The Star, the Swastika and the Cross: Ideological and Ethical Collisions in the War Prose of Boris Shiryayev
Abstract
This article is devoted to the collisions of morals in stories by the Russian emigrant writer Boris Shiryayev (1889-1959), specifically Sheep’s Puddle and Kudeyar’s Oak. They are dedicated to the life of the people in those territories which were occupied by the Nazis. The purpose of this work is to clarify the conflict between Christian morality, patriotism and the totalitarian state. The key plot lines of both works are related to painful aspects of history: collaborationism, the partisan movement, the underground Soviet and anti-Bolshevik organisations. Shiryayev’s works illustrate how the confrontation among people split by the Revolution resulted in a civil war that unfolded within the World War itself. Various aspects of Shiryayev’s artistic worldview are also investigated. The article shows the points of coincidence and deviation between his “Russian Christianity” and the Gospel doctrine. The motive of “holy revenge” and its connection with the folk legend of Kudeyar is also considered.
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