AUTOBIOGRAPHICAL DIMENSION OF THE ARCHITECTONICS OF THE POETIC CYCLE «UNHOLY LOVE» FROM THE COLLECTION «PALM BRANCH» BY AGATANGEL KRYMSKYI

Abstract

For a long time, lyric poetry by Agatangel Yukhimovych Krymskyi who is famous Ukrainian orientalist did not receive due attention from domestic literary experts and critics. Later on, already in the second half of the 20th century interpretation of his lyric poetry through the prism of psychologism, modernism and the literary canons of the fin de siècle era became popular. However, Agatangel Krymskyi’s multifaceted personality gave rise to the need for a comprehensive study of his lyrics, which led to the creation of the given work. The object of this scientific research is the lyrical cycle «Unholy Love» from the poetry collection «Palm Branch». Agatangel Krymskyi’s private epistolary during his scientific trip to Beirut (1896–1898) serves as a source of autobiographical information that makes setting an idea of his lifepath and synchronous trace of the correlation between his epistolary and lyrical diary possible. The architectonic structure of the poetic cycle «Unholy Love» is directly related to the biography of Agatangel Krymskyi. The poet himself classified the literary form of the cycle as «excerpts from the lyrical novel of one poor degenerate», which makes the recipient to study the poetry of the cycle comprehensively in different aspects: to investigate the plot line, to determine the state of the lyrical hero, to study the figurative system of the poetic cycle as well as to analyze of the intentions, psychologism and meanings that the author invested in his lyrical works. It is possible to discover the author himself in the image of a professor (a lyrical hero of the cycle) throughout all the three books of the «Unholy Love» as the author revealed his own soul and universe of his spirit to his readers. From the first to the last poetry of the cycle Agatangel Krymskyi reflects on love, intends to realize it and learns to accept it in all its various manifestations. One of the specific features of the architectonic structure of the poetic cycle is inclusion both original works and translations of European artists’ lyrical gems. A comprehensive reading of «Unholy Love» cycle through the prism of the author's biography made it possible to add a new touch to the literary portrait of Agatangel Krymskyi as well as to assert that his autobiography had a direct and significant influence on the architectonic structure of the cycle.