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The Phenomenon of Orthodox Bestsellers in Contemporary Russia

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The Phenomenon of Orthodox Bestsellers in Contemporary Russia The Phenomenon of Orthodox Bestsellers in Contemporary Russia by Lina Shaw A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Slavic Languages and Literatures Department of Modern Languages and Cultural Studies University of Alberta ©Lina Shaw, 2018 Abstract This study attempts to provide a literary analysis of some of the most popular contemporary Orthodox bestsellers in an effort to discuss their literary and cultural values and to explain their widespread appeal, focusing on historical, social and political concern that inform the Orthodox book market. The analysis shows that the popular Orthodox culture in Russian society today tends toward a nationalist, moralist and rather conservative reading of the religion. Christianity is seen not so much as a universal concept, but the essence that defines the historic origin and cultural roots of the Russians. My study confirms a close tie between the 19th century Russian messianism and today’s popular Orthodox discourses. Instead of focusing on dogmatic, theological debates, the bestsellers place emphasis on the lived experience of Russian people, showing through the life stories of “real people” how religion is relevant in modern society, how one can engage. The readers’ response indicates that average readers focus on the peaceful, optimistic, positive attitude that religion helps one attain in this life rather than the possibility of afterlife that the faith actually promises. These books portray an Orthodox Church that has actually always been there throughout the Russian history and has always been the nation’s greatest treasure and ultimate protection, which is a sharp departure from the tradition of late 19th century Russian literature that promoted opposition to institutional religion. The Orthodox ideal of holiness and treatment of the concept of personality shown in these bestsellers carry distinct medieval message, which are perceived as the perfection that needs to be preserved intact and promoted as it is and any changes or improvements would be undesirable. ii Contents Introduction .............................................................................................................................................. 1 Chapter 1. Father Arseny: A Soviet Samizdat Hagiography .................................................................... 34 Authenticity of the Main Protagonist .................................................................................................. 39 Genre Specificity .................................................................................................................................. 43 Fr. Arseny: A Saintly Figure .................................................................................................................. 57 Christian Realism ................................................................................................................................. 82 Christian Message in Soviet Context ................................................................................................... 90 Reader’s Response ............................................................................................................................ 102 Fr. Arseny’s Spiritual Children............................................................................................................ 106 Conclusion ......................................................................................................................................... 137 Chapter 2 Everyday Saints and Other Stories: A Bishop’s In-churching Effort ....................................... 140 Fr. Tikhon: A Conservative Nationalist ............................................................................................... 140 Essentialist Representation of the Monastery................................................................................... 145 National Treasure of Elders ............................................................................................................... 156 Prologue as Genre Prototype ............................................................................................................ 164 Autobiographical Self ........................................................................................................................ 173 Self-fashioning Amid Hagiography ..................................................................................................... 186 The Collaborating Hero: A Tread on Gospel Values ........................................................................... 193 Where There Is Faith, Miracles Happen, And Vice Versa – The In-churching Project ....................... 206 Representation of Soviet Period and Stalin ....................................................................................... 215 Conclusion ......................................................................................................................................... 219 Chapter 3 Notes of a Priest’s Wife: A Materialist Account of Everyday Parish Life. .............................. 221 Notes as a Genre ............................................................................................................................... 226 Fighting for a Positive Image ............................................................................................................. 243 Breaking Gender Stereotypes ............................................................................................................ 271 Conclusion ......................................................................................................................................... 299 Conclusion ............................................................................................................................................. 300 Bibliography .......................................................................................................................................... 306 Appendix ............................................................................................................................................... 313 iii Introduction Сcontemporary Russian literature is inextricably tied to its faith experience. Every popular art form is a reflection of a society that produces it, and the resurgence of religion in post-Soviet Russia took many scholars by surprise. Despite the devastating Soviet campaign against religious institutions, the clergy, and sacred objects and places, which had been meant to eradicate religion, Russian socialist society was never thoroughly secularized. The impetus for this study is a well- known phenomenon in the publishing industry: the popularity of Orthodox literature. By “Orthodox literature,” I mean a broader scope of literary works than merely those marketed exclusively to church-goers and sold in Christian bookshops. The term “Orthodox literature” in this thesis covers both “fiction” and “non-fiction” written from an Orthodox worldview and intended for a broad readership, including belles-lettres, novels, memoirs, short stories, and biographies. In recent years, the number of Orthodox books has increased significantly. In addition to print literature, an abundance of Orthodox websitesi provide free access to old and new prose works. This literature can be divided into four types:ii 1) Church literature in a narrow sense: Scripture, the writings of the Church Fathers, prayer books; 2) Scholarly literature, such as historical-theological works; 3) Publications for educational and missionary purposes, including Orthodox manuals; 4) Literary fiction, including poetry and novels, as well as a variety of poems and stories for children. It is not Bibles or prayer books, but Orthodox fiction, whose sales have exceeded expectations. The term “fiction” here encompasses both fictional imaginative texts and “creative non-fiction” or “non-fiction novels”, because the creative processes involved in writing traditional non- 1 fictional biography and memoirs are far removed from the processes of writing fiction or poetry.iii The line of demarcation between fiction and non-fiction can be blurry. The popularity of Orthodox fiction did not develop in isolation, but in the context of contemporary Russian culture in general, and Russian literature in particular, which has always been informed by moral concerns and by the national consciousness. Morality and the sense of community are the most salient features of the religious landscape in Russia, and the lived experience of Russians in relation to religion defies easy categorization. Thus, in a sense, analyzing Orthodox popular literature can be especially productive. This study presents an analysis of how the Christian faith is presented in the writing, and how these bestsellers can provide insight into the intellectual and ideological currents within Russian Orthodoxy. I will place the phenomenon of “Orthodox bestsellers” in a context that explains their positive sales figures and their significance in reflecting contemporary Russian culture. Books that achieve literary acclaim do not necessarily achieve bestseller status. Novels do not sell well on their artistic merits alone, but because they tap into the intellectual and cultural climate of the times and thus appeal to a vast number of people. In addition, having “marketing savvy, industry connections,”iv as Brian Hill points out in The Making of a Bestseller, is also crucial for a book’s success.
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