Abstract: In the works of Viktor Pelevin, Japanese characters commit suicide under the influence of a unique Japanese aesthetics of death, where death symbolizes beauty and honor. The formation of this idea about death is closely related to the spirit of Bushido, the philosophy of Zen Buddhism, and Japanese aesthetics. This article examines the role of the aesthetics of death in the artistic world of Pelevin based on an analysis of plots in which the protagonist dies. The materials of the study are the works of Viktor Pelevin that are directly related to the Japanese aesthetics of death: "Chapayev and Void" (1996), "A Guest at the Bon Festival" (part of the book "DPP (HH)", 2003), and "Duel" (part of the book "Transhumanism Inc.", 2021). The subject of the research is the Japanese motifs of death in the writer's prose. The study employed intertextual and comparative analysis methods to identify philosophical subtexts and their sources. The scientific novelty of this research lies, firstly, in the detailed examination of the deaths of Pelevin's Japanese characters and their motives. Secondly, the Japanese aesthetics of death in the selected materials had not been fully revealed, and this study conducted additional intertextual analysis to it and defined its place in Pelevin's prose. As a result of the research, it was established that in the actions and words of Pelevin's Japanese characters, aesthetic ideas that best express the Japanese character unconsciously penetrate. The spirit of Bushido and the Japanese aesthetics of death provide these characters with the opportunity for poetic self-destruction; however, its description is usually ironic in nature. The function of contemplation and spiritual practice for the Japanese characters is most often to serve as a contrast to the true path of enlightenment.

Abstract: The use of Zen Buddhist philosophy is important in Victor Pelevin's poetics. In this article, V. Pelevin's novels with the most obvious manifestations of Zen Buddhist philosophy, "Chapaev and the Void" (1996) and "The Sacred Book of the Werewolf" (2004), are selected as materials for analysis. At the end of these two novels, the characters have completed their Zen Buddhist practice and disappear from the world. Although both novels show the process of Zen Buddhist practice of the main characters, these methods of practice are different: Peter the Void relies more on Zen koans, he achieves enlightenment through external training and inspiration from the word, while Zen Buddhist practice of Ah Huli comes from within, from the characteristics of her personality. To identify Zen Buddhist philosophical ideas and methods of practice in novels (e.g. The use of koans, the concepts of "Emptiness" and "Buddha Nature", etc.) the article used cultural, historical and intertextual methods. Central to this work was the comparative method, which made it possible to identify differences in the methods and higher teachings of the heroes' practices. The scientific novelty of this study lies in the fact that, despite the interest of researchers in Zen Buddhist ideas in the works of V. Pelevin, at the moment the methods and higher teachings of Zen practice of his characters are poorly understood. As a result of the research, it was found that the difference in the practice of the heroes is manifested not only in the methods of their practice, but also in the knowledge of the "higher teaching". In the novel "Chapaev and the Void" it is the knowledge of the concept of "Emptiness", and in the novel "The Sacred Book of the Werewolf" it is the "Nature of the Buddha". These key concepts of Zen Buddhism act as the only way to salvation for the main characters. The author gradually leads the characters to enlightenment through them. In V. Pelevin's paradigm, the philosophy of Zen Buddhism is a tool used to save the main character, influencing the plot and composition of the novel. The philosophical thought of Zen Buddhism not only provides an ideological basis for a literary work, but also forms the logic of the text.