The image of entrepreneur in the Russian Far Eastern fiction of the late XX - early XXI century

Abstract

The article analyzes the images of entrepreneurs of the post-Soviet period based on the materials of artistic works by Far Eastern authors. Writers pay close attention to the origins and the process of formation of this social group, which l argely determined the attitude of the general population to the so-called New Russians. In many texts we see unscrupulous businessmen who use various fraudulent schemes, engage in black business, profit from the natural resources of the country or steal the i nheritance created by previous generations: such activities have no moral justification in the eyes of ordinary citizens. The authors of literary works broadcast the rejection of the absolutized principle of market efficiency, unencumbered by ethical requirement s, and state that the collapse of social differentiation during the period of market reforms leads to an increase in conflict and criminality of society. At the same time, literary characters-businessmen are also presented in artistic texts, having a neutral and positive connotation. These are people who put honest work, professionalism and market knowledge at the forefront, they are the engine of economic development, they perform important social functions, arousing the reader's respect. The writers explore the risks asso ciated with business and the personal qualities that lead to success, not demonizing entrepreneurs as a class, but portraying each of them as a living person acting in specific socio-economic realities. In literary texts, entrepreneurship is also considered as an effective survival practice in an era of change, which is used by people of various specialties who were left without jobs and livelihoods during the years of market reforms.