Reader's Space: Tsvetaeva’s Bonfires in the Light of the Cultural Scene Concept

The article examines Tsvetaeva’s Bonfires, a contemporary urban ritual of reading the poet’s poems, singing songs, and presenting new research, an essential part of which is live or symbolic fire. Tsvetaeva’s Bonfires emerged in the 1980s and are held in places most often associated with the biographies of Marina or Anastasia Tsvetaeva. Observations allow us to conclude that, despite the same name, these events are organized differently in different cities. We describe the phenomenon of bonfires through the concept of a cultural scene, developed by W. Straw and A. Bennet, and adapted to Russian realities by E. Omelchenko. This approach allows us to consider the emotional content of group practices of reading poetry, taking into account a specific place of gatherings: thus, we can make the requirement of “sincerity” or a symbolic event linking certain emotions and the space of the gathering the object of analysis (the dove is interpreted as the soul of Marina Tsvetaeva, and the good weather as the blessing of her sister Anastasia). As a cultural scene, Tsvetaeva’s Bonfire reproduces implicit rules and meanings, allowing participants to immerse themselves in authentic experiences, share common values, while preserving the individual status of their experience.