The Reasons for the Popularity and Genesis of Eastern Themes in the Russian Literature of the 1920s (a Case Study of the Works of Vsevolod Ivanov and His Contemporaries)

The article explores the depiction of Eastern themes in Soviet literature of the 1920s. The aim of the study is to identify the sources of this popularity and the main themes of such narratives. The subject of the research is the Asian image in Russian literature, examined through the prism of the works of Vsevolod Vyacheslavovich Ivanov (V. V. Ivanov) and his contemporaries. As a result, the author has identified the key determinants of Soviet writers' interest in the East: a desire to comprehend contemporary events, an aesthetic attraction to the exotic, a search for answers to eternal questions, and a disillusionment with Western rationalism. A detailed analysis is provided of the specifics of the image of China and the Chinese in the prose of V. V. Ivanov ("The Return of Buddha", "Armored Train 14-69", "Sho-Guang-Go, the Amulet of the Great City", "The Adventures of a Fakir") and other Soviet writers who were active in the 1920s. The methodology employed in the article includes comparative historical analysis (to identify representative works of the era and contextualize them), historical and cultural analysis (to assess the literary and historical significance of the phenomenon), motif analysis (to identify the characteristic features of Eastern motifs), and descriptive analysis (to present the key issues that preoccupied Soviet writers of the 1920s). The scientific novelty of the research lies in the generalization and comparison of how the image of the East was reflected in the works of Soviet writers of the 1920s. The findings of the study are of great value to specialists in the history of 20th-century Russian literature and cultural studies. They can be used in developing university courses on these disciplines and for further in-depth study of V. V. Ivanov's works. It was revealed that this layer of Russian literature was a complex and dynamic phenomenon, born from a unique confluence of historical and cultural factors. A balanced assessment of the role of Eastern narratives in the 1920s is provided. Finally, the article suggests that it is important for the scholarly community to focus future efforts on studying the images of various countries, including Eastern ones, in Russian-language literature.

soviet literature, literary art, prose, 1920s, 20th century, Vyacheslav Ivanov, Russian writers, image of the East, Far Eastern theme, artistic anthropology