Directions of imaginary journeys in the lyric poetry of Georgy Ivanov

The article reveals the phenomenon of the imaginary journey in the lyric poetry of Georgy Ivanov, a prominent figure of the first wave of Russian emigration. It explores the various expressions of imaginary journeys in the poetry of emigrant poets, that correlate in relation to established traditions of world literature and the distinctive characteristics of the poetry of Russian diaspora. The integration of semantic analysis with cultural and historical contextual description is a methodologically pertinent approach, explaining the relevance of this study. The objective of this research is to explore the transformation of the phenomenon of imaginary voyage, regarding its content and structure, as contingent upon the cultural and historical context surrounding the emigrant poet. To achieve this objective, a comparative analysis of the specific characteristics of this phenomenon is conducted, focusing on both the pre-emigration and actual emigration periods of Ivanov’s lyrics. The article identifies the following trajectories of imaginary voyage as emblematic of Ivanov’s lyrical subject. In his early lyrics, he focused on literary and cultural reality, whereas in his emigrant period lyrics, he focused on the cosmic realm of non-being and the territory of the lost homeland — Russia. The literary reality into which Ivanov’s lyrical subject emerges is linked to specific cultural epochs — classicism, rococo, romanticism. The lyrical subject is propelled by the desire for integration into a new reality, risking self-identification. Access to the cultural and historical context enables the researcher to realize that Ivanov perceives his emigration as a tragedy. Therefore, his later texts (in contrast to the early lyrics, where the image of Russia and St. Petersburg appears infrequently) reveal his desire to return to Russia, using the mechanisms of memory and imagination to compensate for the impossibility of real return. The comparative analysis indicates that, for the lyrical subject of Ivanov’s emigration lyrics, the number of potential routes diminishes, with only one route bearing a positive connotation – leading to an irrevocably lost reality. The results of this study may contribute to the further exploration of the poetic discourse within the literature of the Russian emigration.

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