Cities with no samovars. The N. A. Leikin’s novel “Visiting the Turks” as an “anti-travelogue”

Abstract

Nicolai Leykin’s tetralogy is devoted to the Russian merchant Ivanov’s family. One of the parts of this fiction cycle was a book “Visiting the Turks” (1897), telling the story of the journey of the main characters to Constantinople through Belgrade and Sofia. The image of the city in this text reflects the general poetics of the humorous and satiric cycle in the genre of geographic novel of adventures. The focus is not on the “objective” image of the cities visited by the Ivanovs, but on the features of their perception and the “Russian” lifestyle. The Ivanovs’ outlook is characterized by aggressive national identity. They approach everything “foreign” with special “Russian” criteria. The book “Visiting the Turks” (as well as the other parts of the cycle) narrates about various “fiascoes”. Due to their low intellectual and educational level, ignorance and stable “national” stereotypes, the characters are unable to adapt to other cultures. The visited foreign cities, including those inhabited by Slavs, are perceived by the Ivanovs as uncomfortable, “alien.” That is why Ivanovs long for home. The ideal “final destination” of a foreign tour, paradoxically, turns out to be Russia. Acquaintance with other countries does not actually enrich travelers culturally. The travelogue, as a matter of fact, turns into a figment.