J. Brodsky Creative Behavior in the Perception of Contemporaries

Abstract

The article examines the specifics of Joseph Brodsky’s creative behavior by comparing the image constructed by the poet himself with the vision of his contemporaries. The category of creative behavior, being crucial for the study, is seen as special features of the behavior of a creative individual — a poet and a creator — in society, aimed at forming a certain public image beneficial for the artist. Based on memorial articles and interviews dedicated to Brodsky, the main features of his creative image are marked out. The study of Brodsky’s creative behavior becomes an important milestone in the research of the global “Brodsky myth” and “the myth of Brodsky”, created in parallel with each other already during the poet’s lifetime. This paper shows that Brodsky’s creative behavior and his reception converge in the image of the poet, the key link of his self­identification and the myth that was formed in the society. The self­determination and definition of Brodsky by others primarily as a Poet becomes the basis of his creative behavior and perception, and its significance overlaps many other aspects of Brodsky’s complex personality.