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Abstract:

On the material of the diary prose of the Leningrad poet, prose writer and artist G.I. Alekseev (1932–1987), his perception of the personality and work of Andrey Platonov is traced, with the prose of which the author of the diary could get acquainted in the late 50s or early 60s. References to Platonov have been found in the diary since 1963, they relate either to the literary fate and reputation of the writer, or his attitude, manifested in style. Platonov invariably appears among the best prose writers, masters of style, of the twentieth century. Alekseev’s reflections on the writer’s fate of Platonov in the context of the work of the Leningrad vers-libriste, not recognized by the literary establishment, are projected onto his own life in literature. In his notes, Alekseev fixes such features of Platonov’s poetics as childishness, even infantilism — and at the same time the wisdom of looking; “childish freshness of language” despite the fact that “the words are all old;” addressing the main issues of existence (good and evil, life and death); special interest in the problem of human mortality and its overcoming. “Intimacy,” the ability to see through everyday life, “bewilderment over being,” persistent asking of questions — all this makes Alekseev one of Platonov’s followers, not at the level of imitation, but at the level of common aesthetic and worldview platform. Platonov became a landmark for many writers who overcame socialist realism, and Alekseev was among them.