The Pursuit of Freedom in Private Life as Reflected in Contemporary Russian Comics

Abstract

This article reviews how My Sex, the Russian autobiographical graphic novel by Alyona Kamyshevskaya, reflects public-private relationships in the USSR and contemporary Russia. In particular, the focus is on how the Soviet state tabooed sexuality, leaving its people unaware of basic physiological information and causing them to make harmful uninformed decisions. My Sex is seen as an example of the consequences of public intrusion into the private sphere regarding aspects that should stay untouched.

Keywords

• comics
• graphic novel
• freedom
• private life
• public life
• USSR