Authors

Alex Maxwell¹;  ¹ University of Virginia, United States

Discussion

With its complicated history and geography, the island of Sakhalin has an important place in late 19th and early 20th century writings. Two especially noteworthy accounts of life on the island of Sakhalin were recorded by Anton Chekhov and Vlas Doroshevich. 

This presentation examines how these part-ethnographic, part-census-like, part-lyrical works treat the island as an idea, as a destination, and even an epicenter of Russia’s exile culture (or lack thereof). 

The paper focuses on how the two writers approached their respective “expeditions” to the island, the differences in the tone and language they used to record their impressions, and sheds light on what aspects of island life they chose to prioritize in their accounts—and why. 

Special emphasis is made on how Chekhov and Doroshevich chose to describe the linguistic environment of island, as this presentation is part of a larger work on the language of exile, prison camps, and GULAG.