Multiculturalism in Teju Cole's Novel "Open City"

Abstract

The object of the study is the modern American multicultural prose of the late XX-early XXI century, the subject of the study is the situation of multiculturalism. The research material is the novel "Open City" by the modern American writer of Nigerian origin Teju Cole, published in 2012. The purpose of the study is the relevance of this study due to several factors. Firstly, at this stage, both in foreign and domestic literary studies, one can observe a continuing interest in highlighting various features of multicultural literature in the United States. Secondly, today T. Cole is a significant author in the modern literary space of the USA. The novel we are analyzing is distinguished by its appeal to the iconic trends of modern US literature and is an interesting material for research in the context of the designated topic. If the work of many representatives of the multicultural prose of the USA of the late XX-early XXI century became the subject of scientific research, the work of Teju Cole is practically not studied. In this regard, the novelty of our research lies in the fact that for the first time in Russian literary studies, an analysis of the novel "Open City" is provided from the point of view of the functioning of various cultures and their influence on the formation of the identity of the protagonist. As a result of the research, we come to the conclusion that the novel highlights the multicultural situation in which the main character finds himself. Such a situation causes a mental crisis in the mind of the hero, since he cannot fully feel his belonging to any of the cultural components.