title: Reading and Worshiping Nikolai Rubtsov. Evolution of a Literary Cult
abstract: This chapter explores the literary cult of Nikolai Rubtsov (1936–1971) focusing on the increasing number of memory sites in the poet’s native region (house museums, busts, statues) and the creative appropriation of his work by ‘ordinary’ readers and fans. Particular attention is paid to readers’ textual production (poems, biographical dramas) and the sometimes heated discussions to which these texts give rise. Drawing on the insights developed by reception and fandom studies, the chapter argues 