Article

Name: Somebody in Grey by L. Andreev and “Somebody” by S. Krzhizhanovsky: peculiarities of writers’ debate

Authors: A. A. Manskov

Altai State University, Barnaul, Russian Federation

In the section Study of literature

Abstract: The paper analyses a possible cultural dialogue between L. Andreyev and S. Krzhizhanovsky. Both writers occupy the so-called borderland place in the history of Russian literature as their creativity exceeded the limits of existing literary movements. Chronologically, the writers worked in the period of post-modernism in Russia. Thus, the books by L. Andreev and S. Krzhizhanovsky have some common features that are typical for that literary paradigm. The authors share similar worldviews and attitudes: their interest in the works by F. Nietzsche and A. Schopenhauer, and as a result, their pessimistic perception of the reality. S. Krzhizhanovsky’s novella Somebody has some reference to L. Andreev’s play The Life of Man. The characters have similar names – Somebody and Somebody in Grey. One more similarity is light and colour of literary place: grey colour and evening shade prevail. Much attention is given to the human body parts: hands, closed eyes, peculiarities of the voice. Their common feature is their belonging to the world of shades. Both Somebody and Somebody in Grey appear from the dark and disappear in the dark. A stranger, who was met by the high-school student in the park, is associated with the shadow – Somebody’s appearance. These features are determined by the logic of the author’s intention. S. Krzhizhanovsky stresses the moments depicting the similarity of his characters to L. Andreev’s ones. He is even afraid that readers do not notice that fact. While acting in concert, L. Andreev and S. Krzhizhanovsky create a common intertextual space, that is an integral part of modernism discourse.

Keywords: theatre, grey color, light, dark, shade, voice

Bibliography:

Andreyev L. N. Sobraniye sochineniy: V 6 t. T. 2 [Collected works: in 6 vols. Vol. 2]. Moscow, Khudozh. lit., 1990.

Kalmykova V. “Strany, kotorykh est’,” ili Khudozhestvennyy mir Sigizmunda Krzhizhanovskogo [“The countries that exist”, or the creative world of Sigismund Krzhizhanovsky]. Neva. 2009, no. 4. URL: http://magazines.russ.ru/neva/2009/4/ka13.html (accessed 13.07.2018).

Krzhizhanovskiy S. Vospominaniye o budushchem [Memories of the future]. Moscow, Mosk. rabochiy, 1989.

Krzhizhanovskiy S. Sobraniye sochineniy: V 6 t. [Collected works: in 6 vols]. Vol. 1. St. Petersburg, Symposium, 2001; Vol 2. St. Petersburg, Symposium, 2001; Vol 5. St. Petersburg, Symposium, 2010; Vol. St. Petersburg, Symposium, 2013.

Perel’muter V. Sigizmund Krzhizhanovskiy. Sobraniye sochineniy v 5-ti tomakh. Chto dal’she? [Sigizmund Krzhizhanovskiy. Collected works in 5 vols. What is next?]. Toronto Slavic Quarterly. 2007, no 19. URL: http://sites.utoronto.ca/tsq/19/index19.shtml (accessed 13.07.2018).

Vorob’yeva E. I. Zhanrovoye svoyeobraziye tvorchestva S. D. Krzhizhanovskogo [Genre originality of of the work of S. D. Krzhizhanovsky]. Cand. philol. sci. diss. Moscow, 2002a.

Vorob’yeva E. I. Neizvestnyy Krzhizhanovskiy (Zametki o kiyevskom periode tvorchestva pisatelya) [Unknown Krzhizhanovsky (Notes about the Kiev period of the writer’s creativity)].

Voprosy literatury. 2002b, no. 6. URL: http://magazines.russ.ru /voplit/2002/6/vor.html (accessed 13.07.2018).

Zemskova D. D., Abisheva U. K. Neorealizm v russkoy literature 1900–1910 godov [Neorealism in Russian Literature 1900–1910]. Moscow, MSU Publ., 2005, 286 p.