Perception of Internment during the First World War in the Ego-Documents and Literary Works (on the example of the heritage of K.A. Fedin)

Abstract

The author considers the perception of the internment process during the First World War in the ego-documents and literary works of the famous Soviet writer, First Secretary and then Chairman of the Union of Writers of the USSR K.A. Fedin. The author of article, based on an analysis of documents from the Russian State Archive of Literature and Art, shows that in his autobiography K.A. Fedin mentions his internment on the territory of the German Empire during the First World War. That fact of his biography was reflected in the novels “Cities and Years” and “I was an actor”. The author, comparing their contents with documentary materials, concludes that, in spite of the change of names and cities, the features of internment perception are shown, the most important features of the situation with internees in Germany are indicated and are associated with numerous restrictions of a legal, political and personal nature. From the point of view of the methodology of the history of emotions, the article considers the emotional aspects of the perception of internment. It shows the ambivalence of the perception of interned citizens of enemy states by the German population. The ambivalence of the perception of interned is shown as well as the ambiguity of Fedin’s reception later in the life of his position as an internee and of the state that interned him during the First World War.