ДІАСПОРА ЯК ГЕТЕРОТОПІЯ В РОМАНІ МАЙКЛА ОНДАТЖЕ “У ШКІРІ ЛЕВА”

Abstract

The present article examines the postcolonial novel “In the Skin of a Lion” written by Michael Ondaatje, one of Canada’s leading contemporary writers. As the marginalized experience of an immigrant had a signifi cant impact on shaping the author’s diasporic identity, Ondaatje, originally from Ceylon and a Canadian citizen, depicts in his novel the immigrant experience and the distinctiveness of the corresponding diasporic space within a linguistic and cultural community. The article underscores that the space, which both refl ects and distorts the real world, can be characterized as a heterotopian one. In multicultural societies, diaspora serves as one such space – an entity that unites individuals bound by their shared ethnic heritage and brings together inhabitants who often fi nd themselves isolated and marginalized. In the novel “In the Skin of a Lion”, the immigrant district is depicted as a space with utopian features. A cornerstone of the analysis lies in the observation of how immigrants navigate and interact with foreign landscapes. The article demonstrates how these individuals utilize the canvas of a foreign country to reimagine and reconstruct familiar environments, a process that both mirrors and refracts their original contexts. Signifi cantly, the diasporic space inhabited by the characters is similar to Foucault’s concept of a heterotopic mirror, a realm without a concrete locus yet integral to shaping the characters’ experiences and perspectives. The methodology of the article relies primarily on the notion of heterotopia by French philosopher Michel Foucault, Homi Bhabha’s explorations and his concept of an intermediate space or the “third” space, and Edward Said’s postcolonial theory as well as other cultural and literary studies pertaining to the diaspora. It is shown that the heterotopian space in M. Ondaatje’s novel is a place for the formation of the diasporic identity of his characters. Ultimately, according to Foucault’s principles of heterotopia, in the novel “In the Skin of a Lion”, the diaspora and the immigrant community’s enclave are portrayed as a rich and transformative heterotopic space. Key words: Michael Ondaatje, “In the Skin of a Lion,” Michel Foucault, heterotopia, space, diasporic identity.