Concerning some peculiarities of Marina Judenich's artistic style

Abstract

Parallel to the radical changes in Russian society of the last decades are transformations in literary methods and genre. There is a widespread notion that in the new social surroundings serious literature has lost its appeal to the majority of the readers, that the modern era has brought about the victory of mass culture with its ambition only to entertain. There is a wide gap between the authors of serious literature and the common reader, which threatens the viability of serious literature in the market economy. Still, there are some authors who seem to have found a key to success with the public without compromising the artistic quality of their books. Marina Judenic is one of them. Her books are not only entertaining due to unexpected twists in the plots, sudden changes of time and setting, and richness and accuracy of language. The author’s preoccupation with fundamental contemporary existential problems is evident in the two novels and story analyzed in this article. She portrays the human search for ideals and truth and, last but not least, for spiritual salvation. Judenic is interested in the social and psychological bonds which help a human being remain human in any conditions and at any time. Marina Judenic promises to bridge the gap between quality writing and popular readership.