Жанровое своеобразие романа А. С. Гатапова «Доржи Банзаров. Дневник чиновника особых поручений»

Introduction. This article examines the genre-specific characteristics of the novel Dorzhi Banzarov: Diary of a Special Duties Officer (2025) by the Buryat writer A. S. Gatapov (b. 1965). The study is relevant due to contemporary Buryat prose’s interest in the historical figure of Dorzhi Banzarov and the need to analyze new artistic strategies for representing his biography. Goals. The article aims to identify the work’s genre nature and the functions of its diary format, ‘text-within-text’ structure, and the interplay between documentary and fictional elements, as well as the categories of ‘author’ and ‘author-narrator’. Methods. The methodological framework rests on the biographical, narratological, and comparative-typological methods. Results. The study establishes that the work is a fictional pseudo-diary in which dated entries constitute a mosaic of episodes — unified by the protagonist’s consciousness — rather than a linear plot. It demonstrates that for A. S. Gatapov the diary form serves not merely as a stylistic device but as a meaning-generating element: it enables the blending of fact and fiction, as well as historical reality and D. Banzarov’s inner world, creating an effect of profound subjectivity and authenticity. Particular attention is paid to self-reflection, fragmentation, and confessional elements, as well as the distinction between the real author, the fictional author of the diary, and the protagonist’s inner voice. The analysis reveals that the novel highlights social, anti-colonial, and environmental issues of the mid-19th century, portraying the scholar’s time in Irkutsk as a period marked by tragedy and contradiction. Conclusions. The study concludes that A. S. Gatapov’s novel continues the tradition of Buryat writers featuring the figure of D. Banzarov but offers a new perspective: the focus shifts from a triumphant biography to the internal struggle of an intellectual, official, and scholar. The work can be viewed as a significant phenomenon in contemporary Buryat prose, raising questions about the mission of the intelligentsia, the cost of knowledge, and the individual’s place in history.