Contextualizing the shanson phenomenon
Criminals' music from its origins to the early Soviet period: a glorified archetype
Soviet underworld music: from the Bolshevik revolution through the end of the Stalin era
From post-Stalinist censorship to the contemporary mainstream: the birth of the shanson
The shanson: main features and tropes
The shanson in Russia: from the slums to the Kremlin
Turning Russia's immediate reality into song
Epilogue: Soundtrack to Russian life.