Reminiscences of Russian culture in A. S. Byatt’s novel The Children’s Book
... of Russian culture do not so much support the national myth as they reveal the state of European culture on the eve of the First World War. The author focuses on the references to the Russian tomb (Raca or reliquary) at the beginning of the novel and Diaghilev’s ballet “Petrushka” in the last part. These reminiscences are closely related to Europe (England — Gloucester candelabrum, Germany — music by Richard Wagner, puppet theater). Therefore, raca (reliquary) is only supposedly called “Russian,” ...
