Sympathy for Black Fiction: A Study of the Construction of an Esoteric Myth
https://doi.org/10.22394/2073-7203-2023-41-1-218-239
Abstract
The article analyzes the concept of “black fiction”, which arose in the Soviet esoteric underground thanks to the Garfang publishing series. Firstly, the article deals with the history of the series. Secondly, the ideological content of the “black fiction” concept is considered, it’s genesis going back to the works of G. Meyrink then developed by E. Golovin and Yu. Stefanov. Thirdly, the place of H.P. Lovecraft is studied, the interpretations of his work in the works of E. Golovin and modern philosophers of speculative realism are compared, and the points of intersection of the two traditions are established and their difference is shown. At last, the article examines the question of the validity of the concept of “black fiction” from the point of view of the history of ideas and literature. The authors’ conclusion is that there is no single field of “black fiction”, the texts were written under the influence of various religious and esoteric teachings, and the commercial factor also played a role. The studied concept thus was a construct generated by the worldview of the right wing of the Soviet esoteric underground, and although the works of writers of the horror gen‑ re were used to create it, their ideas were considerably reinterpreted.
About the Author
P. Nosachev
HSE University
Russian Federation
Russian Federation
Pavel Nosachev — Professor at the Faculty of Humanities
Moscow
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Review
For citations:
Nosachev P. Sympathy for Black Fiction: A Study of the Construction of an Esoteric Myth. State, Religion and Church in Russia and Worldwide. 2023;41(1):218-239. (In Russ.) https://doi.org/10.22394/2073-7203-2023-41-1-218-239
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