Narrating Identity : Identity Construction and Fragmentation in German Sadulaev’s Ja – čečenec! and Šalinskij rejd

The collapse of the Soviet Union and the Chechen wars were for German Sadulaev, a writer of Chechen origin, the starting point for a broad reflection on identity and nationality in the post-Soviet era. This paper aims to scrutinise how issues related to identity are addressed in two works by the author, the collection of short stories Ja – čečenec! [I Am a Chechen, 2006] and the novel Šalinskij rejd [The Raid on Shali, 2010]. Specific attention is paid to the role that narratives play in the considered works. In this respect, the paper first considers ethnicity/nationality as a narrative construct. Then, it deals with fragmentation of identity self-narrative as the consequence of the collapse of the Soviet Union. Finally, it considers the act of narrating as an attempt to hold together collective and personal identities.