Scholarly record

RUSSIAN CHILDREN'S LITERATURE OF LATVIA

E. Vasiljeva, A. Stankevica, E. Isajeva, I. Dvorecka, J. Valejeva

Abstract

The present study focuses on two interrelated issues: specifics of Russian literature in Latvia in the period after the World War II and peculiarity of children’s literature of this period. The post-war period is dramatic in the history of Latvia; it is a period of lost independence and occupation, which directly affects the literary process (presence of ideological doctrine). Nevertheless, Latvia’s cultural space becomes a place of relative artistic freedom and minimization of ideological dictate. In a phenomenal way, this is significant for children’s and adolescent literature as well. The present study is devoted to the oeuvre of Lidia Zhdanova, Latvian Russian writer. Among her literary heritage written for children, a detective trilogy about kids from Blackheads Street draws special attention. One of the specific features of children’s literature in Latvia is the interest in the genre of the detective story, which replaces the ideologically recognized school story (in Latvian literature, such an example can be found in Zenta Ergle’s oeuvre). It is the genre of the detective story that allows addressing ideologically controversial issues: spirituality, retribution, moral responsibility. What is more, L. Zhdanova’s detective stories for children provide a new look at the events of World War II. On the basis of structural and semiotic analysis, the study considers the specifics of narrative storytelling and the insertion “adult” text into children’s literature.

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