David Bowie and T.S. Eliot: Addressing the Problem of Poetic “Persona”

Abstract

The article clarifies some features of the poetic system of the creative heritage of the 1970s. British poet and musician David Bowie (1947-2016), focusing on the concept of "persona" in the context of his work. "Persona" as a term is used in the article, being borrowed from the teachings of the German psychologist C. Jung, where it is understood as a social mask that hides the vulnerability of the individual. When applied to Bowie's work, the term "persona" implies an artistic mask, a special type of poetry realization, in which a creative person and a character are combined. Bowie's poetry, expressed through the unique "persona" at the center of his album cycles of the 1970s, is supposed to show signs of T. S. Eliot's impersonality. The article proves that Bowie was familiar with Eliot's poetry and could use his idea of "impersonality" of poetry in his work.