Young Characters in Modern Russian Novels

Speaking at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, Shamil A. Umerov, Professor of Russian literature at the Lomonosov Moscow State University, explained how today’s Russian youth, and their response to the current Russian political situation, fits into a broader context of Russia’s long search for identity through literature.

Professor Umerov’s lens for this discussion was a group of five recent novels by popular young authors: Dykhless by Sergei Minaev, San’kya by Zakhar Prilepin, Ptichiy gripp by Sergei Shargunov, Sakharnyy Kreml’ by Vladimir Sorokin, and P5 by Viktor Pelevin.

Although the five novels varied in plot, Umerov identified a common thread among them: the time-honored ideological Russian debate between apathy and action. This conflict is a continuation of the argument that Nikolai Chernyshevsky posed when reviewing Ivan Turgenev’s work, Asya, 150 years ago. Chernyshevsky argued then that Russians must be decisive, bold, and pro-active, rather than pessimistic and accepting, like the characters Turgenev had depicted.

The characters presented from the five modern works all show that the temptation of Turgenev’s passive outlook remain. Umerov explained this as a  metaphor for citizens' general sense of powerlessness and apathy toward the current government. All of the novels focus to one degree or another on the disappointments of life in the 21st century, in a Russia that the characters feel powerless to change. Despite that despair, Umerov took as a hopeful sign that young writers continue to offer arguments for engagement and hope.