Problems of historical memory and its preservation, responsibility, forgiveness. From the novel “Silence” to the story “Relatives” by Y.V. Bondarev

Abstract

Based on two relatively early works by Y.V. Bondarev, the novel “Silence” and the story “Relatives”, investigated the problems of spiritual and moral meaning, which were fundamental for the front-line writer throughout his difficult, long-term creative path. We trace the beginning of their artistic and philosophical development in the synthesis of “peace–war” in the named works of 1960s based on the development of some characters, both major and minor, specific situations, collisions. We note the main artistic and philosophical aspects: synthesis of the past, present, future, sacredness of memory, peaceful “silence” and psychological extreme. We analyze poetic techniques developed by the author that help to solve the assigned tasks: dream–reality, polyphonic monologues, “dialogue in a monologue”, etc.