Literary space of the Kola North: the Sami literature

The literary space of the Kola North is traditionally represented by the Pomor culture, formed during the 20th century, and the Sami culture, the oldest on the Kola Peninsula. However, the Sami literature is relatively young. The Russian Sami (or the Eastern Sami) literature is one of the youngest, least studied and least known Finno-Ugric literatures. This explains the relevance and novelty of the study. By the “Eastern Sami literature” we mean the Russian Sami literature in the Sami and the Russian languages. The history of its formation is inseparable both from the history of the Sami written language, which was attempted several times, and from the fate of the indigenous people, which has reflected historical changes in the country. Formally, the birth of the Russian Sami literature in the Sami language is associated with the formation of the Kildin dialect in 1982; however, the Sami literature in Russian had appeared much earlier. The formation of the Sami literature was greatly influenced by the Sami folklore and Russian classical literature. This influence can be traced through genres, themes, problems, motifs, and literary images. The national identity of the Sami literature is determined by a combination of the folklore motifs, Russian classical literature traditions and contemporary issues.