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UDC 821.161.1.09-1(02)
DOI 10.20339/PhS.6-25.171
Skibin Sergey M.,
Doctor of Philology,
Professor of the Literature and Methods of Its Teaching Department
Orenburg State Pedagogical University
e-mail: skibin_fil@mail.ru
The peer-reviewed book by Doctor of Philology, Professor V.I. Korovin (The Lyrics of N.S. Gumilev. Moscow: IMLI RAS, 2024), one of the largest modern experts in the field of the history of Russian poetry, examines the evolution of the work of the 20th century Russian poet N.S. Gumilev. The author explores the discoveries of the Silver Age poets and, above all, symbolists and acmeists against the broad cultural and aesthetic background of the era. He explains the causes of the Symbolist crisis and how a new trend, Acmeism, was formed in its depths and in parallel with them. Compositionally, the book is structured in such a way that the literary critic consistently examines all Gumilev’s collections, starting from The Path of the Conquistadors to the Pillar of Fire. Analyzing them, V.I. Korovin reveals the secrets of the author’s idea, the reviews of modern critics, and the positions of literary critics of our time. Based on this knowledge, he builds his own original point of view. But most importantly, it immerses the reader in the cultural atmosphere of the early 20th century, in the world of artistic discoveries invaluable to Russian literature. He shows that already in his early lyrics Gumilev declared himself to be an ambiguous person, looking for ways to comprehend the world of the Earthly and Heavenly. As he studies the evolution of creativity, V.I. Korovin discovers drastic changes in Gumilev’s views. At the same time, he shows that the differences between symbolists and Acmeists are greatly exaggerated. The author’s notes, which are striking in their scale, academic thoroughness and depth, deserve the highest appreciation. Of course, this book will be included in the collection of the most significant studies on the Silver Age. It should definitely be republished in a more expanded edition. The book actually sums up the understanding of Gumilev’s work over the past hundred years.
Keywords: V.I. Korovin, N.S. Gumilev, Silver Age, symbolism, acmeism
References
1. Kuzmin M. Gumilev N. Chuzhoe nebo. Tret’ia kniga stikhov // Apollon. 1912. No. 2. S. 73–74.
2. Levinson A. Gumilev // N.S. Gumilev: Pro et Contra. Lichnost’ i tvorchestvo Nikolaia Gumileva v otsenke russkikh myslitelei i issledovatelei. St. Petersburg: Izd-vo Russkogo Khristianskogo gumanitarnogo instituta, 2000. 658 s.
3. Odoevtseva I. Tak govoril Gumilev. URL: https://gumilev.ru/biography/148