Tamizdat Project is dedicated to fostering knowledge and raising awareness about censorship, banned books, emigration, and cultural displacement from the Cold War era to the present, with a focus on the former Soviet Union and Eastern Europe. This story is still being told and unfolding. On our website, and through a series of live events in NYC and beyond, we bring archival discoveries, eyewitness accounts, and insights into Russian, East European, and Eurasian cultures abroad to the international community of students, scholars, and the general public.
Since the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine on February 24, 2022, Tamizdat Project has been committed to supporting students and scholars displaced by war or repressions in their home countries. We bring together world-famous authors, musicians, public figures and activists, artists, journalists, scholars and the general public to help today's immigrants and refugees, much as we wish no such effort was ever necessary.
Our library features banned books from the former USSR and the Eastern Bloc that were first published abroad years or decades before they could see the light of day at home during or after perestroika. It is also a repository of Slavic, East European, and Eurasian émigré books and periodicals. A special part of the library is devoted to books on censorship, emigration, and exterritorial publishing, signed or inscribed by the authors. We accept book donations! If you are looking for a place where such books would be not only preserved but also used for research, we would be honored to have them in our library! The provenance of each book is maintained in our catalogue.
Our events series offers a platform for writers, artists, journalists, filmmakers, stage directors, musicians, scholars, intellectuals and academics who work on Slavic, East European, and Eurasian cultures to present their work in New York. The events are designed to inspire students and are usually free and open to the public. Recording of in-person events are published on our website and YouTube channel.
As a public scholarship initiative, we rely on the generous contributions of our volunteers, who bring diverse skills, backgrounds, and visions to the project. Depending on their interests and qualifications, they work with archives and library holdings; transcribe, translate, copyedit and proofread historical sources; annotate, upload and tag them on our website; edit digital images and video files; compile bibliographies and conduct interviews; catalog our books and design merchandise. Most importantly, they also work on their own research, and we help them in their pursuits. Volunteering for Tamizdat Project can count as an internship. All interns and volunteers are credited as contributors to the project and invited to participate in our workshops, seminars, and events. If this is something you are interested in and have time to devote to, please email us and join our team!
One way to support Tamizdat Project is to buy our merch! We offer a variety of postcards, bookmarks, T-shirts, tote bags, stickers, pins, calendars, and even matches – all made out of the original covers of banned books.
Hilfe für Exil-Wissenschaft: Aber Bücher brennen
Frankfurter allgemeine Zeitung May 19, 2025
Russia’s war against Ukraine shocked many scholars into rethinking their understanding of the world and the role of academia. As we affirmed a long year ago, the Davis Center stands with the people of Ukraine and with the many people around the world who are suffering as a result of Russia’s aggression. Like many institutions and individuals, we have sought ways in which we can support those who have been impacted using the resources we have at our disposal: the ability to educate; the desire to inform our networks of colleagues, students and friends about what is happening; and the chance to channel the energy of those who want to help Ukraine and mitigate the impacts of the war into productive and reputable projects. One such project is described below. We hope it inspires others to think about how they, as an individual or collective, can also make a difference to people who need help.
Davis Center for Russian and Eurasian Studies, Harvard University March 23, 2023
Преподаватель русской литературы из Нью-Йорка продает редкие книги, чтобы оплатить учебу в США студентам, пострадавшим от войны. Его кампанию поддержали Светлана Алексиевич, Борис Акунин и Noize MC.
Professor of Russian Literature from New York is selling rare books to support the education of students affected by the war in the United States. His campaign has been supported by Svetlana Alexievich, Boris Akunin, and Noize MC.
Meduza Feb. 5, 2023
Книги с автографами знаменитых писателей и редкие экземпляры «Тамиздата» – на аукционе в поддержку студентов из Украины, России и Беларуси, которые были вынуждены прервать учебу из-за войны или политических преследований на родине
Books signed or inscribed by famous authors, as well as rare "tamizdat" editions, participate at an auction for the benefit of students from Ukraine, Russia, and Balrus orced to discontinue their education in their home countries ecause of the war or political persecution
Voice of America Jan. 25, 2023
Благотворительный книжный аукцион под девизом "Рукописи не горят" проходит 28 апреля в Нью-Йорке. Его тематика — русские заграничные издания, условно объединяемые понятием Тамиздат.
Radio Free Europe April 28, 2025
Более 30 русскоязычных издательств собрала берлинская книжная ярмарка. DW рассказывает о том, почему их расцвет за пределами России - примета военного времени.
Over 30 Russian-language publishing houses were brought together at a book fair in Berlin. DW reports on why their proliferation outside Russia is a sign of wartime.
Deutsche Welle April 4, 2025