Introduction

 

Literary Modernism: Perspectives from East and West 

(Marking the 135th Anniversary of the Birth of Osip Mandelstam)

　　

To mark the 135th anniversary of the birth of Osip Mandelstam, we invite you to participate in the international symposium “Literary Modernism: Perspectives from East and West” (Marking the 135th Anniversary of the Birth of Osip Mandelstam), focused on analyzing the artistic and theoretical aspects of various trends in modernist literature in the context of the interaction between East and West.

Literary modernism, which emerged at the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries amid a crisis of classical aesthetic, philosophical, and epistemological models, asserted itself through the search for new, often radical literary forms and artistic language, the rejection of realistic representation, and increased attention to subjective experience and reflexivity. In Russian literature, modernism manifested itself in a number of powerful artistic movements, such as Symbolism, Acmeism, and Futurism, which are commonly grouped under the concept of the “Silver Age,” indicating the remarkable position of modernism in the history of Russian literature.

At the same time, modernism cannot be reduced to a single national model. Its forms and strategies vary depending on the cultural, historical, and linguistic context. Eastern and Western versions of modernism demonstrate both similarities in aesthetic pursuits and fundamental differences due to different philosophical traditions and types of modernization. Dialogue with Eastern literary traditions and religious-philosophical systems is becoming an important factor in the transformation of Western modernism, while the adaptation of Western modernist forms in Eastern literatures is often accompanied by a rethinking of national tradition and cultural identity.

The upcoming symposium (https://modernismliteraturetw.blogspot.com/) proceeds from an understanding of literary modernism as a transnational and polycentric process in which aesthetic experimentation is accompanied by cultural translation, mutual influence, and tension between universalism and locality. Examining modernism from an East-West perspective makes it possible to reveal not only the general structural principles of modernist writing, but also alternative trajectories of its development.

Special attention will be paid to the work of O. Mandelstam as a key figure in Russian modernism and as a point of intersection between various cultural and philosophical discourses. Mandelstam’s poetics, formed in the space of intense interaction between ancient, Christian, Eastern, and Western European intellectual heritage, makes it possible to consider his work as a representative example of modernist thinking focused on the dialogue between traditions and cultures.

The symposium’s keynote speaker is Pavel Polian (Nerler), co-organizer and chairman of the Mandelstam Society, and one of the leading Mandelstam scholars, who has made an undeniable contribution to the study of Osip Mandelstam's work and life.

Another important aspect of the symposium is the participation and the support of the Japan Association for the Study of Russian Language and Literature (JASRLL), which underscores the importance of transnational connections within the framework of international collaboration among philologists.

We invite researchers working in the fields of literary studies, literary theory, philosophy of culture, history of ideas, translation studies, and related disciplines to participate in the symposium.