Italija v vosprijatii I.A. Bunina

Italy in Bunin’s perception. The paper analyses some new elements introduced by Bunin in the perception of Italy in the light of the traditional vision codified in the Italian narrative of the Russian culture between the 19th and the early 20th Century. In the first place, Bunin differentiates himself choosing Capri, an unusual destination, for his long stays in Italy. Moreover, in his description of nature, he does not resort to the intermediation of visual or literary arts, instead, he esthetically elevates Italy’s nature recreating images that recall the connection with the absolute. He delineates a wider vision of a concept that is dear to the Russian travelers when it comes to the perception of Italy as a spiritual homeland, a concept that is not limited to the cultural link between Italy and Russia mediated by Byzantium, but reaches out to the Levantine East, embodying universal cultural and spiritual values. It highlights in the surrounding reality and everyday habits the features of an ancient cultural tradition that is brought to life in the present, reiterating the uninterrupted relation with the past.