Khlebnikov’s successors: Heinrich Sapgir, Gennady Aygi, Alexander Kondratov, Sergey Biryukov

Abstract

The article considers the literary practice and a theoretical reflection concerning the personality and works of the outstanding Russian poet of the beginning of the 20th century, creative leader of the Russian futurism Velimir Khlebnikov as it is presented in the texts of four modern poets positioning themselves as neofuturists and heirs of great “budetlyanin”: Heinrich Sapgir, Gennady Aygi, Alexander Kondratov and Sergey Biryukov who represent different regions of distribution of the Russian avant-garde and at least two of its generations. The article considers how Khlebnikov’s strategy and creative principles were inherited by the modern poets: use of word creation, boffinry (zaum), anagrams and palindromes, free and heteromorphic verse, the appeal to visuality and the sounding word, an infantile discourse. The main forms of references to Khlebnikov in the works of new poets are revealed: references to his name, names of works, names of the heroes, citing texts of Khlebnikov. Aygi positively speaks of Khlebnikov in the essays and poems, devotes a special prosymetrical text to the anniversary of the poet, and also actively uses the verse types developed by him, especially — the heteromorphic one. Unsociable persons inherits from the senior poet specific acceptances of creativity (use of word creation, boffinry (zaum), anagrams and palindromes, the appeal to visuality and the sounding word, creative behavior), and also makes him the hero of the verses, quotes verses and Velimir’s prose. It is noted that the works of the modern poets created “on the traces” of Khlebnikov are distinguished by rationalism of strategy and techniques that were absent in the futurism. Also, the authors who inherited Khlebnikov’s traditions, but who are not mentioned in article are listed.