Dantean impulses in the works of the Belarusian poet Maksim Tank

Statement of the problem. Maksim Tank (1912-1995) was one of the most knowledgeable about world literature Belarusian writers. Among the representatives of Italian literature, he singled out Dante Alighieri, as evidenced by numerous direct references and allusions in his poetry, articles, and diaries. The purpose of this article is to analyze the motives of M. Tank’s appeal in his works to the great Florentine poet and his literary heritage. Research results and conclusions. The carried out study suggests that M. Tank valued Dante Alighieri primarily as the author of The Divine Comedy, where he masterfully described hell and the terrible suffering of sinners. In general, Dante is perceived by the Belarusian poet both as a person who tasted the bitter bread of exile, went through all the circles of hell and returned to the living, and also as a brilliant writer, who achieved immortality through his works. The creative impulses emanated by the genius of Italian literature are observed in Maksim Tank’s last collection of poetry “Moy Kovcheg” (“My Ark”, 1994). They determined the interpretation of the themes of death and immortality, the salvation of the soul and sublime love; in addition, he offers his own interpretation of the image of Beatrice, which became an eternal image in world literature.