Narration in Varlam Shalamov’s Kolyma Tales: Between the First and Third Person

This article examines Varlam Shalamov’s narrative techniques in Kolyma Tales and analyzes how his unique narrative style and shifts in perspective influence the reader’s ethical engagement with the text. Rejecting traditional realist representations, Shalamov adopts a restrained prose style and avoids emotional embellishment while describing the brutal realities of the Soviet labor camps. The interplay between first-person and third-person narrations distinguishes his narrative strategy. His first-person narration immerses the reader in the experience of the camp and fosters a sense of direct involvement, whereas his third-person narration creates distance and compels the reader to move beyond mere sympathy and toward ethical reflection. Through these techniques, Shalamov encourages the reader to see the inhuman conditions of the camps not as a distant historical reality but as an ethical imperative by positioning the reader as a witness rather than a passive observer. This article explores how Shalamov’s narrative strategies align with his literary objectives and demonstrates that his writing transcends mere documentation of camp experience and evokes a profound ethical responsibility in its readership.