Thoughts on the Russian demon

Abstract

The representation of the Demon is not exclusively connected to the Russian literature, art or way of
thinking. Moreover, it is not just the specificity of the European Christian culture and religion. In my
presentation my aim is to introduce how demon is represented in some examples of the Russian literature.
We can find plenteous adaptations of this subject within the religious-theological literature or in the history
of the philosophical thinking. This topic can also be found in the holy books of other religions and cultures.
Therefore, it takes an outstanding place in the teachings and contemplations of other different cultures. Such
folkloric demonology, which was relying on biblical-religious sources, was not typical of the medieval art
and literature but its origins were found in pre-Christian eras as well.
In the 19th century Russian poetry the representation of the tragic experience of the encounter with the
Demon first appeared in Pushkin’s poems. In the Russian literature after Pushkin, we can find numerous
instances for the representation of Demon (Devil, Satan etc.): “Devils” by Dostoevsky, the devil
hallucination of Ivan Karamazov in his work of “Karamazov brothers”; Fyodor Sologub’s short story “The
Petty Demon” “The Little Demon”; Vasily Shukshin’s narrative “Until the Cock Crows Thrice“; Woland, the
representation of the Satan in “Master and Margaret” by Bulgakov.