Medical Storyworlds: Health, Illness, and Bodies in Russian and European Literature at the Turn of the Twentieth Century.

This review focuses on *Medical Storyworlds: Health, Illness, and Bodies in Russian and European Literature at the Turn of the Twentieth Century* by Elena Fratto, which examines late nineteenth- and early twentieth-century Russian and European literature through the lens of medical humanities. The book employs narratological theories and Michel Foucault's concepts of medical authority to explore themes of illness, death, and the human body in canonical texts, including works by Tolstoy and Bulgakov. It addresses how literature and medical science intersected to reflect changing ideas about health, mortality, and subjectivity amid historical crises and totalitarian regimes. The study also considers ethical and political dimensions, such as patient agency and state control, making it relevant to scholars interested in literature, medical ethics, and cultural history.