Historical Geography Journal ISSN 2782-6511 (Print) | ISSN 3034-5286 (Online)

Irina A. Balandina 
Ural Federal University (Russia, Ekaterinburg)
ORCID: 0000-0002-4749-5018
E-mail: balandinairina00@gmail.com

 Download | Back to the Content № 2. 2025

UDC 82-1:913
DOI: 10.58529/2782-6511-2025-4-2-50-59

ABSTRACT. The article considers the problem of J. Brodsky’s self-identification through historical and geographical images and reminiscences in his poetry. Its aim is to identify and analyze the specific ways of constructing the author’s “self” through reference to historical characters and events in Brodsky’s poetry. Poems where the poet uses historical reminiscences to comprehend his own fate and creative path are analyzed. The extensive geography of images used by the poet holds equal interest for the study. The methodological framework of the study is based on a combination of biographical, cultural-historical and hermeneutical approaches, which allows considering the problem in different aspects: from specific textual observations to broad cultural generalizations. The material of the study is poetic works from different periods of Brodsky’s life. The article focuses on the three key themes through which the poet’s self-identification takes place: sacrifice for the sake of humanity, unjust judgement and exile. The paper shows how Brodsky uses images of historical figures (Miguel Servetus, Mary I of Scotland, marshal Zhukov) and literary characters (Odysseus) to reflect his own worldview and make sense of his life experience. The vastness of the used topoi, such as ancient Greece, the Roman Empire, medieval Spain, the Luxembourg Gardens in Paris, or Leningrad, expands the intertextual field of his poetry through the connection with the culture of different historical periods in relation to the place. As a result, the poet’s field of vision includes ancient culture, the European Middle Ages, the Soviet Union, and so forth. The study pays special attention to the period of emigration, when the problem of self-identification becomes especially acute for the poet. An important aspect is the consideration of how the personal experience of exile is refracted through the prism of historical parallels and cultural allusions. It is concluded that the reference to historic-cultural contexts is an important way of creative self-expression and comprehension of own destiny in J. Brodsky’s poetry, as well as the inclusion of his identity in the context of world history.

KEYWORDS: J. Brodsky, historical reminiscence, topoi, self-identification, author’s “self”, motifs of sacrifice, unjust judgement, exile, poetic biography

For citation: Balandina I. A. [Historico-Geographical Reminiscences as a Form of Self-Identification in J. Brodsky’s Lyrics]. Istoriko-geograficheskiy zhurnal [Historical Geography Journal], 2025, vol. 4, no. 2, pp. 50–59. DOI: 10.58529/2782-6511-2024-4-1-50-59 (In Russian).

Received 23 December 2024
Accepted 10 April 2025

© 2025 The Author

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