This essay explores the cultural meaning and social significance of oil in Soviet and post-Soviet Russian culture through the analysis of two literary case studies. The first is a story written by I. Babel in 1934; the second is authored by D. Bykov and was published in 2017. Both are entitled Neft’ (Oil). The analysis follows the notion expressed in Bruno Latour’s Politics of nature (1999) which regards oil as a “miracleproduct” of our time with potentially nefarious consequences. From the anthropocentric optimism of the Soviet era to the present-day sense that oil has become an uncontrollable “object”, this hybrid of nature and culture holds a significant and diverse place in Russian literature.

La petro-cultura in Russia. Dai prodotti petroliferi ai prodotti letterari

Caprioglio, Nadia
2019-01-01

Abstract

This essay explores the cultural meaning and social significance of oil in Soviet and post-Soviet Russian culture through the analysis of two literary case studies. The first is a story written by I. Babel in 1934; the second is authored by D. Bykov and was published in 2017. Both are entitled Neft’ (Oil). The analysis follows the notion expressed in Bruno Latour’s Politics of nature (1999) which regards oil as a “miracleproduct” of our time with potentially nefarious consequences. From the anthropocentric optimism of the Soviet era to the present-day sense that oil has become an uncontrollable “object”, this hybrid of nature and culture holds a significant and diverse place in Russian literature.
2019
15
Fall
313
326
http://www.ojs.unito.it/index.php/COSMO/index
Petrofiction, Energy Humanities, Contemporary Russian Literature, Isaak Babel’, Dmitrij Bykov
Caprioglio, Nadia
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Utilizza questo identificativo per citare o creare un link a questo documento: https://hdl.handle.net/2318/1724263
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