The novel “Kys” by T.N. Tolstaya arouses the readers' interest primarily due to the allegorical manner of narration, a large number of allusions, mainly literary, and, as a result, a variety of interpretations. In the article, the authors have turned to the possible folklore and literary sources of the image of kys, among which is the monster oblo mentioned in the epigraph to the “Journey from St. Petersburg to Moscow” by A.N. Radishchev. There is something in common between kys and Radishchev's “monster”, namely the peculiarities of the social structure depicted in these works of fiction.
Keywords
creativity of T. Tolstaya; “Kys”; postmodern novel; folklore; literary tradition; literary origins.