The Phenomenon of Play in Russian Realist Poetry of the Second Half of the 20th Century

Abstract

This article explores the role of ludic practices in the poetry of realism during the second half of the 20th century. It substantiates the idea that the expanding influence of ludic discourse was driven by cultural determination, the complex traumatic experience of the generation, as well as the impact of modernism and the nascent postmodernism. The study argues that literary play became a key instrument for the formal and semantic renewal of realism, with the phenomenon of play itself becoming an object of profound philosophical reflection. The engagement with play thematically (V. Berestov, Y. Levitansky, R. Rozhdestvensky), the use of the metaphor of play and a child's perspective, facilitated the experience and overcoming of collective trauma, as well as the reinterpretation of the poet's role in history. On a formal level, the realists employed literary play as a tool of poetics, typically turning to already familiar and established ludic practices for the purpose of defamiliarization and poetic renewal. Parody and irony (Y. Levitansky, D. Samoylov, O. Chukhontsev), play with the other's word (N. Gorbanevskaya) and context (N. Zabolotsky, A. Tvardovsky) were aimed at seeking foundations in the classics, creating a dialogue of contexts and generating subtext. Language play (R. Rozhdestvensky, Y. Yevtushenko) was directed at expanding the poetic potential of language. The performative ludic strategies of the bards (V. Vysotsky, A. Bashlachov) allowed for the implicit expression of alternative viewpoints and the portrayal of various social archetypes. Overall, the turn towards play enabled the realists to articulate the complex worldview of the era, avoiding declamatory directness while preserving the relevance of their movement. The study substantiates the universal nature of literary play and the growing influence of ludic discourse in poetry.

Received 16 February 2026

Revised 25 May 2026

Accepted 15 June 2026

Acknowledgements

The author thanks Doctor of Philology, Professor I. S. Skoropanova for her assistance in developing the topic; the organizing committee of the International Conference "The Fates of Realism in Slavic Literatures of the 20th Century," and personally A. V. Amelina, for the opportunity to present the results of this research.

For citation: Svetashova, T. A., 2026. The Phenomenon of Play in Russian Realist Poetry of the Second Half of the 20^th Century. Slavic World in the Third Millennium, 21 (1–2), pp. 152–166. https://doi.org/10.31168/2412-6446.2026.21.1-2.09