Problematica timpului în creația lui Evgheni Vodolazkin
Representations of Time in the Works of Eugene Vodolazkin

Summary/Abstract: The following article is a study of time and memory in the novels of Eugene Vodolazkin. Known for his vast knowledge in the field of old Russian literature, the writer brings forth from the darkness of time evocative images of Russian life in the novel Laurus. Set in medieval Russia and infused with Russian Orthodox elements, the novel presents the life of the hero, the endeavours on his way to redemption. The multiple hypostases of time are revealed in the four books which make up the novel, each revealing a different stage of the hero’s spiritual evolution. The writer’s approach to memory and its influence on history is presented in The Aviator, a novel which focuses on the idea of individual rather than historical time. Frequent temporal parallels and the fragmented temporal line that characterize the memory activity of the hero oppose the linear time of the novel. Through this opposition Vodolazkin reveals the impossibility of objectively rendering or preserving historical and personal events. Thus, the research focuses on explaining the different representations of time and the significance of memory for personal and collective history.

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