The Utopian and Dystopia Narrative in Aitmatov's Novels

Abstract

Abstract: In Aitmatov's novels, utopia and dystopia could go hand in hand. This was related to not only his early upbringing and life experience, but also his religious thoughts and artistic orientation in his later years. In his reflection upon the need to “fundamentally reassess everything” during the reform of the Soviet Union, Aitmatov gradually shook his religious thoughts off the constraint of political discourse, hence “Jesus Christ” and “God” took up more important positions in his works. Judging from an artistic perspective, what his works present is more like a moderate reversal of official rules. Accordingly, his works destroyed the flattering mainstream discourse and replaced it with a dystopian construction of reality. What was associated with the transformation of his religious thoughts was the writer's reliance on science fiction for his pursuit of an alternative “other side”: a perfect spiritual realm, the advanced science and technology, the vanishing state apparatus -- all these constitute the core of the writer's Utopian ideal.

Key words: Aitmatov, novel, utopia, dystopia, narrative

Yu Dan. The Utopian and Dystopia Narrative in Aitmatov's Novels[J]. Foreign Literature Studies, 2020, 42(1): 65-75.

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