Korotko’s phenomenological myth of Odesa in Bera and Cucumber: otherness, melancholy and anthropocene

Abstract

In the research, with the help of the method of mytho-criticism and archetypal analysis (Carl Gustav Jung), the author has analyzed and outlined the chronotope represented in the stories in Bera and Cucumber by Aleksandr Korotko. This book, translated into English by M. Pursglove, was published in London in 2023. With the help of archetypal analysis, the Odesa text was characterized as a mythological one. It has been investigated that the Odesa narrative represents a special worldview of the heroes, who are characterized by a combination of kabbalistic worldview, Christian humanism, Turkish melancholy, contemplativeness that results from the unity of the heroes of the Odesa space with eternal nature elements. The writer reconstructs the Odesa identity in its ontological form: the social interaction between the characters reveals their essence superficially, on the other hand, the anthropocene way of depicting the characters as immanently connected with the elements of nature reveals their universal ontological essence. The Odesa text is represented as mythological one, the loci of which are subordinated to the idea of the immutability of space and time. This is the peculiarity of the chronotope marked by mythological intentions: the characters appear only as variable, fluid entities in the macrocosm of Odesa that as depicted in Korotko’s stories is characterized by the intertwined relationships between the spirit, nature, and humanity from ancient times. Rather than viewing human beings and nature within a subject-object framework, the writer presents a holistic system that reflects an anthropocene perspective of the world. The article argues that traditional logocentric paradigms fall short in capturing and unraveling the identity of Odesa that is intricately woven into the interconnected narratives of Korotko's stories.