The tale of the fall and decline period in V. Rasputin’s and B. Yekimov’s prose

Abstract

The article analyzes V. Rasputin’s and B. Yekimov’s 1990s works as a macro plot, a tale of a hero resisting collapse, which prompted both authors to employ the tragic twist of a mother taking to vigilantism. In her study, S. Krylova examines two novellas, published almost simultaneously: V. Rasputin’s Ivan’s Daughter, Ivan’s Mother [Doch Ivana, mat Ivana] (2003) and B. Yekimov’s Hold Back Your Tears [Ne nado plakat] (2004). She argues that the time has come to revise the first impression made by the books at their original publication: having witnessed the historic degradation of the 1990s just a few years before, readers perceived the stories as contemporary and accurate accounts of, or even a verdict about, the events. Twenty years on, this prose reads differently from those previous years. While back in the day the feelings it evoked were those of desperation, the books now reveal more nuances related to their authors’ spiritual interpretation of the era of collapse. As Krylova emphasizes, it has become clear that the act of vigilantism had an unexpected adverse effect on the avengers. She notes that only Ivan’s Daughter, Ivan’s Mother, destined to be Rasputin’s final novella, succeeded in tackling this problem with full consideration of its repercussions.