J. Matthew Kiser, who is entering the Department of Slavic Languages and Literatures this fall, brings a broad interest in contemporary Russian culture to his study of post-perestroika literature and film. Kiser received a B.A. from William and Mary with a thesis using recent Russian detective fiction to examine the shifting roles of the intelligentsia following the collapse of the Soviet Union. At Berkeley, Kiser plans to continue his work on contemporary Russia while expanding and deepening his interests in Russian literature and culture.