Pushkin’s Myth in the Novel "The Slynx" by T. Tolstaya: the Trickster, Buratino and “Our Be All”

Abstract

The article analyzes Pushkin’s myth as presented in T. Tolstaya’s "The Slynx" (2000), its structure, main components, character specifics, intertextual connections to Russian classics and the author’s own works. The novel enhances the literary tradition of the 20th century and establishes a new artistic paradigm that complements and reinterprets the entire Pushkin mythology. The essential foundations of the Pushkin myth in Tolstaya’s texts were the culture of the Silver Age and Russian traditionalism, which showed interest in the archaic. The author adeptly blends factual and non-factual elements of the poet’s biography, including lines from his texts and allusions, and Pushkin becomes the central reference point justifying the post-apocalyptic city-world. This is achieved by analogy with the Book of Genesis and resembles a primer filled with puppet figures and farce. Despite the various artistic depictions of the poet’s ironic and trickster-like qualities, the image still maintains a sense of mystery that harkens back to ancient times. In the novel, the image of the poet serves as the foundation of the world, representing a sacred point with multiple layers of meaning that ultimately shape the course of history and culture. In her work, T. Tolstaya excludes subjective evaluations and focuses on the archaic need for oral tradition. She conveys the voices of poets by rising above written symbolism, images, and texts.