“I” as “the other” in the subject structure of Arseny Tarkovsky's lyric poetry

The article deals with the subject structure of Arseny Tarkovsky’s lyrics in terms of relationship between the notions of “I” and “the Other.” Methodological reference point is Bakhtin’s concept that a man’s self-identification is obviously inadequate and the sole way to learn one’s true self is self-objectification, which implies a position of outsidedness in relation to any moment in a biography. The analysis shows that the theme of identification and personality development in A. Tarkovsky’s poetry can be considered pivotal: the mismatch between the subject and the self (as a rule, in the past) is registered consistently and diversely. In this context, the character is repeatedly observed from the outside as “he” or “you,” while the childhood is perceived by him as an ideal mode of existence, a moment of absolute self-identity and maximum straining of creative power. The growing up, a process fraught with self-alienation, calls for not only an impartial look into oneself, but also a purposeful work that must bring back the dynamically active attitude to life. An indispensable condition of his return (which, incidentally, can be only temporary) is the resolution of conflicts, i.e., the overcoming of dissociation between “the soul” and “the body”; their unity is a basic premise of poetic creativity while isolation leads to “numbness” rendering any effort senseless and futile. A detailed analysis of the verses “The Sugakleya River Goes into the Reeds.” (“Reka Sugakleya ukhodit v kamysh...”), “Become Yourself’ (“Stan’ samim soboy”) and others makes it possible to conclude that the personality development in Tarkovsky’s poetry has no time framework, while its completion, in the author’s view, is synonymous with death.