Unlived Experience: Tretyakov’s Life History Writing and DeVictimization
Unlived Experience: Tretyakov’s Life History Writing and DeVictimization

Summary/Abstract: While society is responsible for understanding and alleviating suffering caused by structural violence, the act of representing marginalized individuals presents an unavoidable ethical dilemma. This paper addresses this issue by examining the work of Sergei Tretyakov, a Soviet writer who challenged the notion that autobiographies can transparently convey “lived experience.” To counter both the exploitation or victimization of others and the tendency toward mere emotional identification with marginalized groups, Tretyakov developed the new genre of the “bio-interview,” as exemplified by his work Den Shikhua.

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