Osip Mandelstam, "Stone": analysis of a collection of poems, reviews

2024 Author: Leah Sherlock | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 05:25

Mandelstam's collection of poems "Stone" has long become a classic of Russian poetry of the "Silver Age" era. Incredibly lyrical works of the poet conquered more than one generation of readers, being an example of the beauty of the syllable and the standard rhythmic sound. Osip Mandelstam, being a man of fine mental organization, left to his descendants a sensual and romantic heritage, echoes of which can be heard in the works of many contemporary poets.

Mandelstam

Osip Emilievich Mandelstam is a unique figure in Russian literature. During his short life and a very short period of creative activity, Osip managed to create many poetic works, was actively engaged in translations from several languages, and journalism. Contemporaries considered Osip Mandelstam a rather serious literary critic and a great connoisseur of art.

Osip Emilievich is considered one of the most famous poets of the early 20th century. He was on friendly terms with Marina Tsvetaeva, Nikolai Gumilev, Anna Akhmatova.

Biography

Osip Mandelstam was born on January 15, 1891 inWarsaw, Poland. The family of the future writer belonged to the influential Jewish family of Mandelstam. The poet's father, Emily Veniaminovich Mandelstam, had the title of a merchant of the first guild, and his mother, Flora Ovseevna Verblovskaya, served as a musician at the conservatory.

In 1897, when Osip was only 6 years old, the family moved to St. Petersburg, where he spent the rest of the life of the future poet until his very exile.

Early years

In 1907, young Mandelstam became a lecturer at the Faculty of Physics and Mathematics of St. Petersburg University, however, after studying for some time, he did not feel a craving for natural and exact sciences, so he decided to take the documents.

In 1908, the future luminary of Russian literature enters the Sorbonne University, attending courses at the University of Heidelberg along the way. Over the years of study, Osip proved himself to be a talented writer and a very erudite person, which allowed him to enter the elite social circle of future Russian writers.

Among the friends and acquaintances of the poet of that time were Nikolai Gumilyov, Vyacheslav Ivanov, with whom he often met, and friends discussed the classics of French and English poetry.

In 1911, the poet's family began to experience great financial difficulties, and Osip had to return to his homeland and continue his studies at the University of St. Petersburg.

Collection of poems

The first poems Mandelstam began to write as early as his youth, before enteringuniversity. The university years, which gave the poet a huge amount of knowledge about the history of art and the theory of literature, made Osip a mature poet. By the time he was forced to complete his studies in Europe, Mandelstam had almost finished work on his first collection of poetry, called "Stone". The name turned out to be prophetic - Mandelstam's "Stone" really became a granite slab in the history of Russian literature, remaining for many years a monument of free poetic creativity, which became an example for subsequent generations of poets.

History of writing

Osip Mandelstam's "Stone" seems to reflect the very inner essence of the poet. The material for the collection was created during the formation of Osip as a personality, as a creative individuality. The poet's fragile peace of mind was constantly disturbed by harsh life circumstances, and Mandelstam tried to explore these circumstances through creative work.

The aesthetics of symbolism in Mandelstam's early works only emphasizes his abstract perception of the surrounding reality, thanks to which the poet had a unique creative vision.

Contents

Mandelstam's book "Stone" is, in essence, a unique collection that presents the reader with all the facets of the author's personality and various aspects of his poetic worldview. The collection includes lyrical works of the poet, prose miniatures and travel sketches in poetic form, made by Mandelstam during histraveling around Europe.

Also, the poet is one of the first in Russian literature to actively use the monologue form of presentation of thoughts, using the form of presentation in the first person. This gives his work a touch of sincerity, making Mandelstam's works incredibly attractive to the reader.

Landscape lyrics occupy a rather large place in the collection, because it is through the description of the greatness of nature that the poet usually shows human nature, trying to understand the purpose of man, the meaning of his existence.

Analysis of the collection "Stone" by Mandelstam shows that there were no forbidden topics for the poet, he found his inspiration in absolutely any topic. The collection contains poems about love, war, music, literature and even sports.

Part one

An analysis of Mandelstam's "Stone" shows that the collection contains poems in the order they were written. In the first part of his book, the poet included early, lyceum and university works. At that time, Mandelstam shared the literary views of the Symbolist community, so his earlier work consisted almost entirely of symbolic images. The creative universe of the poet is represented by a unique vision of ordinary things, which are given unusual definitions. The poet separates the "earthly world" and "heavenly world", preferring the latter.

Mandelstam thinks very seriously about his poetic nature and possible uniqueness, being skeptical about his literary gift.

Part Two

The second part of Mandelstam's poems in "Stone" turned out to be more serious and philosophicaloriented than the first. It is here that the poet firmly shows his maturity as a creative person, his vision of the world.

The poet's contemporaries believed that the second part of the "Stone", despite the more classical structure of versification, is more dramatic and severe. It is here that the poet first comes to comprehend the changes in his life, trying to adapt to the new circumstances of his existence.

An analysis of Mandelstam's collection "Stone" shows that its second part is characterized by intellectual moods and creative cynicism. The poet appears no longer as an enthusiastic teenager, but as a serious man who has experienced a lot in his short but difficult life.

Publication

The collection "Stone" by Osip Mandelstam became the first officially released book by the author, which included only 23 works written between 1908 and 1913.

A few years later, the poet revised the collection and prepared for publication a corrected and supplemented version, which included several poems written in 1914-1915.

At the end of the twenties, the poet attempted to publish the third edition of the collection, but for good reasons decided to abandon this idea, preferring to devote his free time to the work of a translator.

"Stone" went through several reprints during the life of the poet, providing Mandelstam with immortality in literary circles.

Reviews in the community

"Stone" Mandelstam made a splash in the literary society of Russia thattime. Belonging to the poetic group of acmeists, the poet was immediately promoted to its leader, becoming a prominent literary figure on an all-Russian scale. Even representatives of literary movements of a different style, who were in hostile relations with representatives of acmeism, spoke enthusiastically about Mandelstam's poetry.

The writers of that time noted the unique construction of the poem, the presence of a large number of vivid artistic images, as well as unique metaphors. Enthusiastic readers were amazed at the epithets used by the poet to describe the feelings and emotional disturbances that visited him.

The collection was instantly sold out by the literary public of the capital.

Analysis

Even with a superficial analysis of the collection "Stone" by Mandelstam, its uniqueness and literary originality catches the eye. The poet, being a representative of the acmeism movement, skillfully combines in his works both the traditional provisions of acmeism and elements of symbolism, futurism and even realism.

The main ideology of Osip Mandelstam's "Stone" is the keywords on the basis of which the writer creates textual material. The poet himself called these key words "signals" and noted that they are the impulse of inspiration that visits a creative person and encourages her to write any work.

In this regard, in "Stone" Mandelstam explores the themes of space and inspiration in conjunction with the theory of realism and rational thinking.

The religious aspect of creativity remains important for the poet: several poems from the collectiondedicated to the Christian attitude towards death and eternal life.

Mandelstam's philosophical concept is recognized as unique because of the incredibly organic combination of various literary styles and trends in it, as well as due to the totality of the author's materialistic and theological views coexisting in harmony.

Criticism

Mandelstam's poetry was subjected to critical analysis during the years of Soviet rule. Then some of the poet's works were recognized as "anti-Soviet", and the author himself was included in the list of writers banned from printing and any kind of publication. In the works of Osip Mandelstam, Soviet critics saw excessive sensuality and dreaminess that was completely unnecessary for Soviet people, distracting the proletariat from everyday work and a brighter future.

In Soviet times, Mandelstam's "Stone" was practically not published, and the poet's works gained particular popularity among the general readership only at the end of the eighties, when, along with the well-known works of other banned authors, the works of Osip Mandelstam were republished.