Yelena Matusevich

Yelena Matusevich is a Professor of French and History at the University of Alaska Fairbanks. She holds a Ph.D. in French from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (1998) and a doctorate in History from EHESS, Paris (2018). Her academic work intersects with creative pursuits, including a second career as an artist specializing in wood-based paintings and clocks.

• Doctorate in History, EHESS, Paris, France (2018)
• Ph.D. in French, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champagne (1998)
• M.A. in French and German, University of Oklahoma (1993)
• M.A. in French Linguistics, St. Petersburg Pedagogical University (1989)

Her research focuses on French literature, medieval/early modern European history, Holocaust documentation (e.g., The Tenth Circle on the Minsk Ghetto), and Russian anti-war poetry anthologies like Disbelief: 100 Russian Anti-War Poems. She also explores narrative fiction through translated works and original short stories.

Matusevich's 2023 publications include the scholarly book Le père du siècle: Jean Gerson (1363-1429) and Early Modern Europe and the microfiction Two Microstories. Her 2022 story This One examines postwar dynamics through literary fiction. She participated in the EastWest Literary Forum's bilingual reading (July 13, 2025).

Her artistic work, visible on Flickr, includes wood-based art (e.g., Cat World, Wooden Plate), often sold as collectibles. This creative practice complements her academic and literary output.