Article

Name: African "pictures from an old book" by Nikolai Gumilev

Authors: Yelena Yu. Kulikova

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

In the section Study of literature

Abstract: The paper analyzes the "African" motifs in Nikolai Gumilev’s poetry, primarily as reflected in his collection of poems «The Tent». According to the author, a poet sees the world as a magical and exotic one relying upon his personal impressions, which are dreamed-up and endured, found in books and experienced on hundreds of roads. This rootedness in literature gives the traveling protagonist a de-individualized look, and splits the lyrical self into a gallery of masks.

Keywords: exotic motifs, poetic geography, travel, africa

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