Prose of Russian Emigration Writers (V. A. Nikiforov-Volgin, I. A. Bunin, B. K. Zaitsev) in Context of Ivan Ilyin’s Religious-Philosophical Thought

Abstract

The authors of this article aim to contextualize the religious-philosophical ideas of the prominent philosopher of Russian emigration, Ivan Ilyin, with the prose of Ivan Bunin, Boris Zaitsev, and Vladimir Nikiforov-Volgin. The novelty of the research lies in identifying the typological correlation between Ilyin’s ideas about the essential characteristics of national character, manifested in the pursuit of perfection, and the artistic worldview of Russian writers who interpreted life in Russia during periods of social upheaval. The introduction of the insufficiently studied phenomenon of Vladimir Nikiforov-Volgin’s creative work into the field of prose by well-known authors is also an aspect of the novelty of this work. The analysis confirms that the writers perceptively revealed, through various life circumstances, often critical, the ability of people, regardless of their social status or age, to exhibit traits of Christian mercy and selflessness. Equally significant is the ability of individuals to live with a sense of light from Christian faith, despite external circumstances, and to transmit this feeling to others. Actions based on “virtues of the heart and conscience” — these most valuable principles of life according to Ilyin’s thought — are multifacetedly reflected on the pages of the works presented here.