Written by Janset An
Illustrated by Jessica Chan
When you enter one of Dr Olga Sobolev’s lectures, you are taken on an eclectic intellectual journey. The academic delves into the psyche of the greatest writers in history, then traverses the volatile political contexts within which their masterpieces emerged. You leave with the exciting unknown of where your reading will take you. A lecturer with unmatched charisma and oratory, students cannot help but be drawn to her infectious passion for literature.
For this first issue of the academic year 2026-2027, The Beaver sat down with Dr Olga Sobolev, Language Coordinator for Russian and Literature, to discuss studying Literature at the LSE. There is ample opportunity to explore the wonders of the literary world on campus. The Centre for Language StudiesLanguage Department boasts five full-unit courses ranging from European and Contemporary to English Literature. Despite this, many do not know that Literature modules are offered on campus,. As such, many graduates and miss out on an academic adventure like no other. Taking inspiration from a novel, let’s start from the beginning, build the plot, and unveil the hidden gem of the LSE’s Literature studies.
Friendship and the Flourishing of Literature at LSE
Dr Olga arrived at the LSE in 2000 to teach Russian atin the Centre for Language StudiesLanguage Department. Soon after, she met her “marvellous colleague,” Dr Angus Wrenn, who at the time was running the only literature course at the university. Dr Angus had just completed his PhD on the influence of French literature on Henry James. With Dr Olga’s PhD thesis also centring heavily on French literature, both academics suddenly found that they had “a lot to talk about.” Through these intellectual conversations, a friendship developed.
The inception of literature studies at the LSE can be traced back to this special connection between the two academics. Their discussions led them to question: “If we are so interested in Comparative Literature, why don’t we introduce a second course?” Dr Olga saysdescribes it took them “five5 years to persuade the administration” to greenlight this proposal.
The academics had to incorporate elements of “social and political science” into course material to cater to the disciplinary climate of the LSE. As they campaigned, the thirtieth anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall was nearing. Hence, another prompt for the academics was: how did literature develop “beyond the Wall” in the 20th century?” This meticulous process led to the launch of “Comparative Literature and Global Society” in 2006.
The third literature course materialised through yet another friendship, this time with pPhilosophers at the LSE. Dr Olga and Dr Angus developed a rapport with Professor Alex Voorhoeve after watching him perform as lead singer with “The Critique of Pure Rhythm,” the Department of Philosophy’s Philosophy Department’s rock and roll band at the time.
Alongside a shared love for music, these academics exchanged many ideas with one another. Dr Olga recounts that this interdisciplinary approach inspired the formation of a course that sits at the intersection of Philosophy and Literature. Eventually, through cross-departmental collaboration, the “European Literature and Philosophy” module came into existence in 2011.
An Unconventional Style of Teaching
The methoddelivery of teaching literature starkly differs starkly from standard practice at the LSE.
Dr Olga explains that her classes have eight studentspeople as opposed to the LSE average of twenty. She reflects that within larger classes, “those that are not forthcoming maywill never have an opportunity to contribute.” In smaller classes, however, everyone is encouraged to participate and take space.
The class format uniquely dispels any hierarchical relations between teacher and student. There is no adherence to a rigid structure or expectation to regurgitate the correct interpretation of a text. Rather, the teacher facilitates discussion while being an equally enthusiastic contributor alongside students.
Dr Olga states with humility, “every year I learn a lot from classes, and that’s why I love it.” Changing times and shifting cultures undoubtedly bring in an influx of new ways of thinking with each cohort. Dr Olga notes that “student reception to the content changes through the years.”
For instance, she sharesd how in the past, she defended Tereza, the Stoic figure of Milan Kundera’s “The Unbearable Lightness of Being,”, as students found her “heavy and boring.” This year, however, the academic found herself defending Tereza’s Epicurean and unfaithful love interest, Tomás, as students sided with the former.
When asked for her What is the definition of education,? Dr Olga answers, “Iit is the ability to establish analytical connections between various domains.”
Indeed, her classes are a melting pot of different disciplinary backgrounds, from International Relations to Economics. She notes that each student “brings a little bit of their specialisation into the discussions.” It is through these contributions, revolving around literary topics, that students come to appreciate how the humanities and social sciences are intimately connected. Drawing on a plethora of ideas, students are given the freedom to develop their individual academic capacity.
Teaching is not limited to the LSE’s classrooms; Dr Olga and Dr Angus frequently organise trips to the theatre. In the past, these have included Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre, the National Theatre, and many more. Dr Olga polemically states that these trips are “never to take students to something educational.” Rather, both academics wish to share with students “something that we love.” Indeed, in the past, Dr Olga has directed plays for the summer LSE Festival with her students as performing actors.
The Great Mission of Literature
The LSE has a well-known reputation of being oriented around employability for the job market. In this contextthe midst of this, what can literature offer to students? Dr Olga responds, “I cannot offer a distinct professional contribution.”
With However, she adds a caveat, stating, she states, however, that the discipline has “a “tremendous impact on personal psychological development.” Literature is the exploration of human life in all its shades of pain, suffering, joy, and hope. By unveiling this diversity, Dr Olga explains that readers are given the opportunity to “relive the lives of the characters,” gaining “experience that is not available in your everyday life.”
This personal development does not remain in class; it is transferred to many spheres of life, including employment. The academic states, “professional ethics, working with people…will always be with you.” Hence, rReading not only develops your literary lens, but it equips you with the ethical, cultural and social sensibilities that wholly transform you.
In addition, Lliterature is an indispensable discipline to study in conjunction with the traditional social sciences and humanities. Dr Olga highlights how, in general, socio-political phenomena are explained as being “moved by certain kinds of mechanisms and causes.” This macro analysis of structures, institutions, and economic conditions is consistent across many disciplines. It requires, as Dr Olga states, looking into the past from a distance through “the vantage point of time.”
However, this approach risks remaining in the abstract, removing study from the tangible. As the academic underscores, it “flattens human life” by dismissing developments on the micro level. Literature, “allows you to plunge into this medium and trace the tiny details.” This ideapoint becomes more pronounced when exploring these tensions through the books studied at the LSE.
You can memorise the statistics of people who perished under Stalin’s gulags, or debate the extent of worker exploitation and economic freedom under capitalism. However, you cannot truly grasp the psychology of a prisoner and the ethical compromises that are made under conditions of daily starvation until you read Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn’s account in “One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich.”; and it is reading Franz Kafka’s “The Metamorphosis” that truly shows you how economic precarity instrumentalises and breaks down social relations.
You can debate the extent of worker exploitation and economic freedom under capitalism. However, it is reading Franz Kafka’s “The Metamorphosis” that truly shows you how economic precarity instrumentalises and breaks down social relations.
Similarly, Ddebates on rationality and empiricism are rife in philosophy classrooms. But can you really understand the counterintuitive tendency of the human mind until you explore Fyodor Dostoevsky’s murderous anti-hero Raskolnikov in his seminal work “Crime and Punishment”?
This disciplineLiterature centres the microscopic instances of human life that constitute the phenomena. It appreciates and acknowledges the individualhuman before they areit is quantified into a number or aggregated into a structural factor. It grounds theory in reality while imparting onto the reader a humanising outlook on academia.
Group of Mavericks
It is undeniable that Literature gives students a holistic intellectual edge. In fact, Dr Olga poetically characterises her students as “Mmavericks” who are “a little bit off the mainstream mentality, fascinating and interesting.”
These students choose to engage with a rich artistic medium, momentarily suspending employability angst. In turn, Dr Olga and Dr Angus carefully guide them to self-discovery, moulded through interactions with different literary characters.
Literature is here at the LSE, ever evolving and open to receive all .
Dr Olga’s favourite place to read is in the Shaw Library, “especially if someone is playing piano there.” To experience an academic’s moment of bliss, walk to the Library on the sixth floor of the Old Building with a book in hand. Your choice of reading may be one of the three suggestions Dr Olga leaves you, a potential “Mmaverick,” as a parting gift:
For love – The Gift by Vladimir Nabokov
For thought – The Glass Bead Game by Hermann Hesse
For pleasure – La Reine Margot by Alexandre Dumas
