IN ONE’S CIRCLE

A review of books on contemporary poetry published in Yekaterinburg and dealing mostly with authors from the Urals region. The paper focuses on K. Komarov’s Contemplating Texts. A collection of articles and reviews [ Byt’ pri tekste. Kniga statey i retsenziy ] and Y. Podlubnova’s Unidentifiable Air. A book on contemporary Urals poetry [ Neuznavaemiy vozdukh. Kniga o sovremennoy uralskoy poezii ]. The authors are renowned champions of two opposing literary traditions: while Podlubnova favours ‘relevant poetry’ in its local, Urals-based, version, Komarov sides with the so-called ‘new traditionalism’ with its rejection of any experimentation with meters and auctorial conscience, except as a means to an end. The paper seeks to reveal the ways in which the critic’s personal stance manifests in his/her works and shapes his/her aesthetic judgement.