A Historical Turn in Post-Soviet Russophone Fiction

• In Event: Contemporary Russophone Literature: History, Memory, and Language

Abstract

The paper argues that there has been a historical turn in post-Soviet Russophone fiction, echoing Hsu Ming Teo’s (2011) assertion about a recent historical turn in Anglo-American fiction. In the last couple of decades, the Rethinking History journal has become a platform for discussing the role played by historical fiction and its relationship with history in Anglo-American context. This paper will draw on these debates to examine a selection of post-Soviet historical novels, including works by Narine Abgaryan, Natalia Ilishkina, Hamid Ismailov, Guzel Yakhina. These will be examined in terms of how they treat authenticity and accuracy (as defined by Laura Saxton 2020), how they use historical detail and setting (by drawing on Harry Shaw 2005), how they use literary tools to transcend ‘the truth – reality distinction’ (Hayden White 2005), and how they construct stories through inclusion and exclusion (Slotkin 2005). In addition, the paper will consider reasons for the post-Soviet rise of historical novels, especially those focusing on the past as it was experienced by ethnic minorities.

Author

• Nataliya E Rulyova, U of Birmingham (UK)