Mikhail Ancharov and the poetry of Mayakovsky
- DOI
- 10.5922/vestnikpsy-2024-3-6
- Pages
- 59-70
Abstract
The article addresses the issue of the creative reception of Mayakovsky’s poetry in the lyrics of the poet and bard Mikhail Ancharov (1923—1990). The poetic generation of Ancharov, which was formed in the 1930s and 1940s, was strongly influenced by the classic of Soviet literature. In Ancharov’s lyrics, the influence of Mayakovsky (especially his early works) manifests at various levels: at the level of the lyrical hero’s character — independent and expressive, particularly in love (“Pykhom klubit par...” (Steam Billows...), “Tsyganochka” (The Gypsy Girl)); in urban motifs, the theme of a person’s tragic lostness in a huge city (“Pesnya o nizkoroslom cheloveke...” (Song of the Short Man)); in the anti-bourgeois theme (“Antimeshchanskaya pesnya” (Anti-Bourgeois Song), “Rynok” (Market)), which reveals its ambiguity in Ancharov’s work; as well as at the level of individual themes and motifs (social and racial injustice in the “world of capital”; the lyrical hero and the “icy” land for which he fights). Ancharov frequently mentions Mayakovsky’s name, quotes his poems, and comments on his statements about creativity in his prose and interviews.