Beginning early in the century when Civil War hero Vasily Chapaev was the central figure of war and literature, Brintlinger (Slavic and East European languages and literatures, Ohio State U.) traces the figure as he becomes a vital part of Soviet cultural memory, reflected in literary texts and broader social contexts. When the Soviet Union collapsed, she says, he reemerged, reclaimed in the service of the post-Soviet camp. She looks at the work of a dozen writers in sections on creating heroes from chaos, World War II and the hero, Cold War repercussions, and Chapaev and war: Russian redux. Annotation ©2013 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)