The Image of the “Soviet Man” in Soviet Science Fiction and Dystopia, 1920-1950s.

This thesis is dedicated to the study of the image of the Soviet person in artistic and journalistic literature from 1922 to 1957. The aim of the work is to trace the formation and evolution of this image against the backdrop of political and cultural changes in Soviet society. The research tasks included: exploring the historical, political, and cultural context influencing literary works during the emergence of Soviet fantasy until the 1950s; developing criteria for selecting and analyzing artistic literature that reflects the image of the Soviet person; identifying key characteristics of the Soviet person through source analysis, including appearance, traits, motives for actions, political and socio-cultural positions; analyzing the dynamics of changes in the image of the Soviet person in literature, noting the change in perceptions of the future human as well as social types and categories. The study showed that literary works, created under the influence of state commissions, demonstrate a common framework intended to depict communist well-being. However, despite the strict confines of censorship, authors were able to present fantastic plots reflecting alternative versions of historical events or the presumed future, allowing them to speculate on societal development. Literary images of the Soviet person varied from typical representatives of the USSR to characters with undetermined nationality, often bearing Russian names, symbolizing Soviet identity. Most significantly, the characters were characterized not so much by appearance as by traits and motivations for their actions. In conclusion, the work emphasizes that despite the politicized and propagandistic nature of the literature of that time, some works were still able to create original and convincing images, allowing for a deeper understanding of the socio-cultural processes in the USSR in the first half of the 20th century.