Two poles of Russian poetry. Book review: Stepanova M.A. Yesenin vs Mayakovsky: poetic duel. Moscow, Tsentr Knigi Rudomino: Boslen Publ., 2022. 208 p

At the beginning of 2022, on the eve of the anniversary for V.V. Mayakovsky in 2023, the book by a candidate of philological sciences, a senior researcher at the Moscow House Museum Marina Tsvetaeva M.A. Stepanova “Yesenin vs Mayakovsky: Poetic Duel” was published. The publication has already attracted the attention of the professional community. There were two successful presentations of it, and Literaturnaya Gazeta responded to it twice (by inclusion in the rating and a short review). The book deserves closer attention. The stated topic has a significant history of study and a high degree of relevance. Modern biographies of poets of the 1920s cannot do without an excursion into the personal and creative relationships of Yesenin and Mayakovsky, as is the case in Zakhar Prilepin’s recent book “Yesenin. Promising a meeting ahead”. The novelty of Stepanova’s work lies in the fact that for the first time she managed, using almost complete biographical and representative literary material, to systematically compare the two largest Russian poets of the 1920s - S.A. Yesenin and V.V. Mayakovsky. The book consists of eight chapters, each chapter is devoted to one of the facets of their rivalry or, conversely, closeness or community: the poets’ embodiment of the themes of love, city and countryside, artist and power, Motherland and abroad, creativity, animal world, death, as well as posthumous fate. The book has a clear structure that makes it easier for the general reader to perceive the rich material, is beautifully illustrated, has an attractive design and will undoubtedly be interesting and useful to both lovers of Russian literature and specialists.