Writings from the Grotesque World: «Julio Jurenito» by Ilya Ehrenburg and «The Naked Year» by Boris Pilnyak

Abstract

In the article we focus on grotesque nature of Ilya Ehrenburg’s and Boris Pilnyak’s creative prose, viz. «Julio Jurenito» and «The Naked Year». These nov- els were written almost at the same time. They share commonality in issues and style. We compare these novels to trace how the both writers use grotesques in their works about Russian Revolution. Despite both Ehrenburg and Pilnyak sharing one technique, they realize it in a quite different manner. Ilya Ehrenburg finds grotesque in every human being. Thus, the world, where people live, act and communicate, can be nothing more but an inevitable and everlasting carnival where everybody takes part, will- ingly or unwillingly but without any chance for escape. A solid, «classic» world is just a mirage. On the contrary, Pilnyak casts his protagonists into a world with clear distinctions – physical, territorial, moral, etc. For some period of time, chaos does override cosmos, forcing protagonists to find themselves in the middle of a very grotesque situation. However, the prevalence of grotesque is somewhat transi- tional while the cosmos is perennial. Writers with a modernist background typically use grotesque when they set their plot in the age of Russian Revolution. But at the same time, there is an essential junction when they recognize grotesque in a human personality or in situations how people live and act.