Avatars and Electronic Devices in the Russian Dystopia(Vladimir Sorokin’s novels Day of the Oprichnik and Telluria)

Abstract

This article explores the concept of avatars and technological artifacts in the dystopian fiction of Vladimir Sorokin, focusing on Day of the Oprichnik and Telluria. Sorokin’s use of avatars, electronic devices, and symbolic objects highlights the interplay between technology, memory, and identity. The study draws parallels with earlier Russian dystopias, such as Zamyatin’s We, linking S-4711 to later digital avatars. Devices such as the “umnitsa” and tellurium nails serve both narrative and metaphysical functions, symbolizing control, ritual, and simulation. Holograms and robots are examined as tools of state power and as postmodern simulacra. Through grotesque, hyperbole, and parody, Sorokin critiques authoritarianism and the commodification of consciousness. His work ultimately reveals a world where technological advancement is entangled with myth, ritual, and the erosion of individual agency.