A Parasite from Outer Space: How Sergei Kurekhin Proved That Lenin Was a Mushroom
| Autor: | Alexei Yurchak |
|---|---|
| Rok vydání: | 2011 |
| Předmět: |
Cultural Studies
Mushroom History Hoax media_common.quotation_subject 05 social sciences 0507 social and economic geography Media studies Outer space 050701 cultural studies 0506 political science Irony Scientific evidence Politics Arts and Humanities (miscellaneous) 050602 political science & public administration Hallucinogenic mushrooms media_common |
| Zdroj: | Slavic Review. 70:307-333 |
| ISSN: | 2325-7784 0037-6779 |
| DOI: | 10.5612/slavicreview.70.2.0307 |
| Popis: | In 1991, Leningrad television broadcast a program that has since become infamous. The program's guest, Sergei Kurekhin, claiming to be a political figure and scientist, conducted an elaborate hoax that he presented as a serious historical exploration into the origins of the Bolshevik revolution. Using visual, textual, and scientific evidence, Kurekhin argued that the revolution was led by people who had been consuming hallucinogenic mushrooms. As a result, their personalities were being replaced by mushroom personalities, and their leader, Vladimir Lenin, was simply a mushroom. This fact, according to Kurekhin, shed new light on many enigmas of Soviet history. Millions of viewers were at a loss: were they witnessing a serious program, a daring prank, a case of unprecedented lunacy? In this article, Alexei Yurchak analyzes that remarkable comedic performance, its social and political effects then and now, and what it may contribute to our understanding of the relationship between politics and irony. |
| Databáze: | OpenAIRE |
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