▶ Who is Alexander Sylazhov and what is this site about?
Alexander Sylazhov is the pen name of Santiago Daniel García García, a Spanish-Uruguayan writer, translator and cultural commentator. This website serves as a repository for his creative, literary and research work.
Visitors will find original fiction, poetry, literary translations, essays on videogame localization and translation, as well as articles exploring the representation of Russia and the former Soviet Union in videogames and popular culture. The site also hosts the ROMANOV project, a long-term catalogue and study of Russian themes, characters, locations and cultural motifs in interactive media.
For more information on the author, his publications, translations and research activities, please refer to this section.
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What can I find in the BOOKS & ARTICLES section?
Books, articles and other publications may be found at the ‘BOOKS & ARTICLES’ section.
My literary body of work in terms of narrative fiction comprises mainly the Loynne's Island Trilogy, which consists of three novels: SOVREV, VENUS ACERBIA and MORDEN. SOVREV is currently being re-written after abandoning its earlier version, SOVREV: The Faith Endeavor, and improving it into simply SOVREV. However, both the original SOVREV: The Faith Endeavor and its Abridged Edition may still be purchased. I no longer endorse them, as I consider them obsolete versions, but I have chosen to leave them available for readers interested in my early attempts at novel writing. The remainder of my literary output consists of short stories, short story collections and poetry.
The articles deal mostly with gaming analysis, videogame localization and translation, as well as Russian and Latin American/Spanish portrayals in videogames, diving deep into how Russia, the former Soviet Union, Latin America and Spain are represented in interactive media.
▶ What is the ROMANOV ARCHIVE section?
The ‘ROMANOV ARCHIVE’ section (standing for "Russian-Originated Media Archetypes & Narratives in Occidental Videogames") is an archive of videogame titles that explores how Russian culture, identity, and stereotypes are portrayed in videogames developed primarily by Western (Occidental) studios. This analytical archive documents recurring characters, narratives, visual tropes, and ideological frameworks through which Russian-originated identities are represented, providing insight into cultural perceptions, biases, and the broader impact of interactive media on cross-cultural understanding. This archive identifies recurring characters, narratives, visual tropes, and ideological frameworks through which Russian-originated identities are depicted, offering insights into cultural perceptions, biases, and the broader role interactive media plays in shaping cross-cultural understanding.
It should be noted, that for the sake of analytical coherence and also simplicity, Japanese-developed videogames are also included, as their representations frequently align with Western cultural perspectives and stereotypes regarding Russians, not to mention, many of them are directed to a Western audience or reference Hollywood stereotypes directly. Moreover, native Russian videogames, especially those that have made an impact abroad in Western audiences or have reached international audiences broadly, will be featured here, noting that the developers are native Russians.
Join me in exploring these cultural aspects with curiosity and respect, as we look at Russia through the lens of art, gaming, and translation!
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What can I find in the DOWNLOADS section?
In the 'DOWNLOADS' section you can find downloadable content, artwork, wallpapers, avatars, banners, maps, etc.
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What is Loynne's Island?
Loynne’s Island is a fictional location, where the story of SOVREV, VENUS ACERBIA and MORDEN take place. It is an opulent island nation in the North Atlantic Ocean, the new navel of the Western World and flagship to its most luxurious, lavish lifestyle. But... could there be more to Loynne’s Island than we might realize at first glance? What secrets might it hold? Read on to find out!
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Is all of your content copyrighted?
Alexander Sylazhov is, aside from the author's pseudonym, a commercial brand protected by Spanish coypright law and holds the protected services to (under class 09, 16 and 41) downloadable publications (class 09), printed publications (class 16) and electronic book, journals and newspapers online, aside from book publishing and editing.
SOVREV: The Faith Endeavor and its derivatives is protected by Spanish copyright law.
Regarding Internet articles and essays, the author acknowledges that the copyright owners of the photographs of personalities, historical events, videogames, motion pictures and concept artwork that have been used in said essays are purely non-profit, freely distributed and for purposes of commentary, criticism, and scholarship under the Fair Use Doctrine.
All original content is Alexander Sylazhov intellectual property.
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I'd like to reference or cite the author's work. Are there copyright issues?
Feel free to reference or cite my work, but please respect copyright laws and authorship, as well as citation conventions. You can also contact me directly for permission if you're uncertain.
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How can I contact the author?
Please feel free to reach out to express what you think about the site! If you have ideas for improvement, want to provide feedback, see certain games or themes analyzed, or would like to request a written interview with the author, you may do so here!.
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Is this site or any of your social media monetized? Do you get ad revenue?
None of the content here is monetized.
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Do you accept donations? How can I support your work?
Of course! I'd feel very glad and honored should anyone choose to contribute to support my work. My content is not monetized, nor is this website. I have a PayPal account.