During the Soviet era Ol'ga Forsh was regarded as one of the foremost writers of historical fiction in Russia. This acknowledgment was based on her choice of subject matter, on her priority in the genre, and, to a lesser degree, on her themes, challenging style, and ability to satisfy the norms of socialist realism. In subsequent reviews of her accomplishments as an author, critics have been able to assess works that were repressed after their initial publication, including the engaging narrative Sumasshedshii korabl' (Crazy Ship, 1930), which is admired for its innovative qualities. She was one of the first women authors to receive critical notice after the revolution. As an older member of the prerevolutionary intelligentsia who chose not to emigrate but to lend her talents to educating a new generation, her work received widespread, if not unqualified, approbation.

Forsh was prolific for a woman who began her career...