THE RECEPTION OF THE POETRY OF EZRA POUND IN THE LITERARY WORKS OF OLEH LYSHEHA

Abstract

Introduction. Ezra Pound is one of the most influential poets of his time. He had not only influenced the Anglo-American modernism or the next generations of English-speaking writers but somehow he had become a symbol of modernization of the national literatures of other European countries. The literary work of E. Pound had been presented in the Ukrainian literature in two ways: at first as a big project of Ihor Kostetskyi and later on as a selected translation of Oleh Lysheha.Purpose. The purpose of the article is to analyze the specific of O. Lysheha’s reception of Pound’s personality and literary work by making a comparison of the translations of "Canto 45" by I. Kostetskyi and O. Lysheha and examining the essays "The Flute of the Earth and the Flute of the Sky" and "The kiss of Ella Fitzgerald" using close reading method.Originality. The deep and original connection which exists between the American and Ukrainian poet has not been analysed yet. Previously it was mentioned briefly by M. Laiuk in his essay "The influence of Ezra Pound on the Ukrainian poetry of the 1970-ies: make it new". While his work gives a general view (M. Laiuk is writing about the whole generation) I am interested in O. Lysheha’s reception particularly.Results. While the Kostetskyi’s reception of Pound’s personality and literary work is declarative and marked by pathos, the reception of O. Lysheha has features of postmodern game with a reader.O. Lysheha’s translations show his profound understanding of the nature of the original. Translating "Сanto 45" he stresses the Chinese idea of productiveness in E. Pound’s poem while I. Kostetskyi puts an emphasis on the idea of capitalistic exploitation. In fact, the translation of O. Lysheha has more common features with the interpretation of polish writer J. Nemojowski (the polish translation was known to O. Lysheha). Still this Ukrainian translation has unique features which open in O. Lysheha’s interpretation of Pound’s "logopoeia". The "melopoeia", "logopoeia" and"phanopoeia" of the selected "Cantos" of E. Pound had been successfully interpreted and re-written by the means of the Ukrainian language.Such essays of O. Lysheha as "The Flute of the Earth and the Flute of the Sky", "The kiss of Ella Fitzgerald" are a powerful evidence of the modernization of the Ukrainian literary discourse. The style of the first essay is marked by the combination of high and low culture which could be seen in the free interpreting of old Latin idioms by the means of Ukrainian spoken language. The author’s narration is full of hints and allusions which could be understood only by the prepared reader or provoke the unprepared reader to enlarge his knowledge. Lysheha had drawn an important parallel between E. Pound and H. Chubay, based on the similarity of poetical talent and tragic fate of the writers. Making a comparison between the poets he is being tactful and delicate not letting any kind of "narodnytskyi" pathos to influence his way of representation.The question whether O. Lysheha had the "anxiety of influence" to E. Pound is rather difficult to answer. Perhaps Lysheha’s visual technique might be looked upon as a kind of perverse from Pound’s melopoeic principle. Speaking about similarities which could be the result of contact, Lysheha’s didactic poems should be mentioned, for example, "Song 551" with its opening line "Before it’s too late – knock your head against the ice" has the similar narrator’s tone as the famous Pound’s directives "Day by day make it new" or "Pull down thy vanity". Still it should be emphasized that the profound analyses of O. Lysheha’s ideas give more reasons to draw a line between him and H. Thoreau or H. D. Laurence whose literary works Lysheha had translated too.Conclusion. This article shows some peculiarities of the O. Lysheha’s reception of the poetry and poetic principles of E. Pound. Surely, a deep analyse of the problem requires further examination, including the involvement of a wider range of authors.