received the Ira Abrams Award for Distinguished Teaching from the University of Pennsylvania for his efforts in teaching Russian literature and culture. Vinitsky's extensive array of courses includes topics on Dostoevsky, Tolstoy, and the emotional history of Russian culture, all of which highlight his commitment to engaging students with complex literary themes.

Research Interests

Courses