Immaginando luoghi lontani: l'altrove e l'eroismo nel racconto di Arkadij Gajdar «Čuk i Gek»

At the end of the 1930s Soviet children’s writer Arkady Gaidar publishes the short novel Chuk and Gek. The story is about a journey of two children to the east of Russia to meet their father on a mission. Somewhere between a fairy tale and travelling account, the narration highlights the vastity of the country, heroism of adults and children, the war that is to come and the pride and happiness of being Soviet citizens. This article aims to highlight the hallmarks related to the above-mentioned concepts emerging from the narrative and making Gajdar an authentic writer of his time.