The humor of today

The humorous verse in Russian literature seems to have gone its own very long road. It is worth mentioning that one of the earliest epigrammatists was Simeon of Polotsk. He was one of the first authors who tried to realize the potential of a concise, pointed satirical verse.

The Augustan Age in Russia probably took place in the first half of the 19^th century. It was then that satirical epigrammatic writing thrived, both original and borrowed from other languages. Pushkin's bon mots are well-known, so are many others by writers of lesser talent. Humour and wit go hand in hand in these. At that time words from modern languages won a prestigious place in comic rhyming. The authors made fun of pseudo intellectuals who misused and abused them in colloquial language. What an opportunity for anyone who takes up comic poetry today!

In fact, Russian humour also has its specific socio-cultural features. Sometimes they pose serious problems for translators. The example of Pushkin's Eugene Onegin seems to be convincing enough: it is not sufficient to translate all the words correctly, or carefully observe the rhyming scheme of the original; there is something else, this elusive quality called the 'spirit' or whatever. To translate – to convey rather – this quality into a different language is a tremendously difficult task.

Coming back to original poetry, one should note that all the great poets in Russia displayed a great sense of humour. They all could coin a memorable four-liner. Humorous and satirical poetry was especially plentiful in times of political turmoil. It goes without saying that sometimes a modest poem could provide for a half a lifetime spent by the reckless author in the farthermost corner of Siberia. No regime existing in Russia over the last four hundred years thought it appropriate for poets to engage in mockery.

The Soviet times were no exception. Humour was a dangerous thing indeed. And in very many ways the Soviet empire was destined to the fate of the British one under Queen Victoria. The end-of-the-century feeling multiplied by political agony found their utmost expression in bitterly sarcastic lines. This is the picture of humorous poetry of the 1990s in the ex-USSR countries. Text 84 features the poem by Igor Irtenyev, which testifies to this fact.