Social Memory and “Historical Reconstruction” in Valery Panyushkin’s Books

Abstract

The article concerns the book entitled Vosstanie potrebitelej by the Russian journalist and writer Valery Panyushkin. The aim of the article is to analyze the historic reconstruction carried out by the writer, referring to the time of perestroika . The subject of the analysis is, firstly, Panyushkin’s writing strategies, which organize a narrative about the history of the Soviet Union and Russia in a certain way. Secondly, one can read about a parallel between consumerism and civic consciousness, which can be found while reading the whole book. After an analysis of Panyushkin’s book it can be concluded that the writer’s aim is to re-evaluate the negative notions about the socio-political situation during the perestroika period and just after the collapse of the USSR recorded in the collective memory of Russians. At the same time, the work may point out the journalistic position of an opposition journalist regarding one of the potentially possible directions for further development of the political system in Russia.