Post Soviet Union Literature - Essay Example

? Post Soviet Union Literature Russia has experienced a quick change in the style and form of literatures by the national authors after the decision to promote glasnost or allowing free discussion in both speech and transition of culture was allowed. It is worth noting that even despite lifting the censorship, the book market was highly affected by economic and political chaos leading into several book printing industry falling and eventually reducing the number of printed books. Nevertheless, detective stories and thrillers have turned out to be very successful in the 1990s and a decade later, Boris Akunin’s 19th century sleuth became very popular. Boris Akunin is a prominent Russian author of suspense fiction who is known for Fandorin series that formed part of the James Bond and Hercules Poirot creations. According to Akunin & Bromfield (2007), Sister Pelagia and the White Bulldog symbol the commencement of a new direction for Akunin and decently present Mortalis, which is a new imprint of literary mystery and suspense fiction for Random House. There is a revelation of unnamed, omnipresent narrator that Sister Pelagia is a sleuth in nun’s habit who would want to dedicate her life God but she is muffled by the demand of the order as well as the woman’s role in the 20th century Russia. As a woman and a nun, Pelagia experiences a lot of constraint although she has skilful navigation of the Russian society. Pelagia and the white bulldog show how the small town of Zavolzhsk is transformed from its rural nature due to the arrival of a dangerous and persuasive inspector (Akunin & Bromfield, 2007). Pelagia is nun and a teacher at the Zavolzhsk Diocesan School for girls and she possess various skills including innocent countenance, keen hearing and eyesight, intelligence and open minded lady who is also a perceptive quality knitter. The literary work utilizes a lot of Pelagia’s hidden talent such as solving mysterious crime, which she largely uses in solving bishop’s challenges. Boris Akunin writes about the religious improperties in the town and explains how they are investigated especially regarding the appointment of Vladimir Llovih Bubenstov (Fiction reviews, 2008). Boris Akunin has used tale and humour in his work with many 19th century literary styles as he gives two memorable characters, the bishop Mitrofani and Pelagia the nun. Pelagia’s life appears more different from expected especially when she is instructed by the bishop to go and solve the murder case white bulldog that was raised by the bishop’s aunt. Pelagia has utilized her substantial power of observation to recognize the real nature of and motives of the aunt’s guests and other people associated with her. The author has utilized challenging style including the various characters that are not easy to separate. Additionally, there are many deviations regarding politics, religion, beliefs and social settings of the remote Russian province, Zavolzhie region. According to Fiction reviews (2008), Pelagia is adept at solving mysteries but only discloses this unique character to the bishop who in turn keeps it a secret. The bishop uses Pelagia as a secret weapon during political skirmishes that marred the times. The literature is also characterized antithesis and at times think tend to wander off track although the author includes some dry, subtle humour within social and political commentary. The literary work involves a series of quirky suspects giving rise to fascinating scenes that at times, border on lunacy. Looking at the book, the subsequent havoc teases and confounds the reader until the last bit of it. The characters in the book are actually well defined and some of the Russian towns are very realistic although the plot does not seem very strong because it cannot be easily followed. The tale, which is a bit confusing, seems to get lost amongst the strange descriptions of the Russian society culture and the people and does not develop compelling rhythm (Fiction reviews, 2008). In the early chapters, the author sets aside Pelagia’s journey to explain the association of the elite in her society. The whole story revolves around Pelagia who continuously changes her personality by revealing strength of character at one point and another odd character because of her obedience to church. As a nun, she should carry out her investigations as a sister, charming beautiful woman yet she is a clumsy mistress of deceit even though she worries about her immortal soul. According to Fiction reviews (2008), Boris Akunin has revaled some social evils found in the church and the society by using characters like protective bishop, Mitrofanii, witty nun Sister Pelagia and the scene of dead people, dead dogs and sex scandal. Nevertheless, the author has stayed true to the tradition of the Russian literary through his long introduction and inclusion of long names. Boris Akunin introduces readers to Sister Pelagia whom there is no proper reason as to why she ended up as a nun and even an explanation as to why the bishop chose her. The author is a master who leaves clues and does not make everything obvious to the readers. He does not act as some detective or crime writers who would only expose vital information to the detectives but not to the readers and this makes his work even better created. Day of the Oprichnik Day of the Oprichnik is a story set in the futuristic Moscow that is satirical and polemic with brilliant analysis of a society in crisis (Sorokin & Gambrell, 2012). The oprichinik were a cult-like death squad, which was set up by Tsar Ivan to carry out activities such as slaying the enemies in service of His Majesty. Komiaga is a member of His majesty’s private army who between dreams, rapes, kills and censors his fellow Russians but he is suddenly woken up by whip cracks and moans. The literary opens with a dream sequence which is similar to the one it ends with. Stylistically, there is no difference between the framing of Komiaga’s consciousness and unconsciousness content regarding the fate of Russia as compared with his feelings about daily matters. According to Sorokin & Gambrell (2012), Sorokin has acted as chief literary export for Russia due to his virtues that are closely associated with post modernism. He attempts to distort some recognizable reality in a very exciting and evocative way which represents the grasp of the current dominating logics. He explains the uniqueness of the world operating in two familiar though in an irreconcilable environments. The incompatible registers Sorokin refers to are the Tsarist Russia of Ions and the Orthodox Church, the capitalist, post-soviet putinesque of special police policing or even whatever is thought worth policing (Sorokin & Gambrell, 2012). The Oprichiniks in the current society are popularly regarded as a special service that is responsible in handling every duty assigned to them by the majesty. The novel has some pieces that linking Russia on the nature of the world in the near future where the West is treated as fantasyland for demonic acts such as rape while China is the force to reckon with. The story shows how a well-supplied and indulged worker in His majesty’s name party as well as representation of a Russian woman as an individual who prefers guardsmen to Osprichniks. Actually, when the reader takes a keen interest, it would be obvious that the Russia being talked about is not the real Russia everyone is familiar with. Komiaga’s day is pathetic as he aids in destroying homes of a fallen nobleman. He further goes to church to defile His majesty’s son and even further takes bribe to pass a wrong judgement (Shippey, 2011). This is what America is related with. This is a deadly depiction of the North America and the Western Europe in future. The Day of the Oprichnik is indeed futuristic after several apocalyptic events showing the restoration of the authoritarian monarchy in Russia. It further represents the rapid globalization, which has extremely changed the society where secret police reigns supreme. Sorokin shows that the secret police initially conforms to the classic model of the dystopia that has largely occupied European and American literature in 20th century. It is undeniable that Vladmir Sorokin’s literary work is a collection of his strikingly phantasm-tic conceptualist prose as well as his remote social effects as he offers his take on the dystopian genre (Shippey, 2011). Sorokin seems to be convinced that history is bound to repeat itself and he sets the premise for radical social change in a series of red, white and grey turmoil. He posits that there would be an absolute monarchy in Russia and a wall erected around Russia will make it only have China as the only international partner. According to Shippey (2011), Sorokin asserts that the extreme isolation would make the country borrow from her cultural past to come up with a totalitarian society based on ideology of self-determination, orthodoxy and tradition. The novel remains dystopian and socially critical towards reality that it creates and the narrator, Komiaga covers the unpleasant reality of the society portrayed. Komiaga’s use of repetition structures and legitimizes truth and conceals the monstrous social and cultural beliefs of the futuristic Russia. The narration has paradoxically served its purpose instead of acting as a cautionary tale (Sorokin & Gambrell, 2012). The story also becomes an incantation in a way slightly denying that it is a political satire of the present instead, it reveals current socio-political reality that gives a stern warning regarding the future. This literary work attempts to reveal the notion that the Russian literature is meant to guide the force for social change, which also define the ideology of Socialist realism. Predictability of the Russian future is indeed a relevant social concern according to Sorokin and that even if the future turns bad, there will still be some significance and it feels comfortable about making socio-political and cultural predictions (Shippey, 2011). There seems to be an impossible autocracy that makes Russia cut itself from the West as Sorokin explains thus forcing it to direct itself towards Asia. Russia turns to China which is completely the Euriasianist sense and that Russia is dependent on someone thus restricting her standing in the world in as much as they really wants it (Sorokin & Gambrell, 2012). Every Russian reader would grasp a lot especially those versed with the contemporary world. Sorokin’s work is amongst the much science fiction with vague notion of the speculative literature of Russia that provided a number of alternate narrations that bounced from an outlandish heredity of fabulism. The author who is a Russian satirist seems to raise chirpy, despondent, pessimistic, traditional, postmodern and even more explosive impact amongst readers. He seems very controversial in his fiction where he steeped in globally shared images of science fiction that is intensely engrained in the Russian culture. References Akunin, B., & Bromfield, A. (2007). Sister Pelagia and the White Bulldog: A Novel. New York: Random House Trade Paperbacks. Fiction Reviews. (2008). Publishers Weekly, 255(12), 49-N/A. Retrieved From Http://Search.Proquest.Com/Docview/197107809?Accountid=45049 Shippey, T. (2011, Mar 19). REVIEW --- Books -- Science-Fiction Chronicle: From Russia, With Lurid Storytelling. Wall Street Journal. Retrieved From Http://Search.Proquest.Com/Docview/857690227?Accountid=45049 Sorokin, V., & Gambrell, J. (2012). Day Of The Oprichnik: A Novel. New York: Farrar, Straus Giroux. Read More