The Idea of Social Christianity in N. A. Klyuev’s Early Lyric Poetry

Abstract

. The article is devoted to the analysis of the early lyrics of N. A. Klyuev: its socio-political motifs are considered, both in the context of the poet’s biography, and through the prism of Modern slavery, a work by the ideologist of social Christianity F.-R. Lamennais. This kind of rapprochement is rooted in the content of Klyuev’s works, as well as a number of circumstances related to the place of publication of Lamennais’ work in Russian, namely, the revolutionary publishing house “Seyatel’,” well-known among socialist revolutionaries, to whom Klyuev was close in the mid-1900s. The integration of Klyuev into the circle of socialist revolutionaries in 1905–1907 suggests that the poet was familiar with the literature that was widespread in this circle, including Lamennais’ work Modern Slavery. This work of the ideologist of social Christianity is considered one of the sources of the life-creating pathos of Klyuev’s early lyrics, aimed at the universal transformation of being. The article conditionally identifies and reveals two stages of the formation of Klyuev’s social Christianity poetics. At the first stage, Klyuev’s works reproduce the main message of Lamennais’ work: the rejection of slavery inherited through the “modern slave’s” awareness of his human dignity and his rebellion, against the established sociohistorical tradition. At the second stage, the most important categories of Lamennais’ work — brotherhood, co-labor, and sacrifice — find their full meaning in Klyuev’s works: practical revolutionary work “for the brothers” now becomes a form of co-laboring with God, and the experience of difficulties and hardships on the revolutionary path — a form of spiritual co-crucifixion with Christ.