Religious motives in the works of B.S. Okudzhava

INTRODUCTION. The study analyzes religious motives in the poetry of B.S. Okudzhava as one of the founders of the genre of author’s song and an exponent of the moral and philosophical search of man in the second half of the 20th century in the context of Soviet atheism. The purpose of the study is to identify the specifics of religious worldview in the works of B.S. Okudzhava.

MATERIALS AND METHODS. The research material includes songs and poetry by B.S. Okudzhava, memoirs and interviews by the author. The methods of comparative historical analysis, hermeneutics and cultural-historical approach are used.

RESULTS AND DISCUSSION. As a result, numerous biblical allusions, motives of prayer, repentance, afterlife and Christian love were revealed. The evolution of the author’s spiritual worldview is traced – from skeptical denial of religion to an inner desire for faith and forgiveness. It is noted that religious symbolism in Okudzhava’s poetry is a form of humanistic self-determination of personality in the conditions of Soviet secular culture.

CONCLUSION. The importance of religious discourse as the basis of the moral and philosophical content of Okudzhava’s work and as an artistic way of preserving spiritual values in the era of ideological pressure is determined. The results of the study are applicable in the further analysis of Russian literature from the religious side and in the educational practice of the humanities.