Nikolai Klyuev’s Epistolary Review of Sergei Yesenin’s Poem ‘Pugachev’: “Dark Places” of Multidimensional Evaluation

This article presents a historical and literary analysis of the epistolary review by the peasant poet Nikolai Klyuev (1884—1937) of the dramatic poem ‘Pugachev’ (1922) by S. A. Yesenin. The review, contained in a letter dated January 28, 1922, has been characterized in literary studies as an “enthusiastic greeting.” However, the authors argue that Klyuev’s evaluation of Yesenin’s poem contains “dark places,” specifically his deliberate omission of the imagist poetics of ‘Pugachev’ and his seemingly unmotivated comparison of Yesenin’s dramatic poem with Pushkin’s tragedy ‘Boris Godunov’. The authors demonstrate that Klyuev believed that ‘Pugachev’, which reflects Yesenin’s rapid growth as a poet, was the result of his connection to the traditions of folk poetry rather than the product of the imagist school. Klyuev’s judgment that Yesenin’s poem was “more necessary and desirable than ‘Boris Godunov’” may appear illogical and paradoxical at first glance, but the authors emphasize that his epistolary review expresses only his personal relationship with the younger poet and does not evaluate the literary merits of the two works. The book ‘Pugachev’, which was sent to Vytegra along with the letter, became a sign of trust from the donor, a gift, a tangible expression of love and friendship from the addressee, and evidence of the spiritual and creative devotion of the student to his teacher. For Klyuev, who sought to restore his relationship with Yesenin, ‘Pugachev’ was “more necessary and desirable” because its content resonated with the idea of sacrificial service to his people, which is a recurring theme in Klyuev’s work.

1. Alekseeva, A. A. (2019). The motive of the natural cycle in the late cycles of the Novokrestyan poets (S. A. Yesenin, N. A. Klyuev, S. A. Klychkov, A. V. Shiryaevets). Modern Yesenin studies, 4 (51): 42—46. (In Russ.).

2. Alexandrova, M. A. (2009). “Keys of Mary” as the basis of the spiritual concept of S. A. Yesenin. In: Spiritual and moral foundations of Russian literature: [collection of articles based on the materials of the Second International Scientific Confer-ence, February 27—28, 2009, Kostroma]. Kostroma: Publishing House of Kostroma State University (KSU). 226—231. (In Russ.).

3. Azadovsky, K. M. (1990). Nikolay Klyuev: The Poet’s Path. Leningrad: Soviet Writer. 333 p. ISBN 5-265-01491-8. (In Russ.).

4. Azadovsky, K. M. (2002). The life of Nikolai Klyuev: a documentary narrative. St. Petersburg: Zvezda. 365 p. ISBN 5-94214-003-0. (In Russ.).

5. Bazanov, V. G. (1990). From the native shore: about the poetry of N. Klyuev. Leningrad: Nauka. 241 p. ISBN 5-02-027974-9. (In Russ.).

6. Glembotskaya, Ya. O. (2017). The phenomenon of power and its artistic interpretation in the tragedy of A. S. Pushkin “Boris Godunov”. Ideas and Ideals, 4 (34): 170—178. DOI: 10.17212/2075-0862-2017-4.1-170-178. (In Russ.).

7. Kazakov, A. L. (2014). Klyuev — Lenin: “a verbal gift from the Russian paradise”. North, ½: 141—146. (In Russ.).

8. Kireevsky, I. V. (1996). Review of Russian literature for 1831. “Boris Godunov”. In: Pushkin A. S. Boris Godunov. St. Petersburg: Academic Project Humanitarian Agency. 531—536. ISBN 5-7331-0053-2. (In Russ.).

9. Kiseleva, L. A. (2013). “Pugachev” by Sergei Yesenin in the perception of Nikolai Klyuev: historical, cultural, poetological contexts of understanding. Modern Yesenin stud-ies, 27: 10—15. (In Russ.).

10. Kiseleva, L. A. (2012). “You and I are in the lion’s depths”: Yesenin in the poetic hagiog-raphy of Klyuev. In: Biography and creativity of Sergei Yesenin in an encyclopedic format: A collection of scientific papers based on the materials of the International Scientific Conference dedicated to the 116th anniversary of the birth of S. A. Yesenin. Moscow—Ryazan—Konstantinovo: S. A. Yesenin State Museum-Reserve. 147—165. (In Russ.).

11. Kiseleva, L. A. (1994). Cycle “Izbyanye songs” by N. A. Klyuev in the creative biography of Sergei Yesenin. In: Oh, Rus, flap your wings… The Yesenin Collection, 1. Moscow: Heritage. 95—103. ISBN 5-201-13218-9. (In Russ.).

12. Kiseleva, L. A. (1997). Yesenin and Klyuev: a hidden dialogue (an attempt at partial reconstruction). In: Nikolay Klyuev: Research and materials. Moscow: Heritage. 183—198. ISBN 5-201-13279-0. (In Russ.).

13. Klyuev, N., Azadovsky, K. M. (1988). Unknown letter of N. A. Klyuev to Yesenin. Questions of literature, 2: 272—279. (In Russ.).

14. Kudryashov, I. V., Pyatkin, S. N. (2022). “To Dear Deacon Kolya ...”: Newly Found Inscript of Sergey Yesenin. Nauchnyi dialog, 11 (8): 255—272. https://doi.org/10.24224/2227-1295-2022-11-8-255-272 (In Russ.).

15. Kudryashov, I. V., Pyatkin, S. N. (2012). On the dominant religious motif of the early lyrics of Nikolai Klyuev. The world of science, culture, education, 6 (37): 78—81. (In Russ.).

16. Kudryashov, I. V. (2015). Reminiscences of “Boris Godunov” in the cycle of N. A. Klyuev “To the Poet Sergei Yesenin”. Modern Yesenin studies, 2 (33): 59—66. (In Russ.).

17. Kudryashov, I. V., Pyatkin, S. N. (2020). Why Did the Canary Die? (Sergei Yesenin about Nikolai Klyuev). Nauchnyi dialog, 12: 151—162. https://doi.org/10.24224/2227-1295-2020-12-151-162 (In Russ.).

18. Lyapina, S. M. (2019). “Ill-fated Boris!”: reception of Boris Godunov’s personality in the Russian cultural tradition. History: facts and symbols, 4 (21): 68—80. DOI: 10.24888/2410-4205-2019-21-4-18-68-80. (In Russ.).

19. Mikhailov, A. I. (1995). “Cranes caught in a blizzard ...”: (N. Klyuev and S. Yesenin). North, 11/12: 142—154. (In Russ.).

20. Nezhenets, N. I. (2007). Russian folk classical poetry. Moscow: Rarity. 544 p. ISBN 5-85735-147-2. (In Russ.).

21. Seregina, S. A. (2022). Dialogue and polemics of S. A. Yesenin and N. A. Klyuev about art. Bulletin of Slavic Cultures, 63: 184—197. DOI: 10.37816/2073-9567-2022-63-184-197. (In Russ.).

22. Seregina, S. A. (2015). The image of the crucifixion in the works of Andrei Bely, Nikolai Klyuev and Sergei Yesenin (1917—1918). In: Mythological images in literature and art: Series ““Eternal” plots and images”. Moscow: Indrik. 262—283. ISBN 978-5-91674-356-2. (In Russ.).

23. Shubnikova-Guseva, N. I. (2001). From the “Prophet” to the “Black Man”: Creative history, fate, context and interpretation. Moscow: IMLI RAS; Heritage. 684 p. ISBN 5-9208-0069-0. (In Russ.).

24. Solntseva, N. M., Solntseva, E. G. (2021). Scythian View of Russian Revolution: Aspects of Axiology. Nauchnyi dialog, 5: 272—286. https://doi.org/10.24224/2227-1295-2021-5-272-286 (In Russ.).

25. Subbotin, S. I. (1994). Yesenin and Klyuev (On the history of creative relationships). In: Oh, Rus, flap your wings… The Yesenin Collection, 1. Moscow: Heritage. 104—120. ISBN 5-201-13218-9. (In Russ.).