Poetry of G.A. Levin on the pages of Saratov publications in the 20s of the XX century

Abstract

The purpose of this article is to analyze the poetic works of the Saratov poet G.A. Levin, published on the pages of the periodicals «Artistic Saratov» and «Sarrabis» in Saratov in the 20s of the past century. The scientific novelty of the study lies in the fact for the first time the poems of G.A. Levin «The air shines with a blessed blue», «I know, a dark, beloved voice», «Chernyshevsky’s Monument», «The early coolness has been drained to the dregs», «Shakespeare» are mentioned. The article focuses on the aesthetic side of these poems, emphasizing their extreme lyricism and abundance of figurative means. In addition, this study notes the relevance of the poetry of G.A. Levin on the pages of these publications not only because of their external artistry, but also because of their ideological expressiveness. The editorial board of the magazines «Art Saratov» and «Sarrabis» considered the poems of G.A. Levin worthy of understanding, since the goal was to instill good taste in the Saratov reader of the 1920s and teach him to appreciate genuine literary works. As a result, the following was revealed: (a) G.A. Levin gives the images greater ideological and artistic capacity and expressiveness; (b) the poet uses metaphors and epithets not only as conventional methods of expressiveness, but also as forms of holistic knowledge of the essence of the Universe; (c) the poet paid special attention to love lyrics, intertwined Russian and Italian themes in individual poems, and resorted to Shakespearean heroes. The article notes the versatility of the poetic image, and the analysis of the poems is carried out taking into account the influence of the lyrics of famous poets of the Silver Age on Levin’s poetry.