“Voices of the Night” by Rollan Seisenbayev as metafiction

The object of this research is “Voices of the Night” by the Kazakh Russian-language novelist Rollan Seisenbayev. The subject of this research is the metafiction structure implemented by Rollan Seisenbayev in the text field. Analysis is conducted on the layers of narration, transition from the novel to the metafiction level. A precise pattern of interaction between these levels is described. The article explores the authorial question and the “author's mask”, as well as the techniques that allow intentionally confusing the reader in distinguishing between these figures. The subject of analysis is also the need for using metafiction structure in the composition written within the framework of realism. The author analyzes the important theme in the works of Rollan Seisenbayev – interrelation between art and life. The novelty of this paper lies in the fact that Rollan Seisenbayev’s works of the Soviet period are extensively studied by the Soviet critics, while his compositions of the post-Soviet period rarely draw the scientific interest of modern researchers. His contemporary mark the shift from the trends of realism and gravitation towards the techniques of polystylistics, which synthesizes the techniques of various literary directions. The article reviews Rollan Seisenbayev’s novel “Voices of the Night”, which demonstrates the application of metafiction structure. The writer usesthis genre to reflect on the creative act and the nature of creativity.