For the first time, the article comprehensively and systematically analyzes V. Sosnora's poetry collection “Drunken Angel”. Allusions and reminiscences are considered not by themselves, but in the context of their role in the realization of the artistic task being solved by the author. Ancient, biblical, and literary sources of poetic motifs and images are identified, and direct references to the previous cultural heritage are analyzed. Archival fragments of V. Sosnora's unpublished diaries are used as a source for analysis. It is concluded that the central motif in the collection “Drunken Angel” is the disillusionment with the power of art and its significance, associated with the story of the angel who descended with the lyre; and the motif of misunderstanding that any true creator faces. Within the framework of the collection, these motifs enter into a complex interaction, overlapping one another. The analysis correlates with the opinion about the need for a holistic study of V. Sosnora's poetic work, in which a collection is understood as an integral artistic whole whereas individual poems are considered its components. This approach corresponds to the opinion of V. Sosnora himself, who advocated a similar approach to the perception of his own poetic texts.
For citation: Bolnova E.V. Literary and mythological sources of the poetic texts of V. Sosnora's collection “The Drunken Angel”, Ivanovo State University Bulletin, Series: Humanities, 2025, iss. 3, pp. 5—15.