Nina Kolesnikoff Libros

The exploration of mythology in Chingiz Aitmatov's works reveals a profound interplay between myth and narrative. Nina Kolesnikoff analyzes Aitmatov's early stories and later novels, highlighting how mythological motifs shape the structure and themes of his writing. She identifies influences from Central Asian, Kirghiz traditions, Greek mythology, and the Bible, noting the latter's surprising impact on Aitmatov's narrative style. Kolesnikoff argues that his novellas, particularly The White Steamship and Spotted Dog Running Along the Seashore, exemplify modern prose rooted in mythological frameworks.

One of the most outstanding properties of Russian postmodernist fiction is its reliance on metafictional devices which foreground aspects of the writing, reading or structure, and draw attention to the constructed nature of fiction writing. Some common metafictional strategies include overt commentary on the process of writing, the presence of an obtrusive narrator, dehumanization of character, total breakdown of temporal and spatial organization and the undermining of specific literary conventions. This book examines the most representative postmodernist texts and addresses the following questions: How widespread is the use of metafiction in contemporary Russian literature? What are its most pronounced forms? What is the function of metafictional devices? How innovative are Russian postmodernist writers in their use of metafictional techniques? This study reveals the unique contribution of postmodernist writers to the development of Russian literature through their systematic use of metafiction and their bold experimentation with new metafictional devices on all the principal levels of the text, including narration, plot, characterization, setting and language.