Search

Abstract: The paper presents a survey of stable compositional models and basic components of Maiakovskiiʼs imagery system found by the poet as early as in his cycle book I! (Ia!). A new viewpoint is proposed on the problem of the subject of utterance in the notorious verse “I like to watch children die” (“Ia liubliu smotretʼ, kak umiraiut deti”); the original way of treating the “father and son” conflict in the culmination point of the cycle (‘Some words about myself’ – ‘Neskolʼko slov obo mne samom’) is accounted for. It is demonstrated that the search for an idealistic incarnation of “paternity” obtains a further development in the poem ‘Listen!’ (‘Poslushaite!’), inspired by Francis Jammeʼs lyric poetry, and further in the poems for children ‘What is good and what is bad?’ (‘Chto takoe khorosho i chto takoe plokho?’). The genre and stylistic conventionality of poetry for children makes it possible for the author to interpret the situation from the position of a wise father and solve all the contradictions in a space dominated by the artistʼs rational and humane will. ‘What is good and what is bad?’ is a rendering of the eternal problem of good and evil in childrenʼs language, the problem from which Maiakovskiiʼs development as a poet started. The authors of the paper arrive at the conclusion that the cycle I! is not a mere precursor of Maiakovskiiʼs further development but it appears to be the prototype of his artistic world. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: The paper explores two almost paradoxical aspects of Tiutchev''s work, which characterize Tiutchev on the one hand as a poet, on the other hand as a thinker. As a poet Tiutchev is interested in daily life: from events of great political importance to small, insignificant incidents. Hence his predilection for fragmentariness and improvisation, epigrams and bon mots. Tiutchev the thinker seems to be far removed from the present and proves himself to be a disciple of Greek philosophers. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: In this paper an analysis is presented of the 1920 poem “The Woollen Needles of Death...” by Riurik Ivnev, a poet who combines elements from the Symbolist tradition with Imagism, with which he was affiliated. The author demonstrates the tension between the literal and metaphorical significance of the poem''s imagery, in particular with respect to bodily and physical motifs. Special attention is given to the multifaceted roles of the addressee(s) within and without the poem, the blurring of which is characteristic of avant-garde poetics. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: This paper discusses Bitov''s lyrics, mainly with respect to versification and the connection between his prose and poetry. The unusual metrical-strophical and rhythmical organization of his poetry allows us to surmise that it is oriented neither towards contemporary nor towards obvious traditional models, which can be explained by viewing it in the cultural context of the second half of the twentieth century. The link between Bitov''s prose and poetry can be called “conceptual continuity”, since many of his poems have a counterpart in his prose. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: In this paper the connectedness of (non-)eating and (non-)being is explored by an analysis of the occurrence of food in Kharms''s works. Attention is paid to the symbolism of various kinds of food and edible matter, along with a discussion of liquids, especially water, a highly significant theme in Kharms''s works. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: The paper analyses the concept of “thing” (“veshch''”) as it is used in the poetics of Kharms and Oberiu, but also in the discourse on aesthetics in the first decades of the nineteenth century. Also discussed is Kharms''s use of “object” (“predmet”), which is connected with the phenomenological tradition (mediated by Ia.S. Druskin). In the final analysis the “thing” belongs to the plane of a “first reality”, whereas the “object” belongs to a “real reality”. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]