RUSSIAN-AFRICAN CONNECTIONS: CULTURAL AND LITERARY CONTEXTS

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RUSSIAN-AFRICAN CONNECTIONS: CULTURAL AND LITERARY CONTEXTS

Journal Title: Проблеми сучасного літературознавства - Year 2016, Vol 0, Issue 23

Abstract

The article is devoted to the investigation of the phenomenon of intercultural relations and influences between Russia and Africa which reflected in the literary works. The aim of the article is to submit how the diverse and unknown Africa has attracted the attention of many Russian writers for ages. Among the great names who devoted their works to the Dark Continent are Nikolay Gumilyov, Ivan Goncharov, Korney Chukovsky, Konstantin Balmont, Vasilij Niemirowich-Danchenko, Ivan Bunin and many others. The author of the article tries to disclose what are the factors that link Africa and Russia. Is the closeness imposed only by the history and the difficult political situation or maybe there is something more that connects Russia and Africa? The article is a tentative of revealing the origins of the fascination with the Dark Continent. It also tries to answer when exactly Russia become interested in Africa and what affects the willingness of cooperation of the two territories which are far away from each other. The author’s attempt is to exhibit the similarities not only between Russians and Africans, but also in the literary picture of the world presented in great Russian writers. The article is also an attempt to raise the readers’ awareness that the Russians with their unique culture and mentality are closer to Africa than to Western culture. This can be observed in the values that both of the described groups share. For the inhabitants of the African continent, as for the citizens of the Russian Empire is not money, but family ties and collectivism in the first place. This common values reflect in literary works of great Russian writers of all times.

Authors and Affiliations

Joanna Mazur

Keywords

EP ID EP392021
DOI -
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