Article

Name: “The Open Sea” by Sergei Kolbasiev: Its Literary Context and Poetics

Authors: E. V. Kapinos, E. Yu. Kulikova

Institute of Philology of the Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Novosibirsk, Russian Federation

Abstract: The article by E. V. Kapinos and E. Yu. Kulikova analyzes the long poem “The Open Sea” by Sergei Kolbasiev which was published in 1922 when the poet belonged to the Ostrovityane literary group. “The Open Sea” is a valuable specimen of the scarce literary legacy left by the Ostrovityane members. A Nikolai Gumilev subtext is easily identifiable in the poem. However, the “post-Gumilev” poets (Kolbasiev, Nikolai Tikhonov and, to some degree, Konstantin Vaginov and Nikolai Otsup) developed a particular style of their own which is reminiscent of that of Gumilev in its use of motifs, but differs considerably from it in its abundant rhythmic experimentation, colorful word use and many other features. The article’s main subject is the poetics of “The Open Sea”. The poem consists of five chapters that are tied together through exact and near repetitions. Each chapter has its own rhythmic and strophic structure, but a common feature of all chapters is an alternation of feminine and masculine endings. Accentual verse and trochaic pentameter that alternate from one chapter to another, free verse stanzas and a complex composition that includes author’s lyrical digressions and temporal leaps comprise the main features of the poetics of “The Open Sea”. Another important element of the poem and Kolbasiev’s poetry in general is its autobiographical background as well as the biographies of Kolbasiev’s con“author’s persona” aspect of «The Open Sea» and comes to the conclusion that it is structured in accordance with Yuri Tynianov’s philological theory and the principles described and parodied in Vaginov’s novel “The Goat Song”. The article analyzes “The Open Sea” as a Petersburg text modeled on Gumilev’s “The Lost Tram” and having Ostrovityane’s poetry and prose as its nearest context. In addition, the oriental motifs of Vaginov’s poetry and Nikolai Tikhonov’s “The Horde” are relevant to the plot of the poem’s fourth chapter which features a “saffron” Chinaman appearing on board of a Russian cruiser. Furthermore, “The Open Sea” is analyzed in the context of Kolbasiev’s maritime fiction, articles (“Jazz”) and translations, such as his translation of the novel “Beau Geste” by P. C. Wren. A number of motifs and metaphors found in Wren’s novel can be viewed as invariants of the poem’s motifs. Nikolai Ushin’s illustrations to the translation of “Beau Geste” published in 1928 provide a stylistic match to the poetics of Kolbasiev’s prose and poetry characterized by vividness, contrastiveness and the avant-garde features of its color palette and composition. The article quotes from the critical assessments of “The Open Sea” by Kolbasiev’s contemporaries such as Lev Lunts and David Vygodsky.

Keywords: P. C. Wren, “Beau Geste”, Sergei Kolbasiev, “The Open Sea”, lyrical epos, Ostrovityane literary group, Konstantin Vaginov, Nikolai Tikhonov, accentual verse, free verse stanzas, trochaic pentameter

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