Dzień oprycznika Władimira Sorokina, czyli o chorej Rosji, która „wyzdrowiała”
Day of the Oprichnik by Vladimir Sorokin about sick Russia, which “recovered”

Author(s): Andrzej Polak
Subject(s): Studies of Literature
Published by: Wydawnictwo Uniwersytetu Śląskiego
Summary/Abstract: This article is devoted to one of the last novels by Vladimir Sorokin. Day of the Oprichnik can be read as a warning against the changes taking place in Russia, that are evidence of progressive disease of the state and society. In this work the introduction of oprichny system encourages their rebirth. State described by Sorokin has a hierarchical structure. At the very top of it is the Monarch who is supported by selected squad kromieszników. The remaining part of population (including the nobility) is strictly subordinated to them. Monarchy governments are based on repression and violence, sanctioned in addition by religion. Author of the article indicates the inspiration of Sorokin. Described by him new Russia is the realization of solutions suggested by the Kremlin ideologues — Alexander Dugin, Gleb Pavlovsky and Vladislav Surkov. Their proposals, which are the foundation of Sorokin dystopia, derive directly from the theory of euro Asians, calling for support of socio‑political relations not on the Western tradition, but on hostile to it Asian civilization. Sorokins Russia is therefore a sick country, concealing his weakness under the hood of oprichnina and old Russian or pseudo old Russian customs.

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