Contemplator vs frustrated wanderer: double faced character in “Notes ” by A. Platonov

Statement of the problem. “Notes” by A. Platonov are included in the corpus of his early lyrical and philosophical stories. These include the works of 1921 “The Beggar’s Thirst”, “In the Starry Desert”, “Poem of Thought”, “The Impossible”. However, until now “Notes” has not been analyzed as part of this range of works. The purpose of this article is to analyze the type of hero, poetics of the plot, to show the unity of the “Notes” with other lyric and philosophical stories written by Platonov; to reveal the dynamics of the hero’s image and the strategy of the plot of the story; to reveal his special place among the named works; to show the connection of Platonov’s hero-wanderer with Zarathustra F. Nietzsche, as well as the Nietzschean origins of some motives in Platonov’s stories. Conclusions. Unlike other lyric and philosophical stories, “Notes” have a two-part structure. The principle of counterpoint, organizing the two parts, is justified by the author’s logic: it moves from a speculative fascination with the sight of “endless spaces” and “distant villages” to disillusionment with real life. Thus, both parts exist in agreement with each other, forming a single textual whole with a contrasting basis embedded in it. With his “Notes” Platonov completes one of the areas of his own creativity, sums up his complex lyric, philosophical and utopian reflections. In further creative perspective, the utopian prospectuses turn more and more clearly into their genre opposite.