Against the glare. On Yulia Krylova’s Against the White Background [Na fone belogo]

Abstract

A review of the first book by the Moscow-based poet Yulia Krylova, Against the White Background [Na fone belogo] (2022). The critic considers the book’s principal motifs in the context of Biblical metaphors and decodes hidden meanings of Krylova’s ‘messages.’ Along with Brodsky, Mandelstam and other celebrities traditionally referenced by modern poets, they are addressed to Krylova’s contemporary fellow poets. Also discussed is the mixed critical reception of Krylova’s lyrical collection: while some reviewers emphasise its metaphysical quality, others notice Krylova’s extensive use of such hallmarks of modern lifestyle as a 3G network and friends’ and lovers’ online profiles, etc. Batalov argues, however, that Krylova’s unique style results from an unconventional approach to combining modern realia with metaphysical phenomena: not only does it pair the minutiae of quotidian existence with metaphysical and Biblical elements; it shows them to complement each other like two different languages used to describe the same phenomenon.