On the Phenomenon of Biliterariness (Based on the Experience of Studies of South Slavic Literatures)

Abstract

Russian Slavic scholars have focused on issues of studying and interpreting South Slavic Literatures for a long time. A recent landmark in the field, the Lexicon of South Slavic Literatures presents not only prominent Yugoslav writers but unveils their literary interconnections. Among other things, a feature of South Slavic literary context is a phenomenon of biliterariness of a number of writers, i.e. their affiliation with literary life of several national literatures. This phenomenon has deep historical, literary, ethnic, lingual, and religious roots. In certain periods, mostly under the influence of extraliterary conditions, it triggers heated debates. For example, the Soviet Union collapse provoked polemics over the attitude of Russian writing authors (Aitmatov, Bykov) representing national literatures towards Russian literature. While identifying the specificity of works authored by writers whose literary activity can be affiliated with two literatures, it should be taken into account that their biliterariness may be diachronic, i.e. pertaining to different periods, or synchronic, i.e. manifesting itself throughout the development of two literatures simultaneously. Scholars studying multinational contexts of any kind are facing a challenge of developing key criteria to identify national dominant.