Konfrontacje Rosji z Zachodem w rosyjskiej prozie alternatywno-historycznej. Wariant „Bis' Siergieja Anisimowa

Confrontation between Russia and the West in Russian alternative-history prose. Вариант “Бис” Sergey Anisimov This article is dedicated to an important aspect of Russian alternative-history prose, which is the rivalry (mainly military) between Russia and the West, especially the United States, indicating a complex of America, which characterizes Russians. The author recalls a brief history of the quasi-genre in Russian literature, arguing that the theme of confrontation with the United Kingdom, Japan, Nazi Germany or the United States have been present from the very beginning. The same thing has happened in the case of the so-called “war alternatives”, since the 70s of the 20th century describing alternative future of Russia and the world. The second part of the article focuses on contemporary alternative stories (created after the collapse of the USSR), with particular emphasis on the novel by Sergey Anisimov (Вариант “Бис”) and Andriey Lazarczuk (Все, способные держать оружие...). Contained in them alternative visions of World War II (although completely different) reflect the dreams of Russians about the development of history in which their homeland is growing as well as Western countries. The author also discusses the reasons for the unwavering popularity of alternative history in Russia and their correlations with imperial literature (describing revived, powerful Russia) which is no less successful.