This work aims to examine two recent novels written by the Russian writer Dmitry Glukhovsky, entitled Outpost and Outpost 2. The goal is to show how the author, who has always been critical towards Putin’s regime, developed two books characterized by a dystopian and post-apocalyptic impulse, able to portray the life, the society and the authority of the modern-day Russian Federation. The dissertation starts with a brief intro to the literary genre of utopia, exploring its development and finally focusing on the main literary genre examined in the dissertation: the dystopian fiction. Relying on the notions expressed by the most respected academics, experts and critics of the dystopian genre, including Tom Moylan and Lyman Tower Sargent, the dissertation showcases many subcategories belonging to the utopian literature. The biography of Dmitry Glukhovsky is entirely described in this work, spacing from his career as journalist, writer and producer. Furthermore, the reader will find how the author’s life changed following his critical position regarding the Russian army and its invasion of Ukraine. The focal point of this work is the analysis of the novels mentioned above, both of which are set in Russia, now a devastated land, recovering from a catastrophic civil war that was able to extinguish the majority of the population. Following a thorough reading of the novels, the reader is able to detect the main points of criticism expressed by the author towards the regime. Through the perspective of several characters, the author condemns many aspects of the Russian lifestyle, ranging from the relationship between religion, politics and authority, to the West isolating Russia, or the restriction of freedom and the search for truth. As Dmitry Glukhovsky is considered a dissenter, we can look at Outpost I and Outpost II as books of literary dissent. The dissent, when it comes to literature has often been a common feature in Russia, particularly when, during the Communist era, every single book was scrutinised by censorship. If Glukovsky’s novels are read carefully and scrupulously, lots of criticism can be isolated from the narration (and thus from the Russian setting) and attributed to several other countries, even countries that are normally not regarded as dictatorships.
Con il presente lavoro si vuole portare un’analisi dei due recenti romanzi dello scrittore moscovita Dmitrij Gluchovskij, intitolati Outpost. L’avamposto e Outpost. Oltre il Fiume. L’obiettivo della dissertazione è quello di dimostrare come lo scrittore, da sempre critico verso il regime putiniano, abbia creato due opere con una chiara impronta distopica e post-apocalittica in grado di rappresentare la vita, la società e il potere della Federazione Russa contemporanea. La tesi comincia con l’introduzione al genere letterario dell’utopia, ne percorre l’evoluzione sino ad arrivare al genere su cui si concentra l’intero lavoro: la distopia. Vengono descritte varie sottocategorie del genere, prendendo come punto di partenza i concetti espressi nelle opere scritte dai più autorevoli studiosi nell’ambito, come, tra molti altri, Tom Moylan e Lyman Tower Sargent. Viene raccontata la biografia di Dmitrij Gluchovskij, la sua carriera da giornalista, quella da scrittore e quella da produttore televisivo. Oltre alla produzione artistica vedremo come Gluchovskij decide di non esitare nel criticare l’invasione russa dell’Ucraina, scelta che dovrà pagare con un processo penale al quale seguirà una condanna. Entrando nel vivo di questo lavoro, vengono presi in esame le due opere, le quali narrano di una Russia reduce da una guerra civile capace di distruggere quasi interamente il territorio della Federazione Russa, ridotto ora ad un piccolo impero che vede sempre Mosca come capitale. Attraverso una lettura approfondita della dilogia, emergono quelli che sono le principali fonti di critica verso il regime. Gluchovskij, attraverso i punti di vista di vari personaggi, si esprime su vari aspetti della vita dei cittadini russi, affronta ad esempio il tema della religione e del suo rapporto con il potere e la politica, quello della propaganda, del rapporto della Russia con l’Occidente, delle limitazioni imposte dal governo, della ricerca della verità e molto altro. In conclusione, Gluchosvkij con queste due opere riesce ad estendere la sua produzione non solo per quanto riguarda la letteratura distopica, ma anche la letteratura del dissenso, da sempre cara al popolo russo specialmente quando le pubblicazioni sotto la dittatura comunista erano sotto il controllo della censura statale. Agli occhi di un lettore più attento, inoltre, molti dei temi toccati dallo scrittore moscovita possono essere attribuiti anche a Paesi al di fuori dell’orbita sovietica, e che sulla carta non sono considerate come stati dittatoriali.
Tra distopia e apocalisse: la Russia nella dilogia Post di Dmitrij Gluchovskij
MAGRO, LEONARDO
2023/2024
Abstract
This work aims to examine two recent novels written by the Russian writer Dmitry Glukhovsky, entitled Outpost and Outpost 2. The goal is to show how the author, who has always been critical towards Putin’s regime, developed two books characterized by a dystopian and post-apocalyptic impulse, able to portray the life, the society and the authority of the modern-day Russian Federation. The dissertation starts with a brief intro to the literary genre of utopia, exploring its development and finally focusing on the main literary genre examined in the dissertation: the dystopian fiction. Relying on the notions expressed by the most respected academics, experts and critics of the dystopian genre, including Tom Moylan and Lyman Tower Sargent, the dissertation showcases many subcategories belonging to the utopian literature. The biography of Dmitry Glukhovsky is entirely described in this work, spacing from his career as journalist, writer and producer. Furthermore, the reader will find how the author’s life changed following his critical position regarding the Russian army and its invasion of Ukraine. The focal point of this work is the analysis of the novels mentioned above, both of which are set in Russia, now a devastated land, recovering from a catastrophic civil war that was able to extinguish the majority of the population. Following a thorough reading of the novels, the reader is able to detect the main points of criticism expressed by the author towards the regime. Through the perspective of several characters, the author condemns many aspects of the Russian lifestyle, ranging from the relationship between religion, politics and authority, to the West isolating Russia, or the restriction of freedom and the search for truth. As Dmitry Glukhovsky is considered a dissenter, we can look at Outpost I and Outpost II as books of literary dissent. The dissent, when it comes to literature has often been a common feature in Russia, particularly when, during the Communist era, every single book was scrutinised by censorship. If Glukovsky’s novels are read carefully and scrupulously, lots of criticism can be isolated from the narration (and thus from the Russian setting) and attributed to several other countries, even countries that are normally not regarded as dictatorships.File | Dimensione | Formato | |
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https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.12608/68021