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EDUARD LIMONOV: A CRITICAL STUDY BY ANDREI ROGATCHEVSKI Thesis presented for the degree of Ph.D. the Department of Slavonic Languages and Literatures of the University of Glasgow August 1998 © Andrei Rogatchevski ProQuest Number: 13818637 All rights reserved INFORMATION TO ALL USERS The quality of this reproduction is dependent upon the quality of the copy submitted. In the unlikely event that the author did not send a complete manuscript and there are missing pages, these will be noted. Also, if material had to be removed, a note will indicate the deletion. uest ProQuest 13818637 Published by ProQuest LLC(2018). Copyright of the Dissertation is held by the Author. All rights reserved. This work is protected against unauthorized copying under Title 17, United States Code Microform Edition © ProQuest LLC. ProQuest LLC. 789 East Eisenhower Parkway P.O. Box 1346 Ann Arbor, Ml 48106- 1346 GLASGOW UNIVERSITY LIBRARY (m o w UNIVERSITY LIBRARY 112.3 A (cof^ 2 ABSTRACT The publication of Eduard Limonov's exhibitionist novel Eto ia - Edichka (It's Me, Eddie) in 1979 provoked, both among readers and critics, a great deal of negative emotion, which simmers on even now, boosted by the publication of virtually all Limonov's major writings in Russia and by Limonov's transformation into a notorious public figure of dubious political persuasions. The emotion mentioned often precludes a sober comprehensive analysis of Limonov's creative activity, an analysis which his unquestionable success requires. Limonov's infamy frequently casts an unmerited shadow over the significance of his artistic works, especially over his exquisite, innovative poetry which is often neglected nowadays. This thesis tries to repair the damage by following, step by step, Limonov's life and career (partly mythologized by him in his allegedly autobiographical prose) sine ira et studio, relying on the whole body of his work which includes poetry, fiction, journalism and private correspondence. (Permission to cite extracts from and refer to unpublished items was given to me by Limonov via my proxy in Moscow in the summer of 1995.) Although there is no separate chapter on Limonov's poetry in the thesis, his poems are copiously quoted throughout the whole work. Another step which has been taken in properly evaluating Limonov's output (over twenty books altogether, translated into at least fifteen languages) is to consider it as a link in the chain of his Russian literary predecessors. The need of a reassessment of Limonov is also met through pointing to some literary sources important for this author, such as the Cossack Ataman and writer Petr Krasnov, the poet of the Russian revolution Vladimir Maiakovskii, Limonov's Russian and Western critics, his colleague from the so-called Khar’kov poetic school Iurii Miloslavskii, and the Eurasianist movement (the last two sources have been touched on in passing only). 3 In addition, Limonov's idiosyncratic concepts of Hero and Barbarity are discussed at some length. Our thesis, we hope, finally makes it possible to regard Limonov not merely as an obnoxious literary hooligan, but also as a writer with roots and ideology, with an underground past and a firmly established, if slightly embarrassing, present reputation. Some theoretical issues pertaining to certain limitations in the existing definitions of literary influence and intertextuality are also raised. 4 TABLE OF CONTENTS Page Abstract 2 Table of Contents 4 List of Illustrations 7 Acknowledgements 8 Declaration 9 Introduction 1 0 Chapter 1. DICHTUNG UNDW AHRHEIT: Limonov and Limonov 1.1. EDUARD LIMONOV'S TRUE LEES 2 0 1.1.1. Limonov and his (autobiographical?) character 2 0 1.1.2. The 'Konkret' hoax 2 9 1.1.3. The Great Epoch 3 3 1.1.4. The adolescence of a bandit 3 6 1.1.5. The making of a poet 4 2 1.1.6. The Moscow period 4 7 1.1.7. Limonov's American years 5 3 1.1.8. Limonov in Paris 6 7 1.1.9. Moscow revisited 7 0 1.2. LIMONOV'S CONCEPT OF HERO 5 Chapter 2. LES LIAISONS DANGEREUSES: Eduard Limonov and Ataman Krasnov 2.1. LIMONOV'S LITERARY ROOTS 9 2 2.2. SIMILARITIES AND DISSIMILARITIES IN EDUARD LIMONOV'S AND ATAMAN KRASNOV'S LIVES AND WORKS 9 5 2.3. 'ISCHEZNOVENIE VARVAROV' BY LIMONOV AND ZA CHERTOPOLOKHOMBY KRASNOV 1 0 5 2.4. CIVILIZATION AND BARBARITY A LA LIMONOV 1 1 7 Chapter 3. THE DOPPELGANGER, OR THE QUEST FOR LOVE: Eduard Limonov as Vladimir Maiakovskii 3.1. GENERAL BACKGROUND 1 2 7 3.2. LIMONOV ON MAIAKOVSKII 1 3 2 3.3. LIMONOV'S TEXTUAL BORROWINGS FROM MAIAKOVSKII 1 3 4 3.4. SIMILARITIES IN LIMONOV’S AND MAIAKOVSKII'S ARTISTIC PRINCIPLES 1 3 7 3.5. THE COMMUNITY OF LIMONOV'S AND MAIAKOVSKII'S CULTURAL CROSS-REFERENCES 1 4 3 3.6. MAIAKOVSKII, LIMONOV AND THE ART OF CINEMA 146 3.7. IMAGES OF DOUBLES IN MAIAKOVSKII'S AND LIMONOV'S ARTISTIC UNIVERSE 1 5 1 6 3.7.1. Maiakovskii's doubles 151 3.7.2. Limonov's doubles 153 3.7.3. Maiakovskii's and Limonov's doubles versus the writers' true selves 1 5 5 3.7.4. The mythological subtext of the doubles in Maiakovskii and Limonov (The twins cult) 15 8 3.8. THE DARK SIDE OF THE PERSONALITY SPLIT 1 6 9 3.8.1. The Doppelgdnger and the quest for love 170 3.8.2. The Doppelgdnger and mortal danger 175 3.8.3. The Doppelgdnger and immortality 183 Chapter 4. IA EBAL VAS VSEKH, EBANYE V ROT SUKI: Limonov and his critics 4.1. LIMONOV AND HIS LITERARY CRITICS: MUTUAL DISTRUST 1 8 9 4.2. LITERARY CRITICISM AS A SOURCE OF LIMONOV’S INSPIRATION 196 4.3. THE CRITICAL RECEPTION OF ETO IA - EDICHKA 2 01 4.4. LIMONOV AND MAKSIMOV 2 1 0 4.5. LIMONOV AND BRODSKII 2 1 8 4.6. LIMONOV AS A WRITER-CUM-CRITIC 2 25 C onclusion 238 List of References 246 7 LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS Page Fig.l. E.Limonov, “An illustration to the book Eto ia - Edichka” 1 87 Fig.2. V.Maiakovskii, “A picture from a letter to L.Iu.Brik circa 15 July, 1925” 188 8 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I would like to thank my supervisor, Mr Martin Dewhirst (Department of Slavonic Languages and Literatures, University of Glasgow) for his constant help and encouragement; Mr Richard Davies (Special Collections, Brotherton Library, University of Leeds) and Mr Gabriel Superfin (Historisches Archiv, Forschungsstelle Osteuropa, University of Bremen) for letting me study certain archival documents; Dr Robin Aizlewood (School of Slavonic and East European Studies, University of London) for his valuable advice; and, finally, Mr Julian Graffy (School of Slavonic and East European Studies, University of London) and Professor Michael Kirkwood (Department of Slavonic Languages and Literatures, University of Glasgow) for making this research possible.