Mikhail Aizenberg's book of poems “If you say winter”: an approach to the hermeneutic reading

The article is devoted to the phenomenon of the book of poems on new Russian poetry. The research is based upon a collection of M. Aizenberg “If you say Winter”, which was marked by critics (The big prize of Moskovskiy Shchet-2017 [Moscow Account-2017]) and can be regarded representative for the modern Russian poetry. Using the method of close reading, the author analyses thoroughly the first two poems of the book and distinguishes in them formal and semantic connections in the context of composite unity. Despite equal images and motifs in the first two texts, there cannot be stated a common plot. Understanding the two diametrically opposite poles of book of poems as the maximal proximity to a lyro-epic poem (plot, steady characters) and a nonauthorized poetry collection (without a creative concept), “If you say Winter” must be considered to be in the middle: the lyrical subjects are barely to be acknowledged as equal; the central images, though verbally identical, accomplish different functions. Nevertheless, this inequality proves to be productive, expanding the context for interpreting of each poem, building a special plot out of the life of the words, which are changing their meanings during the process of reading. In conclusion of the article there are outlined the prospects for the further research and all the poems representative in regard to the indicated motifs are listed.