Article

Name: The Image of I. A. Bunin in the Memoir Prose of Irina Odoevtseva (Based on the Memoir “Na beregakh Seny”)

Authors: M. V. Eroshevskaya

Kemerovo State University, Kemerovo, Russian Federation

In the section The Plot in the System of Cultural Universals: Bunin, East and West of the Russian Emigration

Abstract:

Irina Odoevtseva’s emigration began in 1922, permanently deleting the poet from Russian literature. In emigration, she stopped writing poems and turned to prose. Mainly, her memoir work brought her fame. The memoirs “Na beregakh Seny” are dedicated to the memories writers and poets of the Russian emigration, but a special place among them is occupied by I. A. Bunin. It was his criticism that Odoevtseva considered the most valuable and it was from him that she received approval as a prose writer. Thanks in large part to his comments and observations, she improved her writing skills. Moreover, the author-memoirist managed to get the location of Bunin. He repeatedly noted Odoevtseva’s ability to listen to him with genuine attention and interest. This impressed the writer and made him want to share his thoughts. Irina Odoevtseva’s femininity, diplomacy and sincerity allowed her to maintain good relations with Bunin throughout her life. So, the most significant event of emigration for Odoevtseva becomes acquaintance with Bunin.

The memoirist does not tell about each meeting in chronological order: it captures the most striking key moments. The poet admired the extraordinary and rare talent of the writer. Behind the mask of arrogance and arrogance, Odoevtseva was able to discern the best human qualities in him. She saw her task as bringing her contemporaries and descendants at least a little closer to Bunin’s greatness. According to the memoirist, he was such a multiaceted personality that no one could give an exhaustive description of his image. Being a poet and prose writer, she learned Bunin mainly as an author-Creator. But the main thing in Irina Odoevtseva’s observations is that this image extended to Bunin’s life as a whole. This was expressed in the way he saw the world, how he spoke and reminisced about his childhood and youth. Even the most mundane story told by Bunin became a small work of art. The writer did not just tell, but showed what he was talking about. He, like no one else, felt and understood nature subtly and sensitively, and his presence always created a special atmosphere. This, according to Odoevtseva, made him an extraordinary and unique person, and that is why it was so important for her to get to know the real Ivan Bunin and capture his multi-faceted image.

Keywords: memoirs, prose, Irina Odoevtseva, poet, novelist, Ivan Bunin, Russian emigration, image

Bibliography:

Maltsev Yu. V. Ivan Bunin. 1870–1953. Moscow, Frankfurt am Main, Posev Publ., 1994, 324 p. (in Russ.)

Odoevtseva I. V. Izbrannoe. Stikhotvoreniya. Na beregakh Nevy. Na beregakh Seny. Moscow, 1998, p. 193–951. (in Russ.)