“DEVILRY”: COLLECTIONS OF A. AVERCHENKO AND V. KOROLEV-STARYJ

Abstract

The present article deals with works of Ukrainian and Russian emigrant writers of the interwar period, V. Korolev-Staryj and A. Averchenko, from the point of view of the thematic aspect. Both collections of flash fiction, though based on various genres, share the same title, “Devilry”, and were written in 1920s. The article defines particularities of poetics, as well as the attitude of writers, both to the images of folklore mythology, and reality. Common features of both collections are folklore basis, fantastic and humorous elements, Gogol's motifs, and means of expressiveness.
It is being noted that the collection of V. Korolev-Staryj is polemically adjusted both to the collection of A. Averchenko and to folk mythology, but at the same time it is a kind of continuation of the “Russian king of laughter” with regard to evil spirits as something hostile to mankind. It is asserted that the patriotic spirit added strength to these exiled writers
who dreamed of returning to their home countries.