Sergei Esenin i russkaia dukhovnaia kul'tura by O. E. Voronova Poiut Esenina by Iurii Volkov Ia prostilsia s soboi, / Chtoby vstretit' sebia: Iunosheskie stikhi 1970-1977 gg by Boris Orlov Zhenshchiny, liubivshie Esenina by Boris Gribanov (review)

Abstract

REVIEWS 725 Voronova, 0. E. Sergei Esenini russkaia dukhovnaia kul'tura. Uzoroch'e, Riazan', 2002. 505 pp. Illustrations.Notes. Priceunknown. Volkov,Iurii.Pojut Esenina. Moscow, 2002. I70 pp. Priceunknown. Orlov, Boris. Ia prostilsias soboi, / Chtobyvstretit'sebia: Iunosheskie stikhi 1970-I977 gg.Izdatel'stvoBukovskogo,St Petersburg,2002. 64 pp. Price unknown. Gribanov, Boris. Zhenshchiny, liubivshie Esenina. TERRA-Knizhnyi klub, Moscow , 2002. 303 pp. Illustrations.Priceunknown. OVER the past decade Ol'ga Voronova (born in I958) has emerged as an outstanding young scholar in the field of Esenin studies. Her first short monograph,Dukhovnye iskaniia Sergeia Esenina: Kniga dliauchitelia (Riazan', I995, 98 pp.), sought to breaknew ground by exploring Esenin'sspiritualevolution in relation to the Russian spiritual'renaissance'duringthe firstquarterof the twentiethcentury,and to suchcategoriesas 'thenew religiousawareness','the Russian idea', and 'Russian cosmism'. This somewhat embryonic study (which broached such topics as the figure of Christ in Esenin's early work, biblical motifsin his longer poems of 19I7-1 9, and Esenin'sown appearance as a penitent prodigal son in his verse of the 1920S) was soon followed by a fullerassortmentof ratherdisparatearticles,Dukhovnyi put'Esenina.Religioznofilosofskie i esteticheskie iskaniia(Riazan', 1997, 287 PP.). In that second book Voronova clarified the religious and philosophical meaning of individual works (notably, 'Mikola' and 'Pevushchii zov'), offered an 'existentialist' analysisof 'Chernyi chelovek', and commented sensiblyon a variety of other topics. Voronova's promising earlier work now comes to magnificent fruition in her thirdbook, Sergei Esenini russkaia dukhovnaia kul'tura, which stems from her doctoral dissertation,defended in Moscow in April 2000. In this meticulously annotated and copiously illustratedmonograph, ProfessorVoronova displays an exemplary breadth and depth of scholarship.Coherently and lucidly, she providesa many-sidedand perhapsdefinitiveevaluationof Esenin'spersonality (or 'mentality') and poetry as an embodiment of Russia's complex and frequentlycontradictoryspiritualtradition.Eight richly informativechapters illuminate the religious and national aspects of Esenin's work in its chronological development. The scholar offers a multitude of sensitive, persuasive and precise insights into the reflection in Esenin's work of Slavic pagan mythology, religious and ritual folklore, Orthodox icon-painting and liturgy, popular religious heresies, the traditions of the Old Believers, Old Russian and Russian classical literature, Russian religious and philosophical thought, and such forms of behaviour (or 'anti-behaviour') as palomnichestvoand strannichestvo, iurodstvo, riazhen'e and skomoroshestvo. Professor Voronova declares that Esenin is the most striking representative of Russian national consciousness (p. 3), a 'Russian national genius' (p. 50 i), with a 'peasant-Christian soul' (p. 221). Voronova's investigation into such highly topical and potentially 'nationalistic' subject-matter (Esenin and Russia's spiritual culture) is, in essence, laudably objective. Yet, to this nonRussian reviewer, it sometimes seems that many Russians are excessively 726 SEER, 82, 3, 2004 preoccupied with Russia's special place in world history and the divine scheme, Russia'sMessianic spiritualand historicalmission(pp. 323, 335). Are the particularattributesof the 'Russian Christ' (such as compassion, mercy, pity, humility, meekness,pp. 156, 159) uniquely and exclusively 'Russian'?Is it not misguided to emphasize a parallel between the blue-eyed, fair-haired, youthful Esenin and the Christ Child (illustration on the front cover and between pp. 448 and 449, see also pp. i8o-8i)? Perhaps,at times, Voronova tries too hard to exonerate Esenin from any possible charges of blasphemy and self-aggrandizement(pp. 3'', 345-46, 465) or a misspent, unworthylife (pp. 447, 463). Yet, despite these occasional misgivings, various minor misprints, and the regrettable lack of any indexes, 0. E. Voronova's Sergei Esenini russkaia dukhovnaia kul'tura is an outstandingworkof scholarship. Iurii Aleksandrovich Volkov (born in I948) has steadfastly and singlemindedly devoted his life to the writing of poetry and the quest to convey his spiritualand moralvision of the world. Receiving virtuallyno encouragement from professional colleagues or financial sponsors, Volkov since I989 has publishedeleven volumes of verse, largelyat his own expense. His tenth book, Epokhi zvezdnyi chas(Moscow, I997 [issued 2000]), presented a summation of his poetry and outlook, a combination of lyrical and philosophical verse, indebted to Christianityand Orientalmysticism. Volkov's eleventh book, PojutEsenina,is specificallydedicated to a fellow poet, Sergei Esenin, whom Volkovportraysas an eternallyyouthful, pensive, tender magician, 'the greatest lyric poet of our planet' and the source of Russia'smorality(p. 8). Aspiringto...