“Encyclopedia” of the first defense: S.N. Sergeev-Tsensky's “The suffer of Sevastopol”

This article discusses the “The Suffer of Sevastopol”, an epic novel by S.N. Sergeev-Tsensky. This novel serves as an illustration of imperial discourse in Soviet literature. The rejection of “world revolution” as an idea and the proclamation of 179 the prospect of building “a socialism in a particular country” required the Bolsheviks to appeal to patriotic characters in the mid-1930’s. Besides, Sevastopol, whose identity was defined by its military and strategic position, was in the center of attention of the political elite. The main idea of the novel is that the defense of the city was exceptionally the achievement of the Russian people. A nearly complete destruction of the fleet, and the looming threat of the siege has awakened a national spirit in the hearts of Russian soldiers, a spirit which for centuries has helped them to repel all foreign invasions. The main results of this research imply that the representation of Sevastopol character as a fortress-city and as a “Russian Troy” has met the demands of military mobilization in the Soviet society on the eve of World War II. The re-publishing and the popularity of the novel amongst different groups of Soviet readers can be explained by the following factors. First, the country’s policy which historically looked forward for nurturing the patriotism and for preparing the population for potential was conflicts. Second, the “memory policy”, formed “from below”. The nomination of the soldier as the “first figure” of the war, the glorification of the Russian people and their remarkable qualities, which manifested during the times of foreign threats to Motherland, has come in touch with the consciousness of the readers. Third, an appeal to the traditions of pre-revolutionary classical literature. Thanks to “invention of traditions”, it was possible to establish the links with the past and interpret the present events basing on old models. Continuing the tradition of “Sevastopol stories”, by Lev Nikolaevich Tolstoy, Sergeyev-Tsensky shows that the nation which stands against the justified war is undefeatable, that the Crimean war was lost by a rotten feudal serf system, that the siege of Sevastopol resulted in an enormous loss of human lives and material losses of the Allies who occupied only the southern part of the city.