Russophone (novel)

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Russophone (Russian: Русскоговорящий, Russkogovoryashchy) is a novel of the Russian writer Denis Gutsko (Moscow, Vagrius, 2005, ISBN 5982640093). The novel is an expanded and reworked version of his novel "Without Track or Trace", Без пути-следа (Bez puti-sleda, also translated as "Without a Way") published in Druzhba Narodov magazine (2004 nn. 11, 12). It was awarded the 2005 Russian Booker Prize (under the latter title), despite a vocal opposition of the chairman of the jury, Vasily Aksyonov.

The novel addresses the issue of russophone people, who after the dissolution of the Soviet Union suddenly turned out to live "abroad", in new post-Soviet states, surrounded with ethnic hatred toards Russians. It was awarded the Boris Sokolov Prize (2005).

The plot is about the fate of a Russian born in Tbilisi, Georgia, who speaks Russian with Georgian accent. The journal version mainly dealt with the tributations of the main hero, who could not get a passport of the Russian citizenship. The book version was significantly expanded: the first part was added with the pre-history of the hero, involving his participation in the Armenia-Azerbaijan conflict (Nagorno-Karabakh War). The second part was reworked to address criticism of the journal version.

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