independent literature, samizdat, underground, comparative literary studies, Czech, Polish and Russian literary contexts

The author of the essay came to the conclusion that translation of basic terms connected with independent culture is not only a matter of linguistic ability and that one cannot avoid using the methods of comparative literary studies. He pays attention to the words "samizdat" and "underground" and their rather different meaning in Czech, Polish and Russian languages after World War II and especially after 1968. i.e. in the time of Neo-Stalinism.