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Russophone (novel)
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Wikipedia article
'Russophone' (, 'Russkogovoryashchy') is a novel by the Russian writer Denis Gutsko (Moscow, 'Vagrius', 2005, ). The novel is an expanded and reworked version of his novel 'Without Track or Trace', - ('Bez puti-sleda' also translated as 'Without a Way') published in 'Druzhba Narodov' magazine (2004 nn. 11, 12). It was awarded the 2005 Russian Booker Prize (under the latter title), despite a vocal opposition by the chairman of the jury, Vasily Aksyonov.
The novel addresses the issue of Russophone people, who after the dissolution of the Soviet Union suddenly found themselves without a homeland, in new post-Soviet states, surrounded by ethnic hatred towards Russians. It was awarded the Boris Sokolov Prize (2005).
The plot is about the fate of a Russian born in Tbilisi, Georgia, who speaks Russian with Georgian accent. The journal version mainly dealt with the tribulations of the main hero, who could not get a passport of the Russian citizenship. The book version was significantly expanded: the first part was added with the pre-history of the hero, involving his participation in the Armenia-Azerbaijan conflict (first Nagorno-Karabakh War). The second part was reworked to address criticism of the journal version.
References
*[http://www.ozon.ru/context/detail/id/2429762/ 'Russkogovoryashchy'], ozon.ru catalog entry
*[http://prochtenie.ru/index.php/docs/253]
*[http://magazines.russ.ru/druzhba/2004/11/gu2.html "Without Track or Trace"], text online
Category:2004 novels
Category:21st-century Russian novels
Category:Novels set in Russia
Category:Novels set in Georgia (country)
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