The Etymology of the Title of A.P. Platonov’s Novel Chevengur and its Reflection in the Ideological Content of the Work

The purpose of this study is to determine a possible new etymology of the title of A.P. Platonov’s novel Chevengur and to track the reflection in the text of the novel of possible translations of this title into Russian. The relevance of the research is determined by the fact that the philosophical novel Chevengur is the main work of A.P. Platonov and invariably attracts the attention of researchers in Russia and abroad, since it touches on eternal questions of existence. Explanatory-etymological, comparative-linguistic and intertextual methods are used. The etymology of the title of A.P. Platonov’s novel Chevengur and its existing etymologizations are considered. A new hypothesis is put forward about the origin of the name ‘Chevengur’ from the Armenian-Turkic word ‘chilingar’, which is substantiated by the proven facts of A.P. Platon ov’s contacts with representatives of the Armenian community of Voronezh even before starting work on the novel Chevengur . The use of the words ‘master’, ‘locksmith’ and ‘blacksmith’ and their derivatives, which are variants of the translation of the word ‘chilingar’ into Russian, is traced in the text of the novel by A.P. Platonov. It is proved that these words are used in connection with the main ideas of Chevengur - a reflection in it of N.F. Fedorov’s Philosophy of the Common Task on the universal resurrection of the dead and the motive of the master and craftsmanship. This circumstance can serve as a reinforcement of the hypothesis about the Armenian-Turkic etymology of the name ‘Chevengur’. N.N. Borovko’s hypothesis about A.M. Gorky as a possible prototype of the blacksmith characters in the novel, Sotykh and Yakov Titych, is also considered, and it is recognized that it has a right to exist, the connection of these characters with the Philosophy of the Common Task is traced. There is also a combination in A.P. Platonov’s novel Philosophy of Common Task with social Darwinism, which is also reflected in A.P. Platonov’s article Communism and the Heart . The ideas of social Darwinism were embodied in the episodes of the extermination of the ‘bourgeoisie’ and the expulsion of the ‘semi-bourgeoisie’ in Chevengur, leaving only the ‘chosen’ communards alive.