The Image of Russia in Andreï Makine’s Novel “The Life of an Unknown Man”

Abstract

The article presents an analysis of the novel “The Life of an Unknown Man” by Andreï Makine from the perspective of the image of Russia. Similar to the other works of the author, the image of the native land in the immigrant novel is originally based on a geographic contrast of Russia and France and traditional national stereotypes. The novel is characterized by an abrupt transition from the positive image of Russia to a negative one. The satire on modern Russia, the analysis of the Russian language and literature break down the stereotypes and emphasize the antithesis of the poetic image of the country of the past and of modern Russia whose moral values are gone Keywords: image of Russia, immigrant novel, Makine, satire, stereotype.