The present essay discusses Svetlana Aleksievich's approach to the representation of traumatic events, highlighting the importance of "voice" in the creation of what can be arguably considered a new literary genre, which Igor' Sukhikh calls "collective testimony." After examining the role of war and oral testimonies in shaping Aleksievich's poetics, the article focuses on another type of trauma, which involves an element that cannot be controlled: Nature. In this respect, particular attention is devoted to her 1997 book Chernobyl'skaia molitva. Khronika budushchego (Chernobyl Prayer: A Chronicle of the Future), where the narrative is further dramatized by a key process active at a figurative level, here called "inversion of the perspective."
A new literary genre. Trauma and the individual perspective in Svetlana Aleksievich’s Chernobyl'skaia molitva
Marchesini, Irina
2017
Abstract
The present essay discusses Svetlana Aleksievich's approach to the representation of traumatic events, highlighting the importance of "voice" in the creation of what can be arguably considered a new literary genre, which Igor' Sukhikh calls "collective testimony." After examining the role of war and oral testimonies in shaping Aleksievich's poetics, the article focuses on another type of trauma, which involves an element that cannot be controlled: Nature. In this respect, particular attention is devoted to her 1997 book Chernobyl'skaia molitva. Khronika budushchego (Chernobyl Prayer: A Chronicle of the Future), where the narrative is further dramatized by a key process active at a figurative level, here called "inversion of the perspective."I documenti in IRIS sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.
