Yu Hua’s writing in the context of Fyodor Dostoevsky’s influence on Chinese literature

The article considers the creative dialogue between Fyodor M. Dostoevsky and the Chinese writer Yu Hua, who acknowledged the influence of the Russian classic. The author focuses on the affinity of the two writers’ worlds based on their understanding of human nature, the role of suffering and violence, as well as the possibility of hope, love, salvation, and a bright destiny for human. Yu Hua’s writings demonstrate a significant evolution: while earlier works associated with the experimental pursuits of Chinese literature clustered around the journal Harvest, focus on cruelty, violence, and the dark side of human nature, in his later works, such as Brothers, Yu Hua shows that hope, touching love, mutual aid, and brotherhood are still possible in the world of human suffering. Though is is still an exception in the dramatic picture of our world, Yu Hua believes that it is this side of reality that his creativity should serve. At all stages of this creative evolution, the Chinese writer is helped by Dostoevsky’s lessons. The author declares no conflicts of interests.