A miracle in a dairy shop: On a typology of an “emigrant” novel

Alja Rachmanowa (real name Galina Dyuryagina-Hoyer) is a Russianwriter with a European success in 1930s. Her books were published in Germantranslation made by her husband Arnulf Hoyer, and still remain obscure in Russia.The phenomenon is rather fascinating from the point of view of typology of émigréprose. A novel “Milchfrau in Ottakring” (1933) of the prolific author of three dozenbooks was extremely popular, not only it remains relevant, but looks very modern asan “emigrant” novel of special type. In a diary form based on a personal experience,the writer sets out a story of success. A qualified philologist, Alja Rachmanowa (herliterary pseudonym is usually referred to) was forced to become for a couple of years asaleswoman in a rented dairy shop. This experience of a “foreigner”, her national andsociocultural identity, adaptation, and ultimately successful integration are reflectedin the diary autobiographical novel. The Russian component of the book in Germanwhose author / heroine balances between the spheres of “own” and “stranger,” hasdriven a success of the “Milchfrau in Ottakring”. Russian realities, Russian mentality,nostalgie for the native country permeating the narration, especially attracted thereadership. One of the important markers of “Russianness” is a citation of Russianliterature, not in the form of a mere quotation, but as a rethinking, re-interpretation, a dispute with the classics. The article deals with some examples of such citing(F.M. Dostoevsky, A.V. Koltsov, A.N. Pleshcheev, Z.N. Gippius). A fragment of thenovel in Russian translation is given in Annex