Thesis title: Tutto inizia e tutto finisce nel Paese del Sol Levante: cultura, letteratura e immaginario giapponese nell’opera di B. Akunin
My research is based on the analysis of the Japanese cultural code in the work of contemporary Russian writer Boris Akunin. A pseudonym and alter ego of the Japanese historian Grigorij Chartishvili (1956-), Akunin is one of the most prolific writers of our time, as well as a playwright, literary critic, and prominent figure in today’s political and cultural landscape. His works are related to the emergence of the “middle-literature” in Russian literature in the 1990s. This literature includes works of entertainment but of undeniable literary value. Akunin contributed also to important developments and innovations in the detective genre, thanks to his most famous novel series, The Adventures of Erast Fandorin. This thesis first analyzes the development of cultural and literary relations between Russia and Japan from the dissolution of the USSR to the present, the period in which Akunin’s work can be placed. The aim is to identify the cultural image of Japan that has taken hold in Russia and, conversely, the image of Russia that is commonly inscribed in the Japanese imagination. Laying this important analytical foundation helps define the ideological and cultural framework within which the author’s prose developed, revealing a complex and syncretic overtext of references, allusions, and quotations to Japanese motifs. This research is unprecedented, as references to Japan have only been analyzed in a few of the most famous works of the Fandorin cycle, while a comprehensive study of them, including in relation to the literary procedures employed by Akunin, is lacking. Therefore, after retracing the salient features of Čhartišvili/Akunin’s life, career, style, and production to highlight the characteristics necessary for understanding the use and function of Japanese references and motifs, the thesis delves into a maze of references and allusions to the Land of the Rising Sun. A taxonomy of the Japanese cultural code, obtained by tracing the most recurring themes in his vast and multifaceted production, has not only never been conducted before, but also clarifies which components of the “Japanese myth” permeate his work and the functions these serve in the construction of the setting, characters, language, works, and Japanese intertext. What emerges in Akunin’s work is a dual image of Japan and the Japanese, as the use of historical and cultural stereotypes conveys a critique of recurring patterns of cultural interaction between the “Self” and the “Other.” The juxtaposition of the two images, which reveals processes such as exoticism and dual coding, creates an ideological space in which Akunin’s worldview clearly shines through. Moreover, the Japanese cultural code is so deeply embedded in the Russian text that it creates a true hybrid linguistic code through varied Japanese interpolations that serve different structural and narrative purposes, as well as a vehicle for metatextuality, metanarrative, and reader interaction, to the point of even influencing the syntax of the Russian language. This code is, in fact, the subject and not the passive object of the narrative; it is an integral part of the narrative structure and the stylistic-formal organization of the works, where it communicates and often clashes with the Russian cultural code. The negotiation of meanings, however, does not decree a winner, but rather invites us to grasp surprising affinities amidst the diversity and misunderstandings that emerge. Akunin’s text, steeped in the soul of Russian literature, is infused, through its cultural realia, with the spirit and atmosphere of Japan; this allows for the birth of a metanarrative space in which the “border” does not separate, but rather fosters the osmotic coexistence of two cultures and literatures. The Japanese interpretation of death and suicide, in particular, permeates Akunin’s work not only as a recurring theme, but above all as his own version and personal interpretation of one of the most emblematic and catalyzing motifs of Japanese culture and literature. And if literature and philosophy are the highest and most brilliant manifestation of a people’s soul and identity, the presence of a literary intertext infused with Eastern philosophy and the dictates that organize Japanese thought, way of life, and society represents Akunin’s artistic manifesto. The Japanese intertext itself shines through in the construction of the characters, in the stylistic and formal organization of the works, in a dense and intricate network of quotations, allusions, and references that act as metatext and metanarrative, in the construction of the plot, and as historical setting. The fusion of Russian and Japanese literary genres is an undeniable manifestation of the author’s sublime and brilliant ability to experiment with literature, with its immanent categories, with the sancta sanctorum of Russian and world literature, with the aim of providing us with new interpretations of literature itself, as well as of history and our present. Finally, the beliefs and morals of his heroes, which reflect Akunin’s ideological and spiritual manifesto, provide an alternative to Western thought, implicitly suggesting that in interpreting the complex relationships and events that rule our time, old values are now obsolete and incapable of grasping and capturing the forces that shape our era. The beliefs of Akunin and his heroes, their morals, and their way of interpreting the world and life, suggest the need for contemporary man to assimilate Japanese thought to aspire to an “androgynous” state of existence, the perfect fusion of East and West. The research concludes with an exclusive interview with Boris Akunin, who was happy to answer some questions about his work. His availability has truly confirmed the value and necessity of this research.