The main objective of this thesis is to research and evaluate, by method of literary analysis, the most important literary works of Boris Viktorovich Savinkov (pen name V. Ropshin, 1879–1925) – his ...novels The Pale Horse, What Never Happened and The Black Horse – to view them in the context of his literary and journalistic works in all (poetry, memoirs, propagandistic and ideological texts) and to bring attention to this unjustly disregarded Russian author from the beginning of 20th century. The aim of this paper is also to present „the Savinkov phenomenon“ in a wider context – on the one hand, to present Savinkov as active figure on the political and ideological front and an advocate of terror as a legitimate weapon in the battle of ideas, and on the other hand as a provocative and controversial writer who deals with some unpleasant questions, especially the ethical ones, as a subtle researcher of human psyche using artistic literary form, champion of Christian ethical and philosophical code best declared in Christ’s command: „Thou shalt not kill“, as a portraitist of tragic egotistical personality ravaged by the sin of murder, and, through such personality, as a painter of apocalyptical chaos in which Russia found itself at the beginning of 20th century – in that historical hour seen as a turning point for the country possessed by unholy forces. This thesis also demonstrates in which degree Savinkov‘s novels, with its clearly stated notional and philosophical position, are literary reaction on political activity of the author himself and expression of his disappointment with the results of his own political activity. The intent of this work is also to establish relations of Savinkov‘s novelistic opus with Russian literary tradition (Dostoyevsky, Tolstoy, Pushkin, Lermontov, Russian antinihilistic novel), literary trends of his time (symbolism above all ) and religious and philosophical searches (for example, „new religious consciousness“) and to show possible influences of Savinkov-Ropshin on other Russian authors. This goal is mainly achieved, but it opens perspectives for further research. The basic research in this work is a literary analysis that includes analysing the very text of each novel on all structural levels using necessary mythopoetical, historiosophical and intertextual approach to the literary text. The researcher also used historical-philological, mythological, structuralistic and semiotic methods of Russian Tartu-Moscow School. The biographical method has an important part in this research because in the main characters in all three novels there are recognizable autobiographical elements, thus making knowledge of Savinkov‘s biography necessary for serious comprehension of texts. The historical method was also essential, used for analysing novels in the context of the historical circumstances in which they were created because these novels are, in a certain degree, Savinkov’s „response“ to that historical moment and requirements it puts before an active person. Full and comprehensive literary-analytical research of the most important part of Savinkov‘s literary work – his novels The Pale Horse, What Never Happened and The Black Horse – is regarded first of all as an attempt to rehabilitate this forgotten and ignored author, to fairly evaluate his literary opus using primarily literary and artistic criteria, and much less ideological criteria, and to help Savinkov-Ropshin to find his rightful place in the history of Russian literature of 20th century.
Cilj rada jeste da se na objektivan, književno-analitički način, istraži i oceni najznačajnija oblast umetničkog stvaralaštva Borisa Viktoroviča Savinkova (književni pseudonim V. Ropšin, 1879-1925) – njegovi romani Konj bled, Ono čega nije bilo i Konj vran, da se ova oblast dovede u kontekst preostalog književno-publicističkog stvaralaštva Borisa Viktoroviča (poezija, memoarsko-publicistička literatura, propagandno-ideološki tekstovi) – i da se tako skrene pažnja na ovo nepravedno zapostavljeno ime ruske književnosti početka XX veka. Takođe, cilj rada jeste i da prikaže širi kontekst „fenomena Savinkova“, aktivne delatne ličnosti na političko-ideološkom planu i zagovornika terora kao legitimnog oruđa idejne borbe sa jedne strane, a sa druge – provokativnog pisca koji dotiče neka neprijatna, pre svega etička pitanja, suptilnog istraživača ljudske psihe kroz književno-umetničku formu, zagovornika hrišćanskog etičko-filozofskog kodeksa, najbolje izraženog u Hristovoj zapovesti „ne ubij“, slikara tragedije egoističke ličnosti, opustošene grehom ubistva, a preko te i takve ličnosti – slikara apokaliptičkog haosa u kome se Rusija na početku XX veka našla – istorijskog trenutka shvaćenog kao prekretnica za dalju sudbinu zemlje opsednute nečistim silama. Rad pokazuje i u kojoj meri su Savinkovljevi romani sa svojim jasno izraženim idejno-filozofskim stavom literarna reakcija na političku delatnost autora, kao i izraz razočaranja rezultatima lične političke angažovanosti. Zadatak rada bio je i određivanje odnosa romanesknog opusa Savinkova prema ruskoj književnoj tradiciji (Dostojevski, Tolstoj, Puškin, Ljermontov, ruski antinihilistički roman), autoru savremenim književnim tokovima (simbolizam pre svega), ili religiozno-filozofskim traganjima („nova religiozna svest“, na primer) te ukazivanje na mogućnost uticaja Savinkova-Ropšina i njegovih romana na druge ruske stvaraoce – što je u velikoj meri i postignuto, ali i otvorilo neke nove perspektive za dalja istraživanja. U osnovi istraživanja leži književno-analitički metod koji podrazumeva analizu teksta romana (svakog ponaosob) na svim strukturnim nivoima, uz neophodni mitopoetski, istoriozofski i intertekstualni pristup umetničkom tekstu. U radu se takođe koriste dostignuća ruske istorijsko- filološke, mitološke, formalističke, strukturalističke i semiotičke moskovsko-tartuske škole. Važno mesto zauzima i biografski metod, zato što se u karakternim crtama glavnih junaka sva tri romana prepoznaju izrazite autobiografske crte, koje poznavanje autorove biografije čine neophodnim za ozbiljnije razumevanje teksta. Neizostavan je i istorijski metod, kojim se romani istražuju u kontekstu istorijskih okolnosti u kojima su nastali, jer u izvesnoj meri predstavljaju i autorov „odgovor“ na istorijski trenutak i zahteve koje on postavlja pred delatnu ličnost. Zaokruženo sveobuhvatno književno-analitičko istraživanje najznačajnijeg polja Savinkovljeve literarne delatnosti – njegovih romana (Konj bled, Ono čega nije bilo, Konj vran), posmatra se pre svega kao pokušaj rehabilitovanja zaboravljenog i zanemarenog autora, kao i pravičnijeg vrednovanja njegovog književnog opusa, zasnovanog mnogo više na književno-umetničkim nego na ideološkim kriterijumima, što će svakako doprineti tome da Savinkov-Ropšin zauzme zasluženo mesto u istoriji ruske književnosti XX veka.
