In the process of reassembling the cosmos

Abstract

E. Pogorelaya’s interview of L. Yugay is built around the overlapping areas of two topics: contemporary poetry and modern philology. Poetic environment is assessed from the standpoint of a folklore scholar and a sociologist; the latest poetry — from the viewpoint of its adherence to traditional genres and ritualistic practices, etc. Among other topics, the interview discusses the unique characteristics of ‘poetic behaviour,’ taboos in modern literature, and the perception of a poetic text by an ‘outsider.’ In this regard, Yugay suggests that the recent scandals around feminist poetry emerge as a reaction to something forbidden: a statement on hitherto taboo topics is now identified as special, and its proverbial vehemence shows that desacralisation is still work in progress. Special attention is devoted to a poet’s biography; according to Yugay, it is losing its meaning as a tool for creation of an ‘artistic product,’ with the author’s biography considered separately from their oeuvre.