Alena Pantiukhina ist Postdoktorandin und spezialisiert auf russische Literatur. Sie stammt ursprünglich aus der Region Tomsk in Russland und erwarb 2015 ihren Fachabschluss in Philologie an der Staatlichen Universität Tomsk (TSU). Von 2017 bis 2019 unterrichtete sie Literatur und von 2019 bis 2022 war sie an der TSU zunächst als Assistentin und später als außerordentliche Professorin tätig. Im Jahr 2020 schloss sie ihre Promotion an der TSU ab, wobei sie sich auf historische Erzählungen in der russischen Literatur des späten 20. Jahrhunderts konzentrierte. 2022 musste sie ihre Stelle an der TSU aufgrund ihrer Antikriegshaltung aufgeben und zog anschließend nach Deutschland, um ihre akademische Arbeit fortzusetzen.

Derzeit arbeitet sie am Forschungsprojekt "Judentum, Ukraine und Russland: Friedrich Gorensteins Grenzerzählungen", das die Überschneidungen der jüdischen, russischen und ukrainischen Kultur in Gorensteins Werk untersucht. Ihre Forschungsinteressen umfassen die Konstruktion historischer Narrative in der Literatur, die russisch-jüdische Literatur und postkoloniale Paradigmen in der sowjetischen Kultur.

Ihre akademischen Beiträge wurden durch Stipendien von prominenten deutschen Institutionen gewürdigt, darunter die Freie Universität Berlin, das Leibniz-Institut für Geschichte und Kultur des östlichen Europa und das Dubnow Institut. Außerdem wurde sie durch das Fedor Stepun Programm unterstützt. Derzeit ist sie Philipp-Schwartz-Stipendiatin und Mitglied der Köln-Bonner Akademie im Exil.

Mehr über Ihre Forschung in Dresden erzählt sie Alena Pantiukhina im Interview (engl.).

Name: Dr. Alena Pantiukhina
Position/Professur: Wiss. Mitarbeiterin an Professur für Slavische Literaturwissenschaft (Prof. Klavdia Smola)
Institut/Fakultät: Institut für Slavistik, Fakultät Sprach-, Literatur- und Kulturwissenschaften

How do you like Dresden?
What I appreciate most about Dresden is that it has become a place where I can truly settle and feel at home. Over the past year, it has provided me with much-needed stability during a turbulent time. I’m drawn to the contrasts of the city, with its multi-layered history and culture that offer vast opportunities for exploration.
When I was 18, I read Kurt Vonnegut’s Slaughterhouse-Five, a novel that left a lasting impression on me, not only because of its literary power but also for its unique perspective. It showed a side of history that wasn’t commonly discussed in Russia. At the heart of that story was Dresden, and the events that unfolded here, and ever since, the image of Dresden from that time has stayed with me. Living here now, I find the city vibrant, with traces of history that deeply resonate with me.

Is it your first time in Germany and Dresden?
I’ve been living in Germany since 2022. Before moving to Dresden, I lived in Berlin and Leipzig. I left Russia in 2022 and it was my first time in Europe at all.

What is your connection to TU Dresden?
With the support of Professor Klavdia Smola from TU Dresden’s Institute of Slavic Studies and the assistance of the university’s international office, I was awarded the Philipp Schwartz Scholarship. This has enabled me to focus on my research project.

What are your main interests as a researcher? Which topics do you focus on?
My main research interest lies in the representation of history in literature, with a particular focus on Russian-language works from the second half of the 20th century. This was also the topic of my PhD dissertation. I believe literature, like other forms of art, can be more powerful and persuasive than historical facts alone. That’s why I’m fascinated by how art reflects and grapples with the "complex past" of Russia and other post-Soviet countries. I'm especially interested in the ways alternative aesthetic and ideological literary practices emerged within the Soviet Union as forms of resistance to the totalitarian state.

What was your most interesting research topic so far?
Right now, I’m focused on Friedrich Gorenstein, and I find this research really exciting. He was a writer of Jewish descent who lived in various cities in Ukraine before moving to Moscow and later to West Berlin. I’m interested in how he embodied multiple roles and cultural identities while staying true to himself.
His work is still not well-researched, yet it has become increasingly relevant in today's discussions about cultural identity. His main archive is located in Bremen at the FSO. And I find it exciting to work in the archive with manuscripts and connect with people who knew Gorenstein personally.

What will be the focus of your research at TU Dresden?
My research project is called "Jewry, Ukraine, and Russia: Friedrich Gorenstein’s Border Narratives". I’m looking at how Jewish, Russian, and Ukrainian cultures connect and clash in Gorenstein's works. I want to understand how these identities are shown in his writing and how they interact within the context of Soviet culture. It’s a way to explore the complexities of cultural identity and how literature reflects historical experiences.

Which item do you absolutely need at your workplace?
I always find a simple notebook and pen essential, even if I work primarily on my laptop. Writing down key ideas helps me organize my thoughts and refine my ideas in a way that typing can’t quite capture.

Do you have a favourite quote? If so, what is it and from whom?
One quote that has really resonated with me comes from the memoirs of Varlam Shalamov. Although I might not quote it exactly, it goes something like this: "The art of living is the art of forgetting." This is not a call to forget but a bittersweet acknowledgment of the imperfections of our human nature. It makes our memories all the more valuable.

Which book did you recently read or which movie/series did you watch recently?
I’m about to finish Midnight’s Children by Salman Rushdie, a classic that blends magical realism with historical narrative. The novel's exploration of cultural identity and the intertwining of personal and national histories resonates with my research interests.
As for movies, the last one that impressed me was the famous film "Plein soleil" starring Alain Delon.

More information about you can be found...
...on my profile on Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alena-pantiukhina-1a2887308/