Aleksandr Karasyov (Russian — Александр Владимирович Карасёв, transl. Aleksandr Vladimirovich Karasyov) is a Russian writer living in St. Petersburg, Russia.

Biography

Aleksandr Karasyov was born in Krasnodar, Russia, in 1971. He received degrees in history and law from the Kuban State University and worked as a mechanic, engineer, teacher, and legal advisor. He served in the army, taking part in the fights in Chechnya.Огрызко, Вячеслав (Ogrysko, Vyacheslav) (2004). Русские писатели. Современная эпоха. Лексикон: Эскиз будущей энциклопедии (Russian writers. The modern era. Vocabulary: the Sketch of the future encyclopedia). — Moscow: Literary Russia. — 560 с. — .Огрызко, Вячеслав (Ogrysko, Vyacheslav) (2006). Кто сегодня делает литературу в России (Who does today literature in Russia). Выпуск 2. — Moscow: Literary Russia. — 496 с. — .

Since 2003 he has been published in literary journals. He was awarded the Bunin Prize (2008) and the Second O. Henry Prize "Dary Volhvov" (The Gift of the Magi) (New York, 2010). He is the author of the books "The Chechen Stories" (Chechenskye Rasskazy) and "Traitor" (Predatel').Yevgeni Popov (2009). "Who can follow Gogol's footsteps" in: Russia now , 21 April 2009 Retrieved 22 April 2013

Aleksandr Karasyov is known for Russian military prose. Some critics describe him a representative of the Russian "new realism" movement of the 21st century, continuing the tradition of the "lieutenant prose" of the 1960s and 1970s and military prose of the 1990s,Аристов, Денис (Aristov, Denis) (2011). "On nature of realism in modern russian military fiction of 2000s" (О природе реализма в современной русской прозе о войне (2000–е годы)). In: Journal Perm State Pedagogical University, 2011 (2). Retrieved 17 April 2013.(“Summary in English", p. 175: In the article Russian military fiction of the 2000s is regarded: its problems, genesis and functioning in the modern literary process, reader and critic reception. Naturalistic, realistic poetics of A. Babchenko, Z. Prilepin and A. Karasyov, sharply contrasting with postmodernist poetics of Russian prose of the late 20th century and determining critics to speak about "new realism", is considered in the context of precedent literary tradition, the tradition of "lieutenants prose" of the 1960-1970-s (novels and stories by Y. Bondarev, G. Baklanov, K. Vorobyov, V. Bykaw) and military prose of the early 1990s (works by V. Astafyev, O. Yermakov)). although Karasyov himself strongly denies this label.Сергей Беляков, Новые Белинские и Гоголи на час (published in «Вопросы литературы» 2007, no. 4)

Books

Сhechen Stories (Russian — Чеченские рассказы, transl. Chechenskiye Rasskazy). — Moscow: Literary Russia, 2008. . Traitor (Russian — Предатель, transl. Predatel'''). — Ufa: Vagant, 2011. .Подховник, Эдит (Podhovnik, Edith) (2012). “Незнакомая война”. In: Октябрь, 2012 (12). Retrieved 14 April 2013. (This essay discusses the perception of war in Austria with regard to the book "Traitor" by the Russian writer Alexander Karasyov).Мызников, Александр (Myznikov, Alexandr) (2010). “Облик предателя”. In: Polit.ru, 12. 03. 2010. Retrieved 15 April 2013.

In his Chechen Stories and Traitor, which are regarded as examples of modern Russian military prose,Пустовая, Валерия (Pustovaya, Valeriya) (2005). Человек с ружьём: смертник, бунтарь, писатель. О молодой «военной» прозе (Zakhar Prilepin — Arkadi Babchenko – Denis Gutsko — Alexander Каrasyov). In: Novy mir (Новый мир). 2005 (5). Retrieved 17 April 2013 (The article presents an overview of works on contemporary war literature in Russia. Poet Sergei Mikhailov writes the poem "The Six of Them Went Off to War" that gives the readers illusions, ornaments and renders a state that war is clearly presented. Prose writer Aleksandr Karasyov writes stories to pave his path as his latest pieces are set in civilian life but still focus on the image of officers like "The Chess Queen"). Alexander Karasyov gives insights into life in the Russian army during the Second Chechen War. Presenting a modern war and modern warfare, the author does not rely on second hand information but on his own experience. The short stories are often as tragicomical as the Russian army itself and show Karasyov's characters not only in the war but also in their lives outside the war in their civilian life, or their so-called "life in peace" (“мирная жизнь”).Druzhba narodov (2005). “Summary in English" in: Friendship of Peoples (Дружба народов), 2005 (4). Retrieved 16 April 2013.

Publications in anthologies

Народ мой — большая семья: Литература наших дней. (My People — A Big Family. Literature of Our Days) (2007). Moscow: Literaturnaya Rossiya. Четыре шага от войны (Four Steps from War) (2010). Sankt Saint Petersburg: Limbus Press. Дары волхвов 2.0 (The Gift of the Magi) (2012). New York.

External links

Alexander Karasyov in Новая литературная карта России (New literary map of Russia).

Interviews (in Russian)

Нужна основательная встряска. (Interview with Andrej Rudalyov) Критик — это как в армии замполит. (Interview with Zakhar Prilepin) (Interview with Roman Senchin) (Interview with Michail Boyko)

Bibliography Silver, Courtney''. Criticism and Complaint In Soldiers’ Narratives of the Chechen Wars. Master thesis. University of Colorado, Boulder, 2017.

References