Chapter Melancholic Humor, Skepticism and Reflective Nostalgia. Igor’ Guberman’s Poetics of Paradox

The poetry of Israeli émigré Igor' Guberman, comprising thousands of quatrains (‘gariki’), represents a hybrid genre at the junction of Jewish aphoristic tradition, Russian oral folklore, and classical Russian poetry. The theme of toska, which is central to the gariki, may be sharply distinguished f...

Olles dieđut

Furkejuvvon:
Bibliográfalaš dieđut
Váldodahkki: Salmon, Laura
Materiálatiipa: Online
Giella:eaŋgalasgiella
Almmustuhtton: Firenze University Press 2022
Fáttát:
Liŋkkat:ONIX_20220601_9788866558224_4
Fáddágilkorat: Lasit fáddágilkoriid
Eai fáddágilkorat, Lasit vuosttaš fáddágilkora!
_version_ 1869527095647928320
author Salmon, Laura
author_browse Salmon, Laura
author_facet Salmon, Laura
author_sort Salmon, Laura
collection Directory of Open Access Books
description The poetry of Israeli émigré Igor' Guberman, comprising thousands of quatrains (‘gariki’), represents a hybrid genre at the junction of Jewish aphoristic tradition, Russian oral folklore, and classical Russian poetry. The theme of toska, which is central to the gariki, may be sharply distinguished from the ‘restorative nostalgia’ theorized by Svetlana Boym (2001): Guberman's toska is a thoughtful, melancholic, and paradoxical feeling. It expresses a particular variety of skepticism that characterizes the paradoxical humor of the Ashkenazi, the purpose of which is not to ridicule others' shortcomings, but to gently make fun of the sadness and painful absurdity that impermeates human existence. Such melancholic and paradoxical humor permits Guberman to look at life, at himself, even at God, with an indulgent ‘smile of reason’ that is absolutely devoid of arrogance. A subtle melancholic and deep skeptic, Guberman "laughs through his tears", for this is what Russian-Jewish tradition teaches, a lesson that has penetrated deeply and more generally into Russian literature: when the soul is beset by excessive sadness, its has recourse only to laughter.
format Online
id doab-20.500.12854ir-83208
institution Directory of Open Access Books
language eng
publishDate 2022
publishDateRange 2022
publishDateSort 2022
publisher Firenze University Press
publisherStr Firenze University Press
record_format ojs
spelling doab-20.500.12854ir-832082022-06-02T04:26:06Z Chapter Melancholic Humor, Skepticism and Reflective Nostalgia. Igor’ Guberman’s Poetics of Paradox Salmon, Laura Guberman gariki paradox humor nostalgia Russian-Jewish literature The poetry of Israeli émigré Igor' Guberman, comprising thousands of quatrains (‘gariki’), represents a hybrid genre at the junction of Jewish aphoristic tradition, Russian oral folklore, and classical Russian poetry. The theme of toska, which is central to the gariki, may be sharply distinguished from the ‘restorative nostalgia’ theorized by Svetlana Boym (2001): Guberman's toska is a thoughtful, melancholic, and paradoxical feeling. It expresses a particular variety of skepticism that characterizes the paradoxical humor of the Ashkenazi, the purpose of which is not to ridicule others' shortcomings, but to gently make fun of the sadness and painful absurdity that impermeates human existence. Such melancholic and paradoxical humor permits Guberman to look at life, at himself, even at God, with an indulgent ‘smile of reason’ that is absolutely devoid of arrogance. A subtle melancholic and deep skeptic, Guberman "laughs through his tears", for this is what Russian-Jewish tradition teaches, a lesson that has penetrated deeply and more generally into Russian literature: when the soul is beset by excessive sadness, its has recourse only to laughter. 2022-06-02T04:26:05Z 2022-06-02T04:26:05Z 2022-06-01T12:06:34Z 2015 chapter ONIX_20220601_9788866558224_4 2612-7679 https://library.oapen.org/handle/20.500.12657/55821 9788866558224 https://directory.doabooks.org/handle/20.500.12854/83208 eng Biblioteca di Studi Slavistici open access image/jpeg Attribution 4.0 International https://library.oapen.org/bitstream/20.500.12657/55821/1/15570.pdf Firenze University Press 10.36253/978-88-6655-822-4.06 10.36253/978-88-6655-822-4.06 2ec4474d-93b1-4cfa-b313-9c6019b51b1a 9788866558224 41 Florence open access
spellingShingle Guberman
gariki
paradox
humor
nostalgia
Russian-Jewish literature
Salmon, Laura
Chapter Melancholic Humor, Skepticism and Reflective Nostalgia. Igor’ Guberman’s Poetics of Paradox
title Chapter Melancholic Humor, Skepticism and Reflective Nostalgia. Igor’ Guberman’s Poetics of Paradox
title_full Chapter Melancholic Humor, Skepticism and Reflective Nostalgia. Igor’ Guberman’s Poetics of Paradox
title_fullStr Chapter Melancholic Humor, Skepticism and Reflective Nostalgia. Igor’ Guberman’s Poetics of Paradox
title_full_unstemmed Chapter Melancholic Humor, Skepticism and Reflective Nostalgia. Igor’ Guberman’s Poetics of Paradox
title_short Chapter Melancholic Humor, Skepticism and Reflective Nostalgia. Igor’ Guberman’s Poetics of Paradox
title_sort chapter melancholic humor skepticism and reflective nostalgia igor guberman s poetics of paradox
topic Guberman
gariki
paradox
humor
nostalgia
Russian-Jewish literature
topic_facet Guberman
gariki
paradox
humor
nostalgia
Russian-Jewish literature
url ONIX_20220601_9788866558224_4
work_keys_str_mv AT salmonlaura chaptermelancholichumorskepticismandreflectivenostalgiaigorgubermanspoeticsofparadox