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From Intelligentsia to Middle Class? Re-Inventing Virtue and Citizneship in Boris Akunin's <i>Fandorin Mysteries</i>

Leon Aron, Resident Scholar, American Enterprise Institute

Date & Time

Monday
Apr. 26, 2004
12:00pm – 1:00pm ET

Overview

At a recent Kennan Institute talk, Leon Aron, Resident Scholar, American Enterprise Institute, Washington, D.C., spoke about Boris Akunin's best-selling mystery series—in his view, "the most interesting phenomenon in the Russian literary market in the first post-Soviet decade." Akunin has written a series of eleven books set in the late 19th and early 20th centuries and featuring the adventures of detective Erast Fandorin. Aron noted that Akunin's books are expensive by Russian standards, but nevertheless consistently sell out within a few weeks of their first printing. He argued that the popularity of the Fandorin Mysteries may reflect a changing of morality and social values in post-Soviet Russia.

According to Aron, Akunin—who has worked for many years as a literary critic—is a skilled writer. Akunin's books lack the "formerly forbidden fruits" of sexuality and vulgar language that are supposed to be necessary for success in the popular literature market. Instead, Aron argued, the Fandorin Mysteries are beautifully written, with captivating plot lines and well-developed characters. Akunin also fills his books with post-modern wordplays and references to other works.

However, Aron believes that their literary merit is only a partial cause of the popularity of the Fandorin Mysteries. He argued that a growing number of people in present-day Russia can identify with the values embodied in the hero, Fandorin. According to Aron, Fandorin's late 19th century Russia has many things in common with post-Soviet Russia. During both time periods, Russia experienced an unprecedented level of liberalization, followed by a retreat by the state and a partial return to a greater state control. As society changed, old values became outdated and people were left searching for a new moral order.

Aron argued that in this context of a moral void, Fandorin represents an existentialist moral paradigm that is not typical of the Russian intelligentsia. Fandorin states explicitly in one book that he follows a moral standard that he has developed for himself and does not believe in universal values. Throughout the series, Fandorin is honest, hard-working, and dedicated not to the tsar, but to his country and his own honor. Aron contrasted this with the traditional attitudes of the Russian intelligentsia, whose writings focus on universal ideals of good and evil and whose political platforms focus on the role of the state, rather than the individual, in promoting happiness.

The intelligentsia tradition continued from the Russian Empire into the Soviet period, according to Aron, but it may be changing in the post-Soviet period. He argued that the virtues of self-reliance, hard work, and personal morality exemplified by Fandorin are middle class values—the type of morality that Russia needs in order to develop into a prosperous, democratic society. He contended that the popularity of the Fandorin Mysteries may indicate that there are a large number of Russians who identify with middle class values, which could be a very hopeful sign for the future of Russia.

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Kennan Institute

The Kennan Institute is the premier US center for advanced research on Russia and Eurasia and the oldest and largest regional program at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars. The Kennan Institute is committed to improving American understanding of Russia, Ukraine, Central Asia, the Caucasus, and the surrounding region though research and exchange.  Read more

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