The image of Moscow in Narine Abgaryan’s The Newcomer

About the author:

Natalia A. Gridneva, Cand. Sci. (Philol.), Associate Professor, Department of Pedagogics, Cross-Cultural Communication and Russian as Foreign Language, Samara State Technical University, Samara, Russia; n.gavrilina83@mail.ru, https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1886-6040

Abstract:

This article examines the portrayal of Moscow in the book The Newcomer (2011) by Narine Abgaryan. This study aims to identify the distinctive features of Moscow’s image during the 1990s, when the story takes place. The study of the poetics of space in Narine Abgaryan’s works is an important aspect of understanding her creativity. However, The Newcomer has not yet been analyzed from this perspective. This article explores the specific image of Moscow by examining key locations, such as Petrovka and the “Intourist” hotel, as well as the characters of O. F. and Aunt Polly, who play crucial roles in the protagonist’s exploration of the city. Petrovka, described at the beginning of the book, portrays Moscow in crisis, reflecting the socio-cultural realities of the time, including street trading, neglected urban landscapes, mass poverty, and expensive imported goods. As the protagonist rushes along Petrovka for a job interview at a bank, she feels lost, helpless, and alienated in this unfamiliar city. The image of the “Intourist” hotel, once a symbol of progress and technical excellence, now represents impoverishment and the threat of demolition, mirroring the disintegration of the USSR, which was once seen as a promising project. The characters O. F. and Aunt Polly embody traditional representations of Moscow as a nurturing city-woman, associated with qualities such as warmth, hospitality, and care. The spaces connected to these characters, such as the currency exchange point and the rented apartment, become places of trust, closeness, security, and support, forming “her” Moscow for the protagonist in The Newcomer.

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