The Traditionalist Discourse of Contemporary Russian Literature: From Neo-traditionalism to “New Realism”
The Traditionalist Discourse of Contemporary Russian Literature: From Neo-traditionalism to “New Realism”

Summary/Abstract: The article analyses modern traditionalism and its main directions (classical traditionalism, neo-traditionalism and new realism). This analysis encompasses the reasons for a returning interest to the realistic principles of writing, and the dialogues between traditionalism and the avant-garde and the cosmos and chaos as key to the development of culture as a whole. It highlights the ways in which current literary studies and criticism reflect the shift of the cultural paradigm and the transition from the poetics of postmodernism to the realistic principles of writing, while preserving elements of postmodern aesthetics. Particular attention is paid to the increasingly controversial direction of “new realism”, which is represented by two key areas: patriotic and naturalistic. The “new realism” authors actively form their own mythology, participating in politics, and trying to reconcile Soviet and anti-Soviet discourses. They search for “avant-gardism in conservatism”, where conservatism is a treasury of Russian classic images, and avant-gardism is the innovations that reflect the current public realia. The article provides a detailed analysis of the literary work of Siberian author Mikhail Tarkovsky. Tarkovsky’s work combines elements of the poetics of “classical traditionalism” and “new realism” to present an original geopolitical project and a cultural character capable of bringing the country to a new level of civilisation.

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