Urban poetry by K. D. Balmont and V. J. Bryusov: statement of the question. Existential reality

The article raises the difficult question of urban poetry by K.D. Balmont and V.Y. Bryusov. Researchers have been concerned with this topic for a long time, starting with intravital criticism. However, the urban text, topos are considered mainly in a horizontal plane, that is ontological problems are at the background. This paper attempts to rethink theoretically the problems of urban poetry. A new concept of existential space is introduced. Much attention is paid to the historio-sophical ideas by V.l. Solovyov and M. Voloshin. The wide cultural and philosophical contexts allow to look differently at the urban problems. The notion of a topic in the article means the connection of cosmic and artistic realities, conjunction of which gives birth to poetry. The article also introduces the concept of "cosmogony of the city", i.e., the city is seen as a sacral ritual space. Poets of the early XX century addressed myths, archaism, as it allowed them to overcome mediocrity, liminality. In this way was established a link between the world of the profane and the superior. In this context, the city served as a World Axis.