On Olga Sedakova’s Angel of Reims [Angel Reymsa]

The article contains a comprehensive analysis of O. Sedakova’s poem Angel of Reims [Angel Reymsa]. The scholar examines its genre characteristics and literary sources, including R. M. Rilke’s sonnet Archaic Torso of Apollo, Dante’s Divine Comedy, and P. Claudel’s mystery play L’Annonce faite à Marie [The Tidings Brought to Mary]. Also in focus of the study are the poem’s compositional and communicative structures (these are formed by the angel’s three questions; he answers the first two, while the third one remains unanswered), as well as its philosophic-religious, socio-political, and poetological aspects. Finally, the rhetoric and prosody of the text are analyzed from the point of their connection with the poetics of liturgical free verse. Angel of Reims combines the genre features of sculptural ekphrasis, a friendly message, a liturgical hymn, and accumulates the philosophical, poetological, and socio-political ideas that preoccupied Sedakova, summarizing her poetic creed, concepts, and devices that typify her oeuvre.

1. Azarenkov, А. (2023). Olga Sedakova and François Fédier. In: E. Takho-Godi, ed., Poetry of thought: From Romanticism to modernity. In honour of E. Boratynsky’s 220th anniversary. A collective monograph. St. Petersburg: Nestor-Istoriya, pp. 352-360. (In Russ.)

2. Claudel, P. <1948> . The Tidings Brought to Mary. The final stage version. Translated by О. Sedakova. [online] Olgasedakova.com. Available at: https://www.olgasedakova.com/123/2428/search [Accessed 29 Apr. 2025]. (In Russ.)

3. Claudel, P. (2006). The Tidings Brought to Mary. Mystery in four acts with a prologue. Translated by L. Tsyvian. Ed. by D. Tokarev. St. Petersburg: Nauka (“Literary Monuments” Series). (In Russ.)

4. Clüver, C. (1997). Ekphrasis reconsidered. On verbal representations of non-verbal texts. Interart poetics. In: U.-B. Lagerroth, H. Lund, and E. Hedling, eds., Essays on the interrelations of the arts and media. Amsterdam and New York: Rodopi, pp. 19-33.

5. Fédier, F. (2018). A friend’s voice. Translated by O. Sedakova. Comments by O. Sedakova. 2nd revised ed. St. Petersburg: Izdatelstvo Ivana Limbakha. (In Russ.)

6. Florensky, P. (1914). The pillar and ground of the truth. An essay in Orthodox theodicy in twelve letters. Moscow: (In Russ.)

7. Gasparov, M. (2001). Russian verse of the early 20th century with commentaries. Moscow: Fortuna Limited. (In Russ.)

8. Golubovich, K. (2022). Postmodernism in paradise. On Olga Sedakova’s works. St. Petersburg: Izdatelstvo Ivana Limbakha. (In Russ.)

9. Ivanyuk, B. (2018). Poetic ekphrasis: A dictionary version. In: T. Avtukhovich, R. Mnikh, and Т. Bovsunovskaya, eds. , Theory and history of ekphrasis: Research results and prospects. A collective monograph. Siedlce, pp. 383-396. (In Russ.)

10. Mâle, É. (2008). Religious art in France of the 13th century. Translated by A. Pozhidaeva and D. Kharman. Moscow: Institut filosof , teologii i istorii sv. Fomy. (In Russ.)

11. Orlitsky, Y. (2002). Poetry and prose in Russian literature. Moscow: RGGU. (In Russ.)

12. Recht, R. (2014). Believing and seeing. The art of Gothic cathedrals. Translated by O. Voskoboynikov. Moscow: Izdatelskiy dom Vysshey shkoly ekonomiki. (In Russ.)

13. Sedakova, O. (1997). Rarely-seen independence. Interviewed by V. Polukhina. In: V. Polukhina, Brodsky through the eyes of his contemporaries. Collected interviews. St. Petersburg: Zhurnal “Zvezda,” pp. 218-231. (In Russ.)

14. Sedakova, O. (2009a). Apologia della ragione. Translated by G. Parravicini. Milano: Edizioni La Casa di Matriona. (In Italian.)

15. Sedakova, O. (2009b). The apology of reason. Мoscow: MGIU. (In Russ.)

16. Sedakova, O. (2010). Four volumes. Collected works (4 vols). Moscow: Russkiy Fond Sodeystviya Obrazovaniyu i Nauke. (In Russ.)

17. Sedakova, O. (2013). Two sketches on the art of Classical Greece, avant-garde, and modernism. Prime Russian Magazine , [online] 1. Available at: https://www.olgasedakova.com/art/2064/search [Accessed 26 Apr. 2025]. (In Russ.)

18. Sedakova, O. (2015a). On organics. In: Вack to the nature. Dispute 0/3: Collected papers. Moscow: Muzey organicheskogo iskusstva Kolomna. [online] Olgasedakova.com. Available at: https://www.olgasedakova.com/Poetica/1774 [Accessed 29 Sept. 2025]. (In Russ.)

19. Sedakova, O. (2015b). Ravenna notes. [online] Olgasedakova.com. Available at: https://www.olgasedakova.com/Events/1737 [Accessed 29 Sept. 2025]. (In Russ.)

20. Sedakova, O. (2017). Mary’s tears. Comments on the Orthodox service. Poetics of liturgical hymns. Moscow: Blagochestie. (In Russ.)

21. Sedakova, O. (2019). The substance of humanity: Interviews. 1990-2018. Moscow: Novoe literaturnoe obozrenie. (In Russ.)

22. Sedakova, O. (2021). Dictionary of difficult words from worship. Church Slavonic-Russian paronyms. Moscow: Praktika. (In Russ.)

23. Siedakowa, O. (2016). Anioł Reims i inne wiersze. Translated by A. Pomorski. Wrocław: Kolegium Europy Wschodniej. (In Polish.)

24. Thurston, H. (1913). Angelus Bell. [online] Catholic Encyclopedia. Available at: https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Catholic_Encyclopedia_(1913)/Angelus_Bell [Accessed 6 Oct. 2025].

25. Zhitenyov, А. (2022). Contemporary Russian poetology and the problem of ekphrasis. Berlin u. a.: Peter Lang. (In Russ.)