A.M. GORKY INSTITUTE OF WORLD LITERATURE
Issues
A.A. Izmailov’s Parodies of Christmas Stories
- DOI:
- EDN:
- УДК / UDK: 821.161.1.1
- Publication Type: Research Article
- Received: 10.04.2026
- Approved after reviewing: 12.05.2026
- Date of publication: 25.06.2026
- Issue:
no. 2 (40), 2026
- Funding Sources:
The work was carried out at the Institute of Russian Literature (Pushkin House) of the Russian Academy of Sciences with the financial support of the Russian Science Foundation, project No. 25-28-02145 “Complete Collection of Parodies and Caricatures by A.A. Izmailov: Sources, Commentary, Context” (Available at: https://rscf.ru/project/25-28-02145/).
- Abstract:
This article analyzes critical assessments and parodies of Christmas stories by A.A. Izmailov (1873–1921), a leading literary critic of the early 20th century. Izmailov authored a series of parodies of Christmas fiction: his collection Distorted Mirror includes four such parodies: “Christmas Pretzels,” “How to Write Christmas Stories,” “The Last Graphomaniac,” and “Homunculus (A Christmas Story).” The ar- ticle examines these parodies in detail, noting their connection to Izmailov’s “serious” critical writings and identifying the sources and artistic techniques of his parodic texts. It also emphasizes the growing role of parodies in the early 20th century, which became an effective tool in the arsenal of literary criticism.
- Keywords: Christmas story, parody, feuilleton, criticism, grotesque, para- phrase, literary cliché.
- For citation:
Aleksandrov, A.S. “A.A. Izmailov’s Parodies of Christmas Stories.” Literaturnyi fakt, no. 2 (40), 2026, pp. 235–252. (In Russ.) https://doi.org/10.22455/2541-8297-2026-40-235-252
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