Between Modernity and Tradition. Sasha Sokolov’s Works and its Connection with the Old Russian Literature

Abstract

The article focuses on the importance of old Russian literature in the works by Sasha Sokolov, with a specific reference to his first book A School For Fools (1976). The analysis of this text takes into account lexical choices made by the author and their meaning in the context of the narration. This approach lies at the basis for the proposal of a tripartite model that describes the relationship between Sokolov’s works and the old Russian tradition. The model includes the following categories: 1. Allusions to religion; 2. Presence of elements pertaining the realm of folklore; 3. Allusions to episodes or figures related to old Russian literature. The results of this research contribute to the broadening of knowledge in the field of contemporary Russian literature and its relations with the old literary heritage. Moreover, this investigation allows a deeper comprehension of Sokolov’s writing style.