The montage of the life course of Alexander Maloletov: searching for happiness in the Soviet and Post-Soviet Russia.

Abstract

This work is focused on the life course of 67 years old Alexander Maloletov. In my study I question the role of happiness for the individual, connected to present self-identity and «personal memory museum». I am considering happiness as an emotional lens, through which it is possible to think evaluatively and narratively about people’s selves and lives. The main informant is an eccentric man named Alexander Maloletov who works as a TV journalist, writes poems, fishes and constantly quarrels with his sixth wife. Twenty years ago people called Alexander a madman. He used to live on the streets, beg for money, drink vodka, lotions, colognes and steal things from his mother's house. Poetry became a life vest for him. At the beginning, he wrote autobiographical poems. Later he started reflecting on the events of the Great Patriotic War, the Afghan and Chechen wars, as well as the Siege of Leningrad. He published five books. My research project deals with idea that stories about happiness always contain realistic stories about people’s inner conflicts, doubts, struggles with life circumstances. The important message of this master work is that well-being is not constant and stable but rather it is a field of struggle.