WOMEN’S IMAGES IN WORKS OF V.T. SHALAMOV

Abstract

The article discusses female images created by V.T. Shalamov in the series “Kolyma Tales” in comparison with the images created by E.S. Ginzburg in the book “The Steep Route” and by G.G. Demidov in the storybook “The Wonderful Planet”. The goal is to identify originality of female characters in the work of V.T. Shalamov. It is noted that female images in the work of V.T. Shalamov are interpreted mainly positively, for the heroes of “Kolyma Tales”, a woman is a possessor of femininity and tenderness, kindness and sensitivity; even the insignificant actions of women can be for men signs of life, symbols of the coming end of trials. In the work of E.S. Ginzburg female images are more diverse, similar to V.T. Shalamov interpretation of the image of a woman overseer. There are common features in the understanding of female images in G.G. Demidov and V.T. Shalamov, for example, the idea of “wildness” of men in the absence of women. However, in general, in the stories of V.T. Shalamov the idea that a woman in a camp being can not only preserve her tenderness and humanity, but also supports men with their very existence, is more clearly expressed.