Preview

Voprosy literatury

Advanced search
Open Access Open Access  Restricted Access Subscription Access

On the edge of the past — on the edge of eternity. A roll call of voices in modern Russian and French prose

https://doi.org/10.31425/0042-8795-2020-5-150-165

Abstract

The article offers a comparative analysis of modern literature in France and Russia and examines the oeuvres of master prose writers who achieved recognition in their native country and abroad in the late 20th - early 21st cc. The authors come to the conclusion about a close affinity between Russian and French literature in terms of form and experimentation with new means of artistic expressiveness; the two appear particularly related typologically in their attitude towards literature that transcends classical traditions, i. e. towards Postmodernist writers. The authors find, however, that the two literatures differ in their preferred themes. Thus, modern French writers seem to be drawn to perennial existential problems, while their Russian counterparts prefer specific historical topics, often from the recent past. The aforementioned differences could be explained by the fact that the two nations' historical memories were shaped by principally different socio-political and cultural circumstances.

About the Authors

V. A. Meskin
Peoples' Friendship University of Russia
Russian Federation
Vladimir А. Meskin - Doctor of Philology6 Miklukho-Maklay St., Moscow, 117198 


K. N. Galay
Peoples' Friendship University of Russia
Russian Federation

Karina N. Galay - Candidate of Philology

6 Miklukho-Maklay St., Moscow, 117198



References

1. Abdullaev, E. (2015). Russian Booker notes on the philosophy of the modern novel. Voprosy Literatury, 5, pp. 32-50. (In Russ.)

2. Atanesyan, G. and Makushinsky, A. (2014). ‘A special path leads to a dead end.' Alek¬sey Makushinsky on the art of the novel in the 21st century and on Russian Europeans. [online] Theory and Practice. Available at: https://theoryandpractice.ru/posts/9304-russkie-evropeytsy [Accessed 25 May 2020]. (In Russ.)

3. Lacroix, A. and Malka, L. (2012). Has France retained its former literary power? Inostrannaya Literatura, 11, pp. 273-281. (In Russ.)

4. Lapitsky, V., ed. (2008). Midnight: The 21st century: An anthology of the lat¬est French prose from the Minuit publishing house. St. Petersburg: Amfora. (In Russ.)

5. Meskin, V. (2014). Realism - Postmodernism in Russian literature yesterday and today. Vestnik Rossiyskogo Universiteta Druzhby Narodov. Literary Criti¬cism. Journalism, 4, pp. 5-11. (In Russ.)

6. Muravyova, L. (2018). The crisis of hybrid genres: Philippe Forest and the return of the ‘I-novel' to French literature. Inostrannaya Literatura, 4, pp. 243-263 (In Russ.)

7. Mybook. ru. [n. d.] Reviews of the books by Viktor Pelevin. [online] Available at: https://mybook.ru/author/viktor-pelevin/reviews/?page=8 [Accessed 1 June 2020]. (In Russ.)

8. Nabokov, V. (2012). Lectures on Russian literature. Translated by S. Antonov, A. Kurt, E. Golysheva et al. St. Petersburg: Azbuka. (In Russ.)

9. Shervashidze, V. (2007). Trends and prospects for the evolution of the French novel. Voprosy Literatury, 2, pp. 72-102. (In Russ.)

10. Viart, D. (2012). Literature of suspicion: Problems of the modern novel. Translated by A. Petrova. Inostrannaya Literatura, 11, pp. 252-272. (In Russ.)


Review

For citations:


Meskin V.A., Galay K.N. On the edge of the past — on the edge of eternity. A roll call of voices in modern Russian and French prose. Voprosy literatury. 2020;(5):150-165. (In Russ.) https://doi.org/10.31425/0042-8795-2020-5-150-165

Views: 337


ISSN 0042-8795 (Print)