The motif of returning home in the lyric poetry of Nikolay Rubtsov and Leonid Zavalnyuk

The article is devoted to the study of the motif of returning to one’s homeland in the poetry of Nikolay Rubtsov and Leonid Zavalnyuk. The biographical research method makes it possible to identify the reasons that make the motif of returning to one’s homeland one of the key motifs in the poetry of Rubtsov and Zavalnyuk. The childhood of the poets, the early lost of mothers, the war years, both being orphans with living fathers, and being forced to leave their homes for many years. A comparative typological analysis allows us to identify the commonality in the revelation of this motif: the return to the homeland as a return to the idyllic world of lost childhood. Moreover, in the poems of both poets the image of their small homeland is presented in two time dimensions: past and present. Using the technique of contrast, the authors show the radical changes in the native space, the inability to accept the changes that have occurred. A comparison of the motif of returning to home reveals not only the similarities, but also the differences in the worldview of the two poets. Turning to the image of a small homeland, Rubtsov continues Yesenin’s traditions, his attention is directed to the Russian village, rural nature, the motif of the death of the traditional way of life. For Zavalnyuk, the motif of returning to his homeland takes on a new meaning: returning to his true self, restoring his own integrity, accepting himself. The analysis of poetic texts is based on the works of A. N. Veselovsky, B. M. Gasparov, M. L. Gasparov, N. D. Tamarchenko, V. I. Tyupa. The results of the study can be applied when studying the history of Russian literature and literary local history at universities and schools.