Myth about K. N. Batyushkov in Russian poetry from between the 1970s and the 2000s

In Russian poetry, the turn of the XXI century was a period when poetic text parameters were actively revised, while the interaction with the literary canon played an important role in the poetry-related discussions. The division of the XX century Russian literature into Soviet and emigrant, censored and uncensored ones has led to the occurrence of a number of classics alternative interpretations. Perception of K. Batyushkov is one of the most illustrative examples of this kind. This article examines the interaction options of the poets from between the 1970s and the 2000s with the Batyushkov myth. Summarizing the findings, several general principles of understanding the creative works of K. Batyushkov can be noted in Russian poetry: the inseparability of biographical evidence about the poet from his texts; mediation of understanding Batyushkov’s creative works through a circle of literary associations relevant for a modern poet; and the inclusion of Batyushkov motif sequence in one’s own aesthetic code. Four productive lines were established in the perception of Batyushkov’s creative works: Batyushkov is seen as the prototype of the poet as such, he is regarded as a “borderline” figure, a mediator between the earthly and the transcendent; in some contexts, he is interpreted as a “travelling” poet; his “bordering” also refers to the motif of mortality and the “reincarnation” of the poetic word. Thus “Russian Hölderlin” becomes an important figure in the latest poetology, whose value is determined not only by the cultural myth of a “mad poet”, but also by the significance of the “other canon” phenomenon.