Abstract

The article discusses the significance of the figure of Adam in the artistic philosophy of Acmeism. Particular attention is paid to the functioning of the image of biblical Adam in the works of Nikolay Gumilyov and Osip Mandelstam. Their texts present the first man not only as the epitome of the poet and bearer of an unclouded view of the world but also as a symbol of the balance between the earthly and the heavenly principles. For Gumilyov, Adam is also an example of manhood and fortitude. The poet creates an original Adamic myth re-evaluating the Fall as a test given to man by God. According to the plot of the myth, the purpose of human life is to seek and attain Paradise. Mandelstam turns to the image of Adam much less often encoding the ideas of Adamism by various means. The poet openly distances himself from the version of Adamism created by Sergey Gorodetsky sharing implicitly the ideas presented in the works of Gumilyov.