ANTI-UTOPIAN STRATEGIES IN THE WORKS OF VLADIMIR SOROKIN

Abstract

his article explores the anti-utopian strategies employed in the works of Vladimir Sorokin, one of the most provocative and influential writers in contemporary Russian literature. Focusing on the novel Day of the Oprichnik, the cycle Sugar Kremlin, and the novel Manaraga, the study identifies the central features of Sorokin’s dystopian aesthetics, including exaggerated violence, grotesque representations of power, total social regulation, and the deliberate destruction of cultural codes. Particular attention is given to Sorokin’s use of postmodern narrative techniques—parody, intertextuality, stylistic hybridity, and linguistic experimentation—which together construct an ironic and artistically intensified vision of a future Russia. The article argues that Sorokin’s dystopia functions not merely as a literary experiment but as a critical reflection on contemporary socio-political realities and the potential trajectories of societal development.