Abstract
A novel “Sankya” by Z. Prilepin is intricately connected with Russian life at the beginning of the XXI century. and literary tradition. Critique points to a connection with the works of M. Gorky and F. Dostoevsky, considers it as a continuation of Russian realistic literature, however, the connection of Prilepin’s novel with the literary position of E. Limonov and existentialism seems more significant. The article shows the similarities and differences between the characterology and poetics of the two writers. Prilepin’s characters find the possibility of positive action in the face of denial of reality, they are united by a sense of kinship. The moralvolitional activity of Tishin and other characters is not motivated by ideas, but by experiencing the basic existential phenomena of human existence – love and death.