The Poetry of Maksym Rylsky Between Parnassianism and Neoclassicism

Abstract

This article examines the leading motifs and creative inclinations in the early poetry of Maksym Rylsky, tracing his systematic development toward artistic mastery, mature talent, and a distinct individual style. The study demonstrates that alongside traditional Ukrainian poetic themes, Rylsky’s early works display numerous inspirations drawn from ancient and contemporary Western European lyricism. Consequently, his initial literary endeavors absorbed the traditions and poetics of two prominent European literary movements of the time: Parnassianism and Neoclassicism. The article also discusses the reception of Rylsky’s early poetry by contemporary literary scholars and critics, including Mykola Zerov, Pavlo Fylypovych, Oleksandr Biletsky, Ivan Ohiyenko, and Józef Łobodowski. The prevailing consensus was that the themes and poetics of Rylsky’s early work are inextricably linked to the artistic intentions and worldview of European Parnassianism–a movement that opposed realism and positivism by championing the ideal of „pure art,” which focused on aesthetic reception, the celebration of poetry, and the exaltation of beauty, life, nature, love, and friendship. Finally, the study notes that Parnassianism continued to evolve on Ukrainian soil through the poetry of the Kyiv Neoclassicists, prominently including Rylsky’s lyricism of the 1920s. However, the author emphasizes that the poet’s further creative development was ultimately and artificially constrained by the repressive apparatus of the Soviet imperial regime, which sought to subordinate art to strict ideological control.