The mapping of Soviet-Yiddish literature in revolutionary and post-revolutionary Russia/Soviet Union demands re-evaluation in the light of recent historical research. This volume of proceedings of the First Heidelberg International Conference in Modern Yiddish Studies, 'Yiddish Poets and the Soviet Union, 1917-1948', is primarily concerned with the poetic word and its utopian belief, as well as with the "masters" of the Yiddish word, the poets, and their predicament in the Soviet state. Integral to the discussion is the work of those Yiddish poets in the Diaspora who had strong ideological ties with the Soviet Union, as well as the lesser known, marginalized poetry written by women. Thanks to the interdisciplinary perspective of the conference, the essential role played by socio-historical ideological and cross-cultural factors in the making of Soviet-Yiddish poetry comes to the fore.