The poetry of Anna Khodzher: an ethno-gender aspect (based on the poetry collection “Duchenku Sings”, 1990)

Abstract

The aim of the study is to comprehensively characterize the themes and artistic imagery in the lyric poetry of the Nanai poet Anna Petrovna Khodzher (1936-2021) from the perspective of a gender approach. The scientific novelty of the work lies in the fact that the creative legacy of A. P. Khodzher is subjected to systematic literary analysis for the first time: biographical data on the poet are systematized, the connection between the themes and poetics of her work and traditional Nanai culture is identified, and the geopoetic and ethnopoetic origins of her imagery are conceptualized. Furthermore, the novelty is defined by the gender perspective applied to the textual analysis. The results of the study demonstrate that A. P. Khodzher’s poetry reflects the specificities of an ethno-gender worldview: the social role and worldview of women within the socio-cultural structure of the Nanai world are figuratively embodied in the themes and poetics of her works. Special attention is paid to the specific poetic devices that create ethnic coloring, such as the naming of household objects, elements of ritual culture, and mythopoetic concepts. The analysis enables a typological study in which the following thematic groups of poems are classified based on the ethno-gender principle: those reflecting women’s craft and creativity, maternal lyrics, and love lyrics. The article shows that translations of the Nanai poet’s works into Russian aimed at an authentic rendering of the unique characteristics of her national culture.