I presented my research on the St. Petersburg literary network at the DH-Russia National Research and Project Seminar “Digital Humanities Projects: Models, Problems, Prospects” in Moscow. This presentation focused on the social network analysis of literary communities based on data from SPbLitGuide newsletters.

Research Background

The SPbLitGuide newsletters documented literary events in Saint Petersburg from 1999 to 2019, providing a unique dataset for understanding the evolution of the city’s literary community over two decades.

Network Analysis Approach

The research employed social network analysis techniques to:

  • Map literary connections: Identify relationships between authors, venues, and cultural institutions
  • Analyze community structure: Detect clusters and subgroups within the literary network
  • Track temporal evolution: Examine how the network changed over the 20-year period
  • Identify key actors: Determine influential figures and venues in the literary landscape

Key Findings

The analysis revealed:

  • Central venues that served as hubs for literary activity
  • Distinct literary communities and their interconnections
  • Temporal patterns in network formation and dissolution
  • The role of specific events in connecting different literary circles

Methodological Contributions

This work demonstrates how digital humanities approaches can:

  • Transform archival materials into structured data for analysis
  • Apply network science methods to literary history
  • Provide quantitative insights into cultural phenomena
  • Support traditional literary scholarship with computational methods

Data Availability

The underlying dataset is available on Zenodo: Literary Events in Saint Petersburg (1999-2019)

Impact

This research contributes to understanding Russian literary communities and demonstrates the potential of digital methods for cultural analysis, offering new perspectives on the social dynamics of literary production and distribution.