Soviet Atlantis: Between Science Fiction and Esoteric Communities

Abstract

The paper concentrates on the history of the myth of Atlantis in twentieth-century Russian culture. It traces the transmission of Atlantis narratives starting from artistic and esoteric circles of the early twentieth century, through Soviet science fiction, to the esoteric revival of the 1980s. Contemporary fictional literature is understood as a modern, secularized form of mythology, intrinsically connected to traditional mythological narratives. The story of Atlantis, as one of these narratives, played an important role in Russian esoteric and fictional literature. The transmission of the Atlantean narrative through the Soviet period is analyzed herein and can benefit scholars in several ways. It shows how esoteric narratives can change and assume a fictional nature to survive in hostile and highly secularized environments. It also contributes to the understanding of particular aspects of contemporary Russian spiritual life related to the revival of Russian esoteric communities, which began during the Perestroika and continued after the collapse of the Soviet Union. It also contributes to the study of twentieth-century Russian cultural history, as well as to the academic study of esotericism.