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Culture in Digital Format
12 p.Views:398The article analyzes the changes in traditional culture triggered by technologies and development of its new formats as a result, such as clip culture, screen culture, culture of computer games, etc. It touches upon the influence on culture of the personal computer and other numerous digital devices, in particular the Internet, artificial intelligence, computer graphics, and virtual reality. Traditional means of communication (books, photographs, audio and video recordings, digital TV, etc.) that are most influenced by digital technologies are also discussed. As traditional culture is losing its original features that emphasize the difference between different peoples, societies and their individual characteristics, all these processes are extensive, generating not only progressive, but negative trends. On the one hand modern culture has become accessible to everybody, on the other hand, it has lost the «romance» of personal communication. The article points out that nowadays the investigation of culture in digital format does not primarily mean analyzing its phenomena and artifacts in themselves. It is rather a matter of monitoring further transformations and contributing the unique features of traditional culture preservation, without diminishing the importance of digital technologies as a whole in society.
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Grotesque and paradox: Female and male narratives in Victor Erofeyev’s novels
Views:315This paper examines the narrative dynamics of two novels by Victor Erofeyev. The female discourse of Russian Beauty is characterized by the vertical dynamics of grotesque, while the discourse of the autobiographical narrator of Good Stalin is characterized by the dynamics of paradox, a horizontal movement between opposing truths. In both novels the Soviet aesthetic canon is undermined through the dynamics of narrative that denies the possibility of a singular truth.
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The Chaos of Fragments, the Fragments of Chaos The Last Prosaic Work of M. Yu. Lermontov: Shtoss
Views:329The unfinished short story, Shtoss received little attention from critics, despite of the fact that it is actually the last prosaic text written by M. Yu. Lermontov. It has become somewhat forgotten because it was interpreted as nothing more than a literary joke the young poet played on his friends in St. Petersburg a few months before his tragic death. This article is a narratological analysis of the short story Shtoss based on the terminology used by Gerard Genette and Boris Uspensky. It also aims to interpret the possible function of fragmentation, absence and uncertainty in the short story.
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Interferences in the Field of Literature and Philosophy: Contact Points in the Poetry of Russian and Hungarian Authors: Dukkon Ágnes: A veszélyes szépség útjain. Eszmék, témák, kapcsolatok a klasszikus orosz irodalom világában, L'Harmattan Könyvkiadó – Uránia Ismeretterjesztő Társulat, Budapest, 2021, 340. p. ISBN: 978-963-414-702-2
Views:176The Hungarian literary scholar Ágnes Dukkon set herself a great task to complete in her new monograph by undertaking to offer a broad overview of the entire 19th century epoch of Russian literature through monitoring the transformation and evolution of the literary motive of dangerous beauty [ужасная красота]. While focusing on the concrete correspondences between a variety of literary worlds, the study presents interpretations of works by A.S. Pushkin, M.Y. Lermontov, F.I. Tyutchev, N.V. Gogol, I.S. Turgenev, F.M. Dostoyevsky, M.Y. Saltikov-Shchedrin, N.S. Leskov, and L.N. Tolstoy. At the same time, however, the author of this monograph never fails to keep in mind the conceptual context of the artistic texts by analyzing their relationship with the topical contemporary philosophical ideas of the age. For the Hungarian readers, the chapters incorporating the conclusions of research aimed at Russian–Hungarian connections, conducted with the methodology of historical poetics, comparative literary studies, intertextuality, and biographism, are of special interest. The scholarly findings of this renowned researcher would definitely deserve to be translated in the future into an international language.
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Scientists in Lyudmila Ulitskaya’s Novels
Views:290This study focuses on a characteristic type of hero in Ulitskaya’s works and analyses the image of the scientist heroes and their poetic functions in three of the author’s novels (The Kukotsky Enigma, The Big Green Tent and Jacob’s Ladder). These heroes represent a special kind of syncretic thinking. Firstly, in their conversations and debatesthe genre code of the Socratic dialogue is activated, as Mikhail Bakhtin described it in connection with the development of the polyphonic novel. Secondly, these heroes, who always appear in pairs, invoke the duo of Don Quixote and Sancho Panza, as well as certain characteristics of “Quixotism”, which has a central role in the critique of the role that intellectuals have played in Russian culture. It is against the above background that the role of 20th-century intellectuals gains a new interpretation in Ulitskaya’s three novels.
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On the meaning of disjunction and conjunction in Lermontov’s The Demon
Views:287The paper analyzes Lermontov’s verse narrative (poema) The Demon by focusing on some clear-cut binaries, representing and suggesting, as their primary meaning, dichotomic pairs related to the system of literary characters (the Angel or Tamara vs. the Demon), evaluative concepts (e.g. good vs. evil), and notions comprising ideological views (the celestial, the earthly world, or the netherworld). The interpretation takes a distance from these definitions, examining the poetic modes of neutralizing and removing the dichotomies in the text by weakening the semantic motivation for setting and interpreting the binaries; the emergence of mono-dualistic antinomy, and the creation of equivalences of motifs and constructs of reverse symmetry with the transformation of their reference. Resulting from these strategies for meaning generation in Lermontov’s text, a shift from an axiological conceptualization of the world to the literary model of the human existential experience of the soul can be traced.
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Identity Problems from Historical, Cultural and Literary Aspects
7 p.Views:414This critique focuses on the latest part of the publication series by the Slavic Historical and Philological Association entitled “Individual and Collective Identities”, which is of great importance for the field of Russian Studies in Hungary as it provides a regular platform for academics with annual conferences. In the three main chapters of the book, identity is approached in different contexts from a historical, cultural, and literary point of view. For this reason, we can say that this collection stands out due to its interdisciplinary nature and complexity serving as a useful resource for those who deal with identity issues.
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Ornamentality, rhythm and repetition of prose: G. G. Bagautdinova: “Poetics of I. A. Goncharov’s non-novel prose”. Yoshkar-Ola, Mari State University, 2024, pp. 296. ISBN: 978-5-907622-93-7
Views:235This paper examines the relevance of G. G. Bagautdinova's book Poetics of I. A. Goncharov’s non-novel prose, which is undeniable and is due to a range of reasons indicated in the paper. First, it reviews the holistic understanding of I. A. Goncharov's creative path in his so-called "essay" works. The scholarly novelty of the monograph is analyzed point by point parallel to the constructed structure of the book. In this regard, the following so far little-studied and unexplored aspects are examined: the framework text, the cumulation of folklorism, "ornamental prose", the rhythm of prose, and the poetics of repetition. The unconditional discoveries of this work are the conclusions in terms of the objective results achieved.
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Lecturer, Researcher and Translator in One Person. In Honour of József Goretity's 60th Birthday
Views:324József Goretity has been working at the Institute of Slavonic Studies at the University of Debrecen since 1985 and has been the head of the institute since 2012. During this time he has been teaching courses on 19th and 20th century West-European and Russian literature focusing on the tradition of the novel and mythopoetics at the Department of Comparative Literature as well. In 1996 he was appointed head of the department. Between 1992 and 1999 he was a lecturer at the Faculty of Arts at the University of Miskolc. Besides his teaching activity, József Goretity’s work in the field of literary translation is also outstanding. He has brought such prominent Russian writers to Hungarian-speaking audiences as Narine Abgaryan, Sergey Dovlatov, Viktor Yerofeyev, Viktor Pelevin, Lyudmila Petrushevskaya, Yuri Polyakov, Grigoriy Ryazhskiy, Marina Stepanova, Alexandr Terekhov or Lyudmila Ulickaya. Besides literary texts he also translated literary and cultural studies into Hungarian, such as P. P. Apryshko’s influential monograph The History of Russian Philosophy. József Goretity’s most influential academic works are Idézet paródia és mítosz Fjodor Szologub két regényében and Töredékesség és teljességigény. Huszadik századi orosz prózai művek értelmezése. In 2014 he was awarded the Medal of Pushkin by the President of the Russian Federation. In 2019 he received the prestigous state award, the Golden Cross, for his achievement.
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Types and Functions of Comparative Tropes in Contemporary Prose Texts (as represented in L. Ulitskaya’s Short Story ”The Queen of Spades”)
5 p.Views:535This article studies the types and functions of comparative tropes in Lyudmila Ulickaya’s short story ”The Queen of Spades”, a reference to Alexander Pushkin’s famous masterpiece. This question is connected with the main heroine’s figure constructed on the basis of the system of tropes. In the analysis suggested by the authors, special attention is paid to the animalistic, vegetative and theatrical metaphors, parallels and similes. In the conclusion the difference between traditional and individual tropes in the woman writer’s literary work is discussed.
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Metaphoricity in the novel Pelagia and Black Monk by Boris Akunin
Views:270The paper discusses the tropological game in Boris Akunin's detective novel Pelagia and the Black Monk. The author focuses on the transformation of the main images in this contemporary work. Various periphrases and similes are then studied, as well as the destruction and renewal of redundant tropes, and the generation of new metaphors, particularly those related to color, nature, and zoomorphic images (e.g. the color black, rays). The figurative order of the text of the novel offers such potential correlations that expand the plan of interpretation of the novel in a new and unexpected direction, testifying to a truly postmodern rewriting of lingual, literal, and poetical clichés. A key role in this process is played also by details (see Z. Hajnády).
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The Features of Theatrical Life in Hungary: The Legal and Financial Basis
18 p.Views:267The present study is concerned with the Hungarian theatre system. In the first part general
questions connected with the existing model of theatrical activity are treated. This is
followed by an analytical review of modern Hungarian cultural legislation, in which special
attention is paid to the structure and content of Law XCIX / 2008 “On the support and rules
of employment in organizations of performing arts”. Then all the existing present-day models
of direct and indirect financial support of theatrical organizations are considered. Since the
Hungarian and Russian theatre systems have some similar characteristics, the final part is
devoted to possible partial adoption of Hungarian experience with a view to developing the
institutions for the additional funding of Russian theatres. -
Russian literary history for advanced readers, with plenty of textual illustrations: Lukyanova, I.: Once upon a time there was Russian literature: From Ancient Rus' to the XX century. Publishing House AST.2023. Moscow. Pp. 348. ISBN 978-5-17-154945-9
Views:309Lukyanova's book was published in 2023. The author is a journalist who studies Russian literature and its history, and reviews it in a rather unique way. The purpose of the review is to determine what genre Lukyanova's book can be classified as, and to find out what its uniqueness is manifested in.
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“Step by Step” in Camp Prose: Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn’s ”One day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich” and Imre Kertesz’s “Fatelessness”
Views:307The paper is devoted to the disclosure of the concrete and abstract images of "step(ping) " and the reinvention of related other meanings (concepts like ’path’, ’fate’and ’happiness’)in the novel by A.I. Solzhenitsyn "One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich" and in the novel by Imre Kertesz "Fatelessness". In order to identify the similarities and differences concerning these fundamental text-forming components in these outstanding works of camp prose, it is necessary to turn to the study of trophes, i.e. creating new meanings on the basis of the combination of incompatible things and images. This allows us to approach the author's picture of the world in both cases.
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Historical Data and the Modern Linguistic Landscape of the City of Berehove (Transcarpathian region, Ukraine)
Views:183The first mention of Berehove dates back to 1063 when the Hungarian prince Lampert (the youngest son of the Hungarian king Béla I) built his palace here. Until the beginning of the 16th century, the village (since 1247 the town) bore the name of its founder (first “Lampertháza” and then “Lampertszász”). In 1504 (according to other sources, in 1499), the name “Beregszász” appeared for the first time. The modern Ukrainian name for the city is “Berehove” (in Russian “Beregovo”), but the old Hungarian version “Beregszász”is also sometimes used. Now it is a city of regional importance with a population of about 26 thousand people (according to the latest official data from 2001), located in the Transcarpathian region of Ukraine, a few kilometers from the Hungarian border.
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Teffi as a Person and Woman Writer: A View from Overseas
6 p.Views:366This review describes the conceptual and content side of the book by an American specialist Edith Haber on the life and work of Teffi (1872-1952). This is the only monograph on Teffi in the world. In the review a subtle combination of historical method and literary criticism is noted. The biography of an outstanding person and a talented woman writer is reconstructed against a well-known historical background – three Russian revolutions, two world wars and the first wave of Russian emigration. Special attention is paid to the E. Haber`s analysis of evolution in Teffi`s writing. The characters and plots were changed, the author’s tone and part were altered. The book is praised for its uniqueness and the author – for her high professionalism.
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The transformation of the camp theme in Sergei Lebedev’s novel “Oblivion”
Views:261Sergei Lebedev’s novel Oblivion offers an original reworking of the tradition of Russian camp prose. Its central themes are the legacy of Stalinist terror, the intergenerational transmission of trauma, and the necessity of a conscious resistance to their consequences. This paper explores how Lebedev, drawing on the concept of post-memory, intertwines personal family history with questions of collective memory, highlighting the destructive effects of silencing the past and the absence of accountability for historical crimes. At the core of this interpretation is an analysis of the narrator’s journey through space, time, and self-discovery, structured around the mythological motif of descent (katabasis). The funeral ritual plays a key role in the novel’s initiation structure: the symbolic burial and mourning of victims who vanished without a trace becomes an act of memory restoration, offering the possibility of reconciliation and a new beginning. Lebedev critically engages with contemporary Russian memory politics, stressing the moral imperative to uncover and give voice to the traumatic past.
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Slavica 2021: 60 Years, 50 Issues
Views:300The article gives an overview of the process, by which Slavica, the periodical of the University of Debrecen and its institutional predeccesors has developed from a local publication into a periodical of national and even international significance. The historical overview of the past 60 years highlights those changes that have occured in the profile of the periodical compared to the initial objectives, commemorates the outstanding perspective-minded heads of previous editorial committees, points out situations, when serious decisions had to be taken, in which a special balance of compulsion and neccessity brought the solution, which looking back from the future, moved the periodical forward. The article is concluded by enumerating the benefits offered by the online format and by formulating new objectives
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The Theory of Metaphors in Contemporary Literary Studies
17 p.Views:348This article is designed as a brief overview of the methods of how metaphor is defined in contemporary scholarship. In the discussion of the similarities and differences of the basic Russian and Western poetic, philosophical and logical approaches to metaphors are compared to each other. Besides, Hungarian comprehensive syntheses and reconsiderations of metaphors are also touched upon. Finally, suggestions are made as to which aspects of literary studies and linguistics can be used in the analysis of the system of tropes in literature.
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The artistic interpretation of biographical facts in L. Petrusevskaya's Ninth Volume
Views:334The paper deals with the interpenetrability of the boundaries between artistic prose and autobiography and documentary. By analyzing Petrushevskaya's Ninth Volume, the paper examines how the rhetorical tropes of fiction operate in a text that is essentially autobiographical in nature, mixing different genres, and how archetypal, psychological and literary patterns are projected onto the biographical material. The cyclical arrangement of texts belonging to different periods and the blending of different discourses create the figure of a special autobiographical hero reflecting on the work.
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Mysterious Artist with a Movie Camera - Александр Риганов:«Тиссэ. Оператор Эйзенштейна», Санкт-Петербург: Издательство «Сеанс»,2020. ISBN 978-5-6042795-1-9, 384 pp.
Views:283This review is a content and critical review of Alexander Riganov’s book on Soviet cinematographer Eduard Tisse (1897-1961), Tisse: Eisenstein’s cameraman, which was the first monograph of its kind published in Russian. The book follows the life of the first Soviet cameraman in chronological order from birth until his last days, with the author overviewingrelevant historic and cinematographic events throughout. Thus, there are three major stories in Riganov’s book: the life and artistic path of an artist, the history of a country, and the golden age of cinematography. Several unique archival documents, e.g. letters, diary segments, photographs etc., were first published in this book. The book’s author paid special attention to Tisse’s and Eisenstein’s joint works. The uniqueness and high professional standard of Riganov’s book makes it a piece of art worthy of attention.
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An insight into Russian history from the Middle Ages to the present: Tamás Krausz,Klára Radnóti and Endre Sashalmi (eds.): Apologia Historiographiae: Az orosz történelem évszázadai[Apologia Historiographiae: Centuries of Russian history]. Budapest, Martin Opitz Kiadó, 2023. Pp. 557. ISBN: 978-615-6388-37-7
Views:233The collection of studies presented in the volume is a scholarly and informative compilation celebrating the birthday of Professor Gyula Szvák. It publishes new research results by Hungarian scholars into the historical past of the Central and Eastern European Slavic peoples and Russians. The volume is thematically rich, with short studies on the medieval Mongol rule, the political ambitions of the Russian Empire, the Soviet Union, and many other topics. The value of the book lies in the fact that the editors have made it possible – with a view to completeness – to present analyses by outstanding Hungarian representatives of the discipline of Russian Studies.
