Irina Erman

Assistant Professor of Russian, Director of Russian Studies



Dr. Erman specializes in 19th and 20th century Russian literature and literary theory. Her Ph.D. dissertation analyzed autobiographers’ staging of the relationship between self and other, primarily focusing on the works of Vasily Rozanov, a turn-of-the-century Russian modernist writer. Her short term writing projects include an article on autobiography and citationality, and an article on a vampire story by Aleksey Tolstoy entitled “The Family of the Vourdalak.” She is also currently working on a book manuscript that focuses on performance and theatrical spaces in Fyodor Dostoevsky’s early works.

Students who have taken her classes will tell you that she also has a poorly concealed fascination with popular culture, terrible movies, and fake autobiographies. Her interest in the interaction between “low” and “high” culture has led her to develop a course on vampires, which will be offered annually as RUST 250. Other than vampires, her teaching focuses on: Dostoevsky and 19th century literature, modernism, autobiography, film, Russian theater and performance studies, gender and sexuality studies, and 20th century Russian literature.