The Early Joseph Brodsky: Genesis of the Opposition “Light – Darkness”

Abstract

“Light – darkness” is a universal opposition fundamental for any world picture. Basic binary oppositions frequently appear in the early works by J. Brodsky, and the dichotomy of light and darkness was in the focus of his numerous poems written in early 1960s. The author focuses on the ways the theme is tackled by Brodsky in his short verses and in a long poem “Zofia” and discusses the possible genesis of his interest to the problem, comparing his poems with those of M. Sȩp-Szarzyński, a Polish poet of the 16th century.