Reflection of the Artistic Search for Literature of the Early Twentieth Century in the Work of Ivan Boldyrev-Shkott

Abstract

The article analyzes the work of Ivan BoldyrevShkott who was the writer of the first wave of Russian emigration. The materials of the research are the novella “Boys and Girls”, as well as the previously unexplored stories “Ivan Stepanovich’s Pies”, “Anyuta”, the manuscript of the story “Wisdom of the Forest”, which was not published during the writer’s lifetime. The connections of Boldyrev’s works with different artistic trends of literature of the beginning of the XX century are highlighted. The stylistic features of the story “Boys and Girls” are analyzed and the connection of the work with the tradition of ornamental prose by A. M. Remizov is revealed. Published in the emigrant periodicals “Ivan Stepanovich’s Pies”, “Anyuta” are compared with “The Stories of Nazar Ilyich Mr. Sinebryukhov” by M. M. Zoshchenko. The plot structure and vocabulary of the story “Wisdom of the Forest” are considered, as well as the influence on the stylistic manner of the author in this story of the romantic legends of A. M. Gorky, A. I. Kuprin, V. V. Veresaev. Based on the writer’s letters, an assumption is made about the possible time of the creation of the story.