Reminiscence of the existentialism philosophy in Hindi literature

Abstract

This article is focused on the peculiarities of the perception of existential philosophy in modern Indian literature of the late 20th–21st centuries. The research is based on the stories of Hindi writers – Kunwar Narain (1927–2017) and Nirmal Varma (1929–2005). Their works is the brightest example of existential literature. The research is also based on two English novels by Indian-born writers Anita Desai (born 1937)  “Where Shall We Go This Summer?” and Upamanyu Chatterjee (born 1959)  “English August”.  Despite the renewed interest in existentialism in modern literature, known as neuro-existentialism , the study of which takes place with the participation of the latest achievements of neuroscience, there are still few analyses in Russian Indology that are aimed at studying the influence of this philosophical trend on Hindi works and postcolonial literature. The aesthetics of existentialism is quite pronounced, moreover, they, creating a new theme of literary works, remain within the framework of traditional poetics, referring to Indian images, plots, religious foundations of Hinduism, as well as to their own self-awareness. However, the philosophical implications of works in Hindi and English are different. Writers interpret the foundations of existentialism in different ways, and the characters choose different ways to solve their internal contradictions.

In the light of the stated topic, the problem of why the psychological life of the characters of these writers is depicted differently is considered. If the heroes of K. Narain and N. Varma, accepting the absurdity of existence, do not see the infinity of suffering and death of meaning, building their lives around the belief in rebirth, then the hero of the works in English fatally accepts the frailty of existence, believing in his helplessness before fate.