Is Brodsky a Poet for Our Time?

Maria Rubins

Jump to Content

Chapter 7 Is Brodsky a Poet for Our Time?

In: Joseph Brodsky and Modern Russian Culture

Author:

Maria Rubins

Maria Rubins
Search for other papers by Maria Rubins in
Current site
Google Scholar
PubMed

Type:: Chapter

Pages:: 149–176

DOI:: https://doi.org/10.1163/9789004708013_009

Purchase instant access (PDF download and unlimited online access):

€42.00€35.00 excl. VAT

Add to Cart

Redeem Access Token

Abstract

In the late 1980s, when Valentina Polukhina published the first monograph about Joseph Brodsky, she called it A Poet for Our Time. Now, over 30 years later, Brodsky remains one of the most contested cultural personalities. He is regarded by many as a canonized poet, the last Russian classic, a charismatic philosopher and a cult figure. The ideologues of Russkii mir have laid claim on Brodsky on account of his ostensible imperialist sensibilities. Others, for the same reason, either demonize the poet or feel the need to justify him. While some contemporary Russian writers attempt to deflate his status, among informal Russian audiences Brodsky has become a popular brand. Brodsky liked to say that the poet is but a tool of language – once written, texts assume an existence of their own, independent of their authors’ will, design and perhaps even understanding. Focusing on a range of his works (poems, essays, plays, interviews, publicistic pieces) this chapter considers the relevance of his legacy for our troubled time, when the geopolitical and existential situation forces us to revisit basic notions about human nature, the trappings of the mind, Artificial Intelligence, totalitarianism, freedom, and the phenomenon of cancel culture. This examination is not limited to the reception of Brodsky in the 21st century. Rather it aims to identify recurrent elements of his discourse, ideas, insights and speech patterns that can inform a deeper understanding or at least a more complex articulation of today’s reality.

Citation Info

Save
Cite
Email this content

Share link with colleague or librarian

You can email a link to this page to a colleague or librarian:
Email this content
or copy the link directly:

https://brill.edhh.ma/abstract/book/9789004708013/BP000008.xml
The link was not copied. Your current browser may not support copying via this button.

Link copied successfully

Collapse
Expand

Joseph Brodsky and Modern Russian Culture

Series: Studies in Slavic Literature and Poetics, Volume: 68 and Studies in Slavic Literature and Poetics Online, Volume: 68

E-Book ISBN:: 9789004708013

Publisher:: Brill

Print Publication Date:: 11 Sep 2024

Subjects
- Languages and Linguistics
  - Indo-European Languages
- Literature and Cultural Studies

Front Matter

Back Matter

ProCite

RefWorks

Reference Manager

BibTeX

Zotero

EndNote

Metrics

	All Time	Past 365 days	Past 30 Days
Abstract Views	646	220	16
Full Text Views	16	10	0
PDF Views & Downloads	17	13	0

African Studies	Education	Media Studies
American Studies	History	Middle East and Islamic Studies
Ancient Near East and Egypt	Human Rights and Humanitarian Law	Musicology
Art History	International Law	Philosophy
Asian Studies	International Relations	Religious Studies
Biblical Studies	Jewish Studies	Slavic and Eurasian Studies
Biology	Languages and Linguistics	Social Sciences
Book History and Cartography	Life Sciences	Theology and World Christianity
Classical Studies	Literature and Cultural Studies

Subjects

Authors

Open Access

Product Information

Company

Contact

Chapter 7 Is Brodsky a Poet for Our Time?

Abstract

Citation Info

Share link with colleague or librarian

Joseph Brodsky and Modern Russian Culture

Table of Contents

References

Metrics

Metrics