The Tradition of Ancient Chinese Poetry of Boris Volkov’s Poetic Cycle “Dragon Devouring the Sun”

Abstract

The published work analyzes the lyrics of Boris Volkov - an almost neglected poet, prose writer, memoirist of the Eastern emigration - in a dialogue with the ancient Chinese tradition. The poetry of Li Chi (690-751) and Cui Hao (704-754) is in the field of research attention. Volkov enters into an intertextual dialogue with their work in the poetic cycle “Dragon Devouring the Sun”. The cycle is included in the poetry collection «In the Dust of Foreign Roads», published in Berlin in 1934 and never reprinted. Of the entire book of poems, the cycle “Dragon Devouring the Sun” stands out for its poetic immersion in the exotic world of ancient China. In addition to poetic texts, the poet refers to Chinese legends, to the ancient history of the country.