Lena Lenček

Lena Lenček is a professor emerita of Russian and Humanities at Reed College. A scholar of Russian and Slavic literature, her teaching and research have encompassed medieval East Slavic literature, Russian Romanticism and Modernism, and literary theory. She is the author and co-author of numerous books on cultural history, including The Beach: A History of Paradise on Earth, a New York Times Notable Book of the Year. Her prolific work has led to several television documentaries. She has been a radio columnist for Canadian Public Broadcasting and has contributed to "The Savvy Traveler", National Public Radio, and other NPR venues. Most recently, she translated Pavel Muratov’s (1881-1950) dazzling trilogy of travel impressions, Obrazy Italii (Evocations of Italy, Northwestern University Press, 2026). Professor Lenček was educated at Barnard College and Harvard University.