Topographical Poetry by M. Syngayivsky in the Context of the Literature of the Sixtiers

Abstract

Mykola Syngayivsky is a little-studied Ukrainian writer of the Sixties. It is difficult to call him little-known because his poetic lyrics are songs that, without exaggeration, are known and sung by the whole of Ukraine and all Ukrainians both on the territory of the national state and in exile. The study aims to analyse the landscape lyrics of M. Syngayivsky. Its tasks are to characterise the features of implementing the landscape genre in the work of M. Syngayivsky, determine the specificity of the author’s writing style and outline a special type of lyrical hero. M. Syngayivsky turns to the genre of classical landscape. In this way, he demonstrates his difference from the majority of the sixties, who actively turn to related genres of philosophical, love, patriotic and other lyrics. Instead, M. Syngayivsky escapes from the scientific, social, political present in the timeless Ukrainian national landscape with its traditional rural elements. According to the creative concept of M. Syngayivsky, a person is inscribed in the world of nature, consonant with it. Nature helps us know, analyse, and discover additional levels in the human consciousness, cultivating the best feelings in it. The author emphasises separately that the vast majority of the writer’s landscape lyrics are connected with the village, rural landscapes and localities as a component of a certain Eden. In this ideal space, a person feels protected. The guiding principle of M. Syngayivsky’s creative manner is the simplicity of poetry, the play on parallelisms, comparisons, well-known, recognisable images. The author does not seek to confuse the reader or pose overly complex philosophical questions to him. Still, through simple images and well-known words, he conveys crucial thoughts to the audience, reminds them of universal human values, emphasises the beauty and value of our life, and proves the need to look into the details. The writer emphasises visual images in most of his landscape lyrics, but some poems also appeal to auditory images.