RUSSIAN-LANGUAGE CHILDREN’S BOOKS OF THE 1920S AND 30S IN CRITIQUE (ON THE MATERIAL OF RIGA INTERWAR PERIODICALS)

The article represents an analysis of the Russian-language children’s book reviews published in the interwar Riga’s major Russophone press. In 1920s and 30s, children’s literature relatively rarely got an attention of the newspaper reviewers. Usually the importance of reading for Russophone youth was brought to light before upcoming holidays, e.g., Easter or Christmas. Most often critics offered reviews of the books published in the centers of Russian emigration (Berlin, Paris). Since the mid-1920s Russian émigré circles were deeply concerned about the denationalization of the younger generation and stressed the lack of efforts to distribute children’s books in “Russia Abroad”. The attitude of the Riga critics towards imported from the USSR children’s literature demonstrated chronological change: From sharply negative in the early 1920s to rather favorable in the end of the studied period. Until the mid-1930s, the works of Soviet authors were graded by the reviewers from positions opposite to the ideology of Bolshevism; since the mid-1930s there was a gradual expansion of the recommendation lists of the Soviet children’s books in the Latvian Russophone press. Only Korney Chukovsky enjoyed the constant favor of Riga-based critics. Local Russophone authors, who wrote for children, were mostly neglected by the book reviewers of major newspapers. Objectively, this might be explained by a small amount of original content production for the Latvian Russophone children. However, such disregard by the reviewers could also contribute to the disinterest of the local Russophone writers, who settled in Riga after the exile from the post-revolutionary Russia, in producing more content for children.