This study of 25 texts looks at the influence of Bolshevik ideology upon Russian literature of the period. The issues covered include; the attitude of the Bolshevik party towards literature, the relationship between belles-lettres and propaganda, the significance of the term proletarian, the portrayal of heroes in literary texts, the attitude toward pre-revolutionary culture and the attitude to be adopted towards writers and artists unwilling to conform to the accepted viewpoint.