The evolution of the literary dacha and the conflict of generations in the work of YU.V. Trifonov of 1960s–1970s

The article explores the works of Yu.V. Trifonov from the 1960s and 1970s, including “The Exchange”, “The Long Goodbye”, “Another Life”, “The Old Man”, and “Time and Place”. The author of the article identifies the primary types of literary dachas in Trifonov’s works of this period (the actual cottage, the seaside cottage, the urban estate), highlights the key elements of the characters’ connection with the countryside in these works, and discusses the biographical context of creating suburban landscapes, which were inspired by the author’s childhood spent at a cottage in Serebryany Bor. Country life and being serve as a reflection of a person’s relationship with the past and present, with childhood, and with family (here, the issue of intergenerational relationships is particularly significant). A crucial aspect of the country landscapes is the flora, such as lilacs, dahlias, and pines. Their absence signifies the loss of a paradise on earth, which for the characters is the cottage. The literary dwelling in Trifonov’s work is undergoing transformation, and the demolition of the dwelling signifies the erasure of the past, the remembrance of it.