Russian and German Literature in the Correspondence of L. Kopelev and H. Böll

The object of the following research is one of the most significant correspondence of a Soviet dissident, a literary critic Lev Kopelev and a German writer Heinrich Böll. In the focus of the research is the literary and historical aspect that sets the main themes of the letters. Moreover, the correspondence reflects the specific of the relations between two writers in the context of their time. The Introduction explains in detail how the correspondence should be analyzed, which does not quite fit into the tradition of the genre. The main reason that the correspondence reflects the main features of the times was the fact that letters were not sent by regular post, but were transmitted by friends, mostly German journalists. In the first chapter, based on existing researches on correspondence as a literary genre, the main functions and attributes of letters are investigated: a signature, the vocabulary used, and so on. The second chapter explores the development of Böll's literary reputation in Germany and the USSR. The third chapter describes Böll's acquaintance with Russian different Russian people, and their meetings became an integral part of Böll’s life. Thanks to Kopelev, Böll met many people who translated his works earlier or wrote about him, but there were also artists and actors. The chapter shows that Solzhenitsyn became the most important person for the writer. The fourth chapter analyzes Böll's activities as the president of the PEN club. As shown in the chapter, thanks to Kopelev, Böll and the Western journalists received information about the events in Moscow and Soviet dissidents. In the fifth chapter, the main themes and subjects of the correspondence between Böll and Kopelev are researched: discussion of the texts of the writers themselves; the theme of translations of American prose, which serves as a "bridge" between the two countries; and classical and modern literature, which in the correspondence is equally important.