Alexandra Smith

Dr. Alexandra Smith is Reader in Russian Studies at the University of Edinburgh's School of Literatures, Languages and Cultures, where she has been teaching since 2007 and was promoted to Readership in 2008. She previously held academic positions at the University of Essex, University of Bristol, University of Canterbury (New Zealand), and the University of Sheffield. Dr. Smith is an active researcher, supervisor, and member of numerous editorial boards, including The Dostoevsky Journal and Experimental Poetics and Aesthetics.

Her research spans Russian literature from the 19th through 21st centuries, with particular focus on literary and film theory, critical theory, comparative literature, émigré writing, and the relationship between literature and other arts. Dr. Smith has published extensively on Russian modernism, particularly on Marina Tsvetaeva, Pushkin reception, and Soviet-era literature. Her work demonstrates a consistent interest in canon formation, memory studies, and intermediality, examining how literary works interact with other art forms like theater, film, and visual culture.

Dr. Smith's scholarly output reveals a trajectory from early work on Tsvetaeva and Pushkin toward broader examinations of canon formation, national identity, and post-Soviet cultural memory. Her recent publications increasingly address contemporary Russian literature and film, examining how modern Russian writers and filmmakers engage with historical trauma, national mythology, and cultural memory. This evolution reflects both her deepening expertise in Russian literary history and her responsiveness to contemporary cultural developments in Russia.

• Alexander Nove Prize (2022) for Poetic Canons, Cultural Memory and Russian National Identity after 1991
• Co-winner of ASEES's Pushkin Prize contest for 'The Poetics of Expressiveness and Some Aspects of Non-Verbal Communication in Pushkin's Work'

Dr. Smith has supervised an impressive number of graduate students, including 12 completed PhD theses and several current projects across Russian Studies, Comparative Literature, and European Theatre. She has secured significant research funding, including a major £450,757 AHRC grant for 'Reconfiguring the Canon of Twentieth-Century Russian Poetry, 1991-2008' and multiple smaller grants for conferences and workshops on Russian literature and culture. Her knowledge exchange activities extend beyond academia through media appearances, public lectures, and collaborations with theater companies, including translating Russian plays for the National Theatre of Scotland.

As an active member of the academic community, Dr. Smith serves on numerous committees at the University of Edinburgh, acts as External Examiner for several institutions, and participates in professional organizations including BASEES, AATSEEL, and ASEEES. Her work bridges traditional literary scholarship with contemporary cultural analysis, making significant contributions to our understanding of Russian literature's evolution and its ongoing relevance to questions of national identity and cultural memory.