history

This paper examines the history of the study of the biographical genre in literature; its basic theoretical and methodological principles are formulated; the corresponding terminology is clarified.

The article is devoted to the study of the play of the modern English playwright M. Frein "Wild Honey", which in turn is a translation-interpretation of Chekhov's "Platonov". The article analyzes approaches, ways Frein uses in working with Chekhov's text, and also tries to understand how organically the classical Russian-language text exists in the space of the theatrical culture of England.

Against the vogue for Russia in British travel books of the 1930s, the paper brings back to light James Hilton’s novel Knight Without Armour (1933), set mainly in Russia in Revolutionary years. This entertainment novel is shown to lack the excessive political stance on Russia found in the travel genre of the period. Hilton creates a nice balance between general Western stereotypes of Russia and his individual vision, thus normalizing the reception of Russia for Western reader.