scholarly journals The image of soviet reality in Kjell Westö’s novel “Mirage 38”

2020 ◽  
Vol 18 (2) ◽  
pp. 344-355
Author(s):  
Irina Matashina ◽  

The article is dedicated to the novel of the modern Finnish-Swedish writer Kjell Westö, “Mirage 38” (published in 2013). The action takes place in the 1930s, and an important role in the work is played by the description of the historical background, within which the storylines develop. The author could not ignore Finland’s foreign policy relations, including relations with the Soviet Union. Such references are the subject of analysis in this article. The historical facts mentioned in the novel are, for the most part, genuine, since Westö takes seriously the factual preparation of his works. Nevertheless, some events are covered through the prism of perception of the protagonist, therefore, they cannot claim to be objective. Moscow in the novel “Mirage 38” appears as a bulwark of urban civilization, in which a new way of life is emerging. The main character, having been assigned to the capital of the country, experiences a dissonance of his inner attitude with what he encounters in reality. The depiction of Soviet reality in the novel bears the imprint of the knowledge available in the 20th century about the era of Stalinism, and therefore is strikingly different from the impressions that contemporaries of the described historical period had. Also, the writer’s acquaintance with Russian literature could have had an impact, since the work mentions its representatives, and the main character discusses their influence on his mood. The correlation of objectively depicted historical facts with the subjective perception of Westö’s characters creates a unique atmosphere that critics appreciated and later awarded the novel “Mirage 38” with a prestigious award.

2021 ◽  
Vol 15 (3) ◽  
pp. 457-466
Author(s):  
Helena Soini ◽  
Irina Matashina

The article is devoted to the image of the USSR, which is formed in the fiction of Finland in the XX-XXI centuries. Attention is paid to both prose and poetic works. Each of the selected authors presents the reader a special view of the history of the Soviet Union and adjacent countries, makes an attempt to see well-known events in a new way, show them from the point of view of the Finnish Swedes, Finns, Estonians, pay attention to new details of history. The article compares the positions of writers of different generations: the group of «flame-bearers» of the early XX century («Tulenkantajat»), who reflected the interest of the world community in the emergence of a young Soviet state, and our contemporaries for the same era. The problems that exist in Soviet society are becoming noticeable. Writers try to find a balance between the positive and negative aspects of Soviet history, to show the fate of a particular person. Authors are also interested in outstanding representatives of Russian culture and history (for example, Dostoevsky and Gogol). Memories of writers about their stay in the USSR influence the formation of the figurative system of their works. The object of the image is not only specific people, but also cities: Leningrad, Murmansk, Moscow, the impression of them is extrapolated to the country as a whole. The personality of the writer, reflected in the choice of the historical period, the main character and the point of view on the history of the USSR, gives special value and uniqueness to each of the selected novels and poems.


The article researches the problems of imagology on the material of the trilogy «Gondwana „Expedition”» by L. Tendiuk. The concept of ours – stranger is fundamental to the imagology, questions of the stereotypes of the national thinking as for the images of other nations are raised, and those who have hostile or friendly relationships. And the image of the stranger is revealed with the receptive evaluation apparatus, defines the subject with its self-consciousness and value system. The opposition by the opponents of two warring countries – the Soviet Union and America – realizes in the model of your ours and absolute stranger. The awareness of the heterogeneity of the hero Vasyl Haiovyi and his companions testifies about subjective sympathy as the basis of the imagological representations. Their ideas about good Americans show in the model our people ↔ strangers who could potentially be our. Introducing of the main character with Vietnamese Chang transforms the latter into a state of our and certified with trust and understanding with him and other experimental Vietnamese. This model of relationships is built on the scheme I (our) ↔ absolute stranger → our. This scheme also shows the acquaintance with Lota, who is recognized as our although working on the enemy. The meeting of the researchers with the natives of Atoll represents the clash of different cultures, but it transforms into a hierarchical opposition model of ours – stranger during the conversation between them, because the natives recognize the superiority of the stranger as divine beings. The presence of sailors among the natives can be described as a model of I (ours) → stranger. The ship as a minimodel of native land becomes the center of orderly space that opposes to the chaos of the stranger.


2019 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
pp. 277-316
Author(s):  
Rafael Tomaz de Oliveira

This article is based on the novel “The Kindly Ones”, by Jonathan Littell, and its main objective is to explore the experiences of its main character, Maximilien Aue, a Nazi officer, an SS member, a jurist, and a juris doctor, who on several occasions assumed the condition of executioner in one of the Einsatzgruppen that acted in the rear of the German front during the War against the Soviet Union. This study seeks to explore the relationship of this character with a political regime marked by authoritarianism and the erosion of the legal forms that characterize a Rechtsstaat – metaphorized in the figure of the Behemoth, in the interpretation given by Franz Neumann. The methodological structure is guided by strategies of approximation between law and literature, in order to allow, from the construction of a common hermeneutic situation, different ways of relating to the truth established in these two fields of knowledge to access new interpretations in order to analyze the intricate relationship between law and authoritarianism. The outcome, starting from Max Aue’s tragic experience, illuminated the fate reserved for those who, as people or individuals, had awakened the Erinyes from their benevolent sleep.


1929 ◽  
Vol 25 (9) ◽  
pp. 977-982
Author(s):  
Aria Ya. Pleshitser

The XVI Party Conference in its appeal to all workers and toiling peasants of the Soviet Union on socialist emulation points out: Gigantic tasks have been set by history for the working people of our country. In a relatively short historical period, we must catch up and overtake the advanced capitalist countries in technical and economic terms, carrying out the socialist reconstruction of the entire national economy.


1989 ◽  
Vol 154 (S4) ◽  
pp. 47-50 ◽  
Author(s):  
Erik Strömgren

The concept of reactive or psychogenic psychoses has had a peculiar fate. Especially at the beginning of the century, under the influence of the writings of Jaspers (Jaspers, 1913) which included definitions of ‘psychogenic’ and ‘psychoses’, the term ‘psychogenic psychoses’ came into common use in European psychiatry. In Scandinavia, this trend was greatly reinforced by August Wimmer's monograph in 1916 on the subject. In the later editions of Kraepelin's standard textbook, the concept appeared quite frequently, and the same was the case in other leading textbooks, for instance in the Soviet Union and Japan.


2021 ◽  
Vol 30 ◽  
pp. 239-258
Author(s):  
Krzysztof Nowak

Nicolae Ceauşescu’s Diplomacy in the Face of Political Changes in Poland in 1989 In 1989, Romania belonged to the communist countries, which particularly strongly attacked communist Poland for carrying out democratic reforms. For many months the diplomacy of communist leader Nicolae Ceaşescu tried to organize a conference of socialist countries on the subject of Poland, but as a result of Moscow’s opposition it did not come to fruition. During the Gorbachev era, the Soviet Union rejected the Brezhnev doctrine, while Romania actually urged its restoration. This was in contradiction with the current political line of Ceauşescu in favor of not interfering in the internal affairs of socialist countries. However, in 1989 it was a threat to communism, which is why historians also have polemics about Romanian suggestions for the armed intervention of the Warsaw Pact in Poland. In turn, Romania did not allow Poland to interfere in the problems of the Polish minority in Bukovina.


2016 ◽  
Vol 5 (2) ◽  
pp. 126-130
Author(s):  
Azat Korbangalievich Idiatullov ◽  
Lilia Nadipovna Galimova

In recent years there has been an increased interest in Islam and Islamic law. Islam plays a very significant role in the modern world. Close interaction between legal and religious prescriptions of Islam, the religious basis of Muslim law, Muslim character is not in doubt. The article analyses informal religiosity of Muslim peoples of the Middle Volga and Urals in the 1960-1970. This time for relations between the authorities and Islamic institutions is relatively liberal. The restoration and development of official, allowed in the Soviet Union, as well as quite nontraditional for the Soviet time Islamic practices are noted by the authorities in the Middle Volga and the Urals. The reports name such informal forms of religiosity as neo-paganism, wandering mullahs, unofficial Muslim groups, worship, places of burial of saints and Sufi sources. The authorities, the party authorities, the official Muslim clergy stopped all forms of unofficial religiosity. For the Muslim peoples Islam has often been the subject of interest as a cultural component of their traditional worldview rather than a religious system. The authors believe that the Islamic religion has moved from ethno-cultural to the personal, informal level.


Author(s):  
Valentina Mikhailovna Bol'shakova

The subject of this research is the evolution of the structure of judicial system of the Russian Federation in the late XX – early XXI centuries. Description is given to the changes undergone by the Russian judicial system after dissolution of the Soviet Union. The author follows the dynamics of the normative legal changes that regulate judicial proceedings, as well as reveals the institutional framework of the modern structure of judicial system of the Russian Federation. The article illustrates the institutional and normative changes within the structure of judicial system of the Russian Federation in the late XX – early XXI centuries based on application of the comparative-legal and systemic methods of research. The novelty and the main conclusions lie in the following: it is established that the Russian Federation has issued the normative legal acts that contribute to the strengthening and unification of the Russian judicial system, uniformity of social guarantees and compensations set for judges. Currently, the judicial system of the Russian Federation is founded on the principle of combining administrative-territorial and district organization. It is determined that the judicial system of the Russian Federation consists of 1) the Constitutional Court of the Russian Federation; 2) the Supreme Court of the Russian Federation; 3) federal courts of general jurisdiction; 4) arbitration courts; 5) magistrates’ courts of the constituent entities of the Russian Federation. It is noted that since January 1, 2023, the Constitutional (statutory) courts of the constituent entities of the Russian Federation will be abolished.


Author(s):  
K. V. Shlykov

The article explores the significance of Mikhail Gorbachev's first journey to the UK in December 1984 for the East-West relations. The visit was initiated by Margaret Thatcher who wanted to get acquainted with the potential Soviet leader as she hoped to become a trusted intermediary between Moscow and Washington. The revitalization of contacts with the USSR was a part of Britain's resurgence as a major world player after the Falklands victory. The discussions in London focused on the issue of strategic stability, though they could only serve to give the parties a better understanding of each other's position, as no political agreement could be reached due to the nature of the visit and the fact that any agreement on the subject had to be between the Soviet Union and the United States. The bilateral relations issues being discussed included mostly economic cooperation and such problems as human rights in the USSR and Soviet assistance to the British miners' strike. Gorbachev's speech on "new political thinking" and "a common European home", expressions first used during the visit to Uk, rang hollow to London, however Thatcher had the impression that she could deal with the Soviet politician in future. The British public opinion also saw Mikhail Gorbachev and his wife favourably. Later statements of Lady Thatcher and Gorbachev's critics on the meeting being defining for the foreign policy of the perestroika era should be seen as exaggerated, as the demise of the Communist system and the USSR were not foreseen by anyone in 1984, either in London or in Moscow.


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