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What is the Silver Age
In Russian poetry, the period from the end of the 30th century. and up to the XNUMXs. the last century is often figuratively called the Silver Age. The name is given by analogy with the Golden Age of poetry (early XNUMXth century). Literary scholars have three versions of the authorship of this term: the philosopher N. Berdyaev, the poets N. Otsup and V. Mayakovsky.
The chronological framework of the period is often controversial among scholars. The 1890s are considered the beginning. But the ending is still hotly debated. Some argue that the Silver Age ended when the Civil War began.
Others consider the death of A. Blok and the execution of N. Gumilyov to be such a line. Still others insist on 1930, when V. Mayakovsky committed suicide.
The poetry of this period was not uniform. It included many major and minor movements and various poetic associations. The most famous of them are seven directions:
- symbolism;
- acmeism;
- futurism;
- cubo-futurism;
- ego-futurism;
- new peasant poetry;
- imaginism.
It is worth noting that the poets of the Silver Age, who created works in one direction, quite often, after some time, moved to another group. And the work of Marina Tsvetaeva cannot be attributed to a specific literary trend.
Symbolism
This major trend in all forms of art was generated by the crisis that swept Europe at the end of the XNUMXth century. It was characterized by experimentation. A negative assessment of many ideas appears, a revision of moral values appears, faith in science is lost. People are becoming more and more interested in the philosophy of idealism.
In Russia, this trend emerged during the decline of the so-called Narodism. Society was more and more gripped by a pessimistic mood. For this reason, the literature did not cover simple everyday issues, but gave preference to global and philosophical ones.
Symbolism manifested itself most clearly from the 1890s to 1910. Symbolism in Russia was greatly influenced by: Russian poets and prose writers: Fet, Tyutchev and Dostoevsky, as well as the Symbolists of France: Paul Verlaine, Stéphane Mallarmé, Lautréamont, Arthur Rimbaud and Charles Baudelaire …
The main meaning of this movement is that with the help of art a person can know the world and himself. Symbolism was also not a single trend. These were separate schools, often competing with each other.
“Senior Symbolists”
The so-called “Senior” Symbolists included the capital’s writers: D. Merezhkovsky, Z. Gippius, F. Sologub and N. Minsky. In their works, one can easily notice a decadent mood and disappointment.
Critics call such creativity decadence. In Moscow, it is the poetry of V. Bryusov and K. Balmont, who wrote in an aesthetic manner. They argued that a poet should always create based on personal and artistic values.
“Younger” Symbolists
This group includes: A. Blok, A. Bely and V. Ivanov. Their works are imbued with a philosophy based on religion, but in poetic expression.
From left to right: K. Balmont, V. Ivanov, I. Annensky, A. Bely, A. Blok, V. Bryusov
Symbolism has enriched Russian poetry. The poetic word was given a previously unknown mobility and polysemy. The symbolists were looking for new, sometimes unexpected, nuances and different meanings in words.
K. Balmont, V. Bryusov, I. Annensky, A. Blok and A. Bely can rightfully be called the brilliant masters of expressiveness, with the use of assonance and effective alliteration. It was they who significantly expanded the rhythm of the verse, diversified the stanza.
Symbolism created a new philosophy of culture, developed a universal worldview. The Symbolists talked about the social role of the creative person, led the movement to create new forms of art to unite people.
Acmeism
The name comes from the Greek word for bloom. This trend “grew” out of symbolism, and then actively opposed it. Acmeists put the materiality of the theme and the image at the forefront, firmly adhered to the position of “art for the sake of art”. The brightest representatives of Acmeism are members of the “Guild of Poets”.
O. Mandelstam, A. Akhmatova, N. Gumilev, S. Gorodetsky
The origins of Acmeism were: N. Gumilev, S. Gorodetsky and Anna Akhmatova. Subsequently, they were joined by: O. Mandelstam, M. Zenkevich, G. Ivanov and others.
At the end of 1912, a detailed program for the development of acmeism was presented at the Stray Dog cabaret in the capital. Acmeists strove to generalize the experience of their predecessors and bring poetry to a new height of creativity. In 1913-18. a collection of poets “Hyperborea” was published.
Futurism
This movement can be called avant-garde, since it set out to create a prototype of art in the near future. Russian poets adopt the provisions of Tommaso Filippo Marinetti’s manifesto. His tasks included the idea of complete destruction of the stereotypes of his contemporary culture.
They suggested replacing them with the chanting of technology and urbanism. It was urbanism, coupled with technical progress, that the futurists considered the main distinguishing feature of the future society.
Poets became famous for their rebelliousness, denial of all cultural traditions. Their works often resembled slogans, posters and agitation. Poets conducted experiments to create the so-called “abstruse” language.
The founders of this trend are considered to be members of the capital group “Gilea”. It was an influential organization, but not the only one. Over time, the ego-futurists headed by I. Severyanin, the Centrifuge and Poetry Mezzanine groups separated from it.
Similar organizations could be found in almost all major Russian cities.
Cubofuturism
This is another avant-garde movement in the art of the beginning of the last century. It harmoniously united the principles of the Cubists of France (Braque) and the Futurists of Italy (Boccioni). The author of the term, which appeared in 1913, is Korney Chukovsky.
The so-called “Bulyans”, who were in the “Gilea” group, took an active part in this movement. They defiantly rejected the aesthetic ideals of past years and vividly manifested in their works the defiant outrageousness and the use of occasionalism.
Cubo-futurists were often called “abstruse poets”. At various times this group included: V. Khlebnikov, E. Guro, David and Nikolai Burliuki, V. Kamensky, V. Mayakovsky, A. Kruchenykh, B. Livshits and others.
V. Mayakovsky, V. Khlebnikov, David Burliuk, Nikolay Burliuk, B. Livshits, V. Kamensky, E. Guro
This direction was in demand within the framework of the Russian avant-garde, not only in poetry, but also in painting. This form of creativity was used by: Malevich, Goncharova, Rozanova, Popova, Udaltsova, Exter, Bogomazov, and others.
Ego-futurism
This trend split off from general futurism, stating that it seeks to cultivate the refinement of sensations, widely use new foreign words and phraseological units, and also promote self-love.
At the beginning of 1912, the “Academy of Egopoiesy” was organized in the capital, headed by I. Severyanin. This included novice poets: G. Ivanov, K. Olympov and S. Petrov. They issued the manifesto “The Tablets of Egopoiesy.”
In the manifesto, M. Lokhvitskaya and K. Fofanov were named the founders of the movement, although these poets could rather be called Symbolists.
The entire manifesto consisted of phrases: “man is an egoist,” “man is a fraction of God,” etc. The ego-futurists claimed that they were based on Theosophy, but there was no novelty in their poetry. It is worth emphasizing that this direction operated for a rather short time, about three years.
I. Severyanin, K. Olympov, G. Ivanov
Critics zealously took up a detailed analysis of Igor Severyanin’s poems. Soon he moved away from this trend, and after 1917 he completely changed the style of his work.
Almost all ego-futurists after some time switched to other genres or left literary activity. Let us recall that V. Shershenevich, R. Ivnev and others also adjoined this direction.
New Peasant poetry
This concept exists in historical and literary use. It unites poets rather conditionally, reflecting several common features that are inherent in their worldview and creative style.
The poets, who were later ranked by critics as part of this movement, did not call themselves that. They did not have a poetic association, and there was no single theoretical platform.
They often turned to the theme of the Russian countryside, its vastness, the simple life of the peasants, the inextricable connection with the picturesque nature, traditions and oral folk art. But at the same time they understood and perfectly reflected in their work the aspiration of “Russian modernity”.
S. Yesenin, N. Klyuev, S. Klychkov, P. Oreshin
In the 1910s, a new generation of peasant poets entered literature. Poems by S. Klychkov, N. Klyuev, A. Abramov and P. Oreshin are published. In 1916, a collection of poems by S. Yesenin “Radunitsa” was published.
At the beginning of the last century, the words “Russian peasant” could be mistaken for a restaurant exotic or an artistic pose. But Klyuev took such a pose with pleasure, who cursed the “noble omnipresent”.
Yesenin did not leave this image in his youth, dressed in a blue silk shirt outside, wearing velvet pants and high morocco boots. Critics greeted these poets as ambassadors of the village and exponents of its worldview. Later, critics called such poetry “kulak”.
Indeed, this poetry appeared at the turn of the century. She expressed a premonition of social decay and complete anarchy of meanings in art. These poets of the Silver Age loved and knew the village life, oral poetic folk art. They were close to Russian nature, therefore they constituted the strong side of the lyrics of “peasant poetry”.
Imaginism
The aim of the Imagists was to create a coherent image. They very often resorted to such an expressive means as metaphor. Sometimes metaphorical chains were a juxtaposition of different elements of two images: direct and figurative. Their works also contain shocking and motives of some anarchy.
Imagism was founded on the foundations of futurism. A. Mariengof and V. Shershenevich are considered the founders of this movement. For some time poets were fond of imagism: S. Yesenin, R. Ivnev and N. Erdman, L. Chernov, as well as artists B. Erdman and G. Yakupov.
According to some critics, the name comes from the English Imagism, the school of poetry (T. E. Hume, E. Pound, T. S. Eliot, R. Aldington). In Russia, they learned about this flow from the article by Zinaida Vengerova “English Futurists”. The beginning of Imagism – 1918, the “Order of the Imagists” was founded in Moscow.
In 1919 – 1924. this line of poetry became popular in big cities. Publishing houses appeared where the works of the Imagists were printed.
In 1919, the Imagists entered the so-called section of the Literary Train. A. Lunacharsky. They traveled and performed in many cities. This further contributed to their fame and popularity.
Subsequently, the Imagists carried out several scandalous, shocking actions, for example, they painted the walls of the Holy Monastery with anti-religious quotes. Imagism ceased to exist in 1925-1927.
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